I am thankful for the opportunity to perform my spoken word piece "From Tribulation to Triumph" in front of the movers & shakers of my hometown, MKE, during the 2024 MANDI Awards. Shout out to @LISC_Milwaukee for the opportunity. What’s crazy is that this is my first spoken word performance in years. If you are a true reader of “Christopher’s Perceptions,” you will notice not only all of my typos since I write fast to get back to building (then have to revise 2-4 times after I send the newsletter out), but also the fact that I spoke on my artistic past. It feels good to be able to write and perform again. I missed it. Who knows? There may be more of this in store. 👀
For context, “The Milwaukee Awards for Neighborhood Development Innovation (MANDI) pay tribute to the people and organizations working tirelessly to make the city of Milwaukee a great place to live, learn, work and grow.
The MANDIs were introduced by LISC Milwaukee in 1999 to acknowledge and promote the accomplishments of the community development industry in the city of Milwaukee. The MANDI ceremony highlights a variety of community work with video profiles of each MANDI finalist.” - LISC Milwaukee
LISC, which stands for “Local Initiatives Support Corporation,” is a national organization that:
Forges resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity across America.
Pursues strategies like strengthening alliances, developing leadership, equipping talent, investing in businesses/housing, and driving policy changes.
Works with residents and partners to create great places to live, work, visit, do business, and raise families.
It has offices in over 40 cities and serves 2,100 rural counties in 44 states. In 1979, Ford Foundation executives founded LISC. LISC's affiliates include the National Equity Fund (NEF), the nation's largest syndicator of Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC), among others. LISC and its affiliates help community development initiatives by providing grants, loans, and equity investments, as well as technical and management assistance. In the fiscal year 2020, it announced grants, loans, and investments of US$2 billion, leveraging $4.4 billion in overall development and assisting over 700 partners across America. Since 1979, LISC has spent $24 billion in communities, leveraging $69 billion to help build 436,000 affordable homes and apartments and 74.4 million square feet of facilities. Basically, LISC is massive.
It’s an honor to celebrate with LISC Milwaukee, as this is the 25th MANDI Awards.
Peace and love
Christopher Perceptions (also known as C.M.P.)
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