ST. BONIFACE CATHOLIC CHURCH

Inscription

St. Boniface and its campus at 1122 W. Clarke Street were the epicenter of Milwaukee’s civil rights movement. A Catholic church with a predominantly Black congregation, St. Boniface served as a hub during the 200 consecutive days of open housing marches from fall 1967 to spring 1968. Strategies and routes for marches were organized in the church’s basement by the NAACP Youth Council Commandos Direct Action Committee. Marches started and ended at the church. St. Boniface supplied food, lodging, medical attention, and transportation to the movement. Father James Groppi served at St. Boniface from 1963 to 1970 and advised the Youth Council during this period. In 1965, St. Boniface was slated to be the site of a Freedom School offering lessons on Black history and activism. This plan was prohibited by Catholic officials, leading to protests by the Youth Council and its allies. Luminaries from the nationwide civil rights movement, including Fannie Lou Hamer, Hosea Williams, Jesse Jackson, Dick Gregory, and Roy Wilkins, visited St. Boniface to attend rallies, marches, and strategy sessions. The St. Boniface complex was demolished in 1975 to make room for expansions to North Division High School. The parish moved to N. Teutonia Avenue and W. Center Street. The history of St. Boniface illustrates the importance of local churches and their congregations in the organization and enactment of civil rights activities.

Erected 2023
Funded by the William G. Pomeroy Foundation
Wisconsin Historical Society