Partner Spotlight:
Tikkun Ha-Ir’s 100 Women on the Move: A Milwaukee Coalition’s Story of Building Civic Trust
In a city where communities and civic life are often siloed, Tikkun Ha-Ir is helping build something different.
100 Women on the Move brings women of different backgrounds and faith communities to learn and organize on issues affecting Milwaukee. What began as a planning conversation among three women from three distinct organizations in late 2023 has grown into a distinctive civic coalition. At the first lunch meeting on International Women’s Day in 2024, Jewish women sat alongside Black church leaders, community organizers, and civic engagement advocates. Some arrived knowing only the people they came with. By the end of the afternoon, many were making plans to work together.
The coalition has mobilized volunteers for voter engagement efforts, community outreach events, canvassing opportunities, poll worker recruitment, and Milwaukee's historic Juneteenth celebration.100 Women on the Move advances this work through voter education, advocacy, and civic participation. And now, it is a network of roughly 170 women who regularly answer the call when their community needs them.
Rhonda Lindner, leader from Tikkun Ha-Ir who helped establish the initiative, shares:
Action Plan: Led a Multi-Faith coalition of civically engaged women.
Partner Since: 2024
The initiative was launched in partnership with other organizations including Souls to the Polls, Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH), and the Wisconsin Interfaith Voter Engagement Campaign. Milwaukee is home to many communities, yet many are disconnected from one another. 100 Women on the Move has helped bridge those divides, proving that enduring civic engagement begins with meaningful civic relationships.
"Some of our biggest successes haven't been the events themselves. They've been the relationships that came out of them. Women who may never have met otherwise are now showing up for one another's organizations, attending each other's events, and working together in ways that simply weren't happening before."
Tikkun Ha-Ir has helped cultivate this bridge-building hub of civic engagement in Milwaukee. Participants both bring their own identities, values, and lived experiences into the work and make space for others to do the same. Jewish leaders show up grounded in their own tradition and commitments, while also practicing the openness required to hold complexity, build trust, and sustain relationships across difference.
“In a city where people often live, worship, and organize separately, 100 Women on the Move created opportunities for people to come together. The relationships we built became just as important as the civic engagement work itself.”
"The Jewish presence in 100 Women on the Move is strong, respected, and welcomed. We bring our Jewish values into every room we enter. We talk about why this work matters to us, and at the same time, we're learning from our partners and their traditions. Those bonds we've built are strong and enduring."
Like many authentic coalition building efforts, 100 Women on the Move has navigated challenges. Bringing together women from distinct racial, faith, and neighborhoods required intentional care, especially in the early stages, when relationships were still forming and many participants did not yet share common spaces or language for the work. Tikkun Ha-Ir focused first on bringing Jewish leaders in who understood the sensitivities of bridge-building.
"At first, some people don't understand that you're a natural leader in your community, but now you're joining another community, and you have to take a step back. Understanding that everyone wants to do the right thing, but some people are just a little better trained."
Today, 100 Women on the Move serves as a reminder that civic renewal does not always begin with a campaign, a rally, or even an election. It begins when people who might never otherwise meet decide to sit down together and imagine a better future. As Lindner reflects,
"Instead of just talking about the issues, we're working together. We're learning from each other, leaning into each other's traditions, and building something together.”
By building that something together – Tikkun Ha-Ir is helping shape a more connected Milwaukee, and a more resilient civic life.
To connect with Rhonda Linder, you can reach out to her here.
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