Program

Wisconsin Historical Society

Subject

Event, Site

Location

905 W North Ave, Milwaukee, WI, USA

Lat/Long

43.060148, -87.9231001

Grant Recipient

Wisconsin Historical Foundation

Rally at Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church

On September 3, 1967, about 200 protesters led by the NAACP Youth Council and Commandos held a rally at Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church to protest housing segregation;1 it was their first rally at a Black Baptist church.2 From there, they marched toward the Joseph Schlitz and Blatz breweries to initiate an economic boycott of local beer companies as part of a multi-pronged approach to protesting segregation.3 Protesters continued their march on Wisconsin Avenue from N. Van Buren Street to N. 6th Street. The demonstration concluded at St. Boniface Catholic Church. Reverend E. M. Kelly, the pastor of Metropolitan Missionary Baptist Church and a vocal supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, endorsed the demonstrations as “a social, educational, and political revolution.”4 In 1968, the congregation moved to 1345 W. Burleigh Street.5

Erected 2024
March On, Milwaukee
Funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation