About BPMKE

Milwaukee has what its residents need.

Our work is making sure everyone can access it.

Since 2024, Black Pride Milwaukee, Inc. (BPMKE) has been building bridges across Milwaukee, connecting communities to the trusted resources, spaces, and organizations they deserve. By partnering with community organizations, civic leaders, and residents across zip codes, we close the gap between the resources that exist and the people who need them most.

Our vision

A Milwaukee where all Black lives are affirmed, communities thrive across every zip code, and the city our people were raised in becomes the city they choose to build.

Our mission

BPMKE strengthens Milwaukee by creating the conditions for culture, community, and opportunity to meet with dignity, through culturally grounded spaces, vetted resource networks, and collaborative partnerships that expand access, deepen belonging, and move communities closer to safety, affirmation, connection, and opportunity.

BPMKE is not an event producer or a referral service.BPMKE is a community infrastructure builder.

We don't recreate the wheel. We make the wheel work for everyone.

Why this work

Resources alone don't create access.

The problem

Access isn't belonging

Milwaukee has resources. But access alone does not create belonging, and when people don't feel they belong, they leave.

Our approach

We create the conditions

Culturally grounded spaces, a vetted resource network, and a rigorous capacity building pipeline, so culture, community, and opportunity meet with dignity.

The return

People stay and build

A Milwaukee where more people are affirmed, better connected, and closer to opportunity, with a reason to stay and build.

Strategic pillars

Five values shape every program.

Culture

Culture is not decoration. It is the infrastructure through which trust is built and belonging is made real.

Community

Bringing people together across zip codes, generations, and lived experiences. Strong communities are how cities retain their people.

Opportunity

Resources, relationships, and pathways toward long-term possibility. Opportunity without access is not opportunity at all.

Dignity

Access rooted in respect for the humanity, agency, and lived experience of the communities being served.

Accountability

We measure whether the work creates real movement, and we report it transparently.

Our story

From a first event to city infrastructure in two years.

BPMKE started with a simple observation: Milwaukee's resources were real, but too many people couldn't reach them with dignity. Every program since has been built to close that gap.

  1. 2024

    BPMKE is founded

    Black Pride Milwaukee, Inc. incorporates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in Milwaukee.

  2. Summer 2024

    Back-to-School Fair

    Students head into the school year with fresh haircuts, backpacks, school supplies, and a free lunch.

  3. November 2024

    Civic Engagement Series launches

    Monthly conversations on issues like economic empowerment and financial literacy, with practical steps and room to connect.

  4. [Date]

    Ty's Sock Drive

    [One sentence on the drive and its reach.]

  5. February 2026

    Winter Lights Gala & Awards Show

    Community members, leaders, and partners gather at Turner Hall Ballroom for an evening of recognition and impact.

  6. 2026

    A three-program model

    BPMKE restructures around Cultural Programming, The Resource Network, and The Capacity Building Pipeline.

  7. June 2026

    Black Pride Night at PrideFest

    A new partnership with Milwaukee Pride brings a BPMKE-curated program to PrideFest's Saturday night.

Leadership

Built to run like the institution it's becoming.

Matt Hogans

Founder & Board Chair

A Milwaukee native, Matt founded Black Pride Milwaukee, Inc. in 2024 and built it from concept to operation, raising more than $100,000 and serving 500+ community members in its first 18 months.

Matt is Chief Development Officer at Nia Imani Family, Inc. and holds PMP and RIMS-CRMP certifications. He earned a BBA in Marketing and Accounting, cum laude, from Texas Southern University and a BS in Biology from the University of Texas at Dallas. The Milwaukee Business Journal named him to its 40 Under 40, Class of 2026.

Board of Directors

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Accountability

We name what we measure.

Our evaluation partner, Ubuntu Research and Evaluation, helps us track whether the work creates real movement. We report it transparently.

  • More affirmed
  • Safer in community
  • Better connected
  • Closer to opportunity
  • More rooted in Milwaukee