Home Milwaukee Ossie Kendrix Jr. honored with 2021 Herb Kohl Champion Award

Ossie Kendrix Jr. honored with 2021 Herb Kohl Champion Award

0
Ossie Kendrix Jr.

African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin President and CEO Ossie Kendrix Jr. is the recipient of Safe & Sound’s 2021 Herb Kohl Champion Award, presented annually to a community leader who demonstrates exemplary collaboration and commitments to Milwaukee and Wisconsin.

The Herb Kohl Champion Award salutes those who follow in former Sen. Kohl’s footsteps to achieve positive changes and collaborations in the community.

“In the past year, Ossie has introduced new programming to support small minority-owned businesses and strengthened strategic partnerships that have created economic and operational support to those businesses,” said Safe & Sound Deputy Executive Director Bridget Whitaker in a statement. “He is surely building a stronger Milwaukee, creating new entrepreneurs and equipping business owners with skills to not only become sustainable, but also to create employment opportunities within the communities we serve. Ossie has worked for years to create a more equitable community.”

Under Kendrix’s leadership, the African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin (AACCW) reached its $1 million fundraising goal to build and open the Legacy Co-Working and Innovation Space, according to a press release, which serves as its new headquarters at 1920 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Milwaukee’s Bronzeville Neighborhood.

“During the pandemic, Ossie was at the forefront of ensuring there was an equitable distribution of state and federal funds into the communities that we serve that were severely affected by COVID-19,” Whitaker said.

Safe & Sound works to unite residents, youth, law enforcement and community resources to build safe and empowered neighborhoods. Kendrix also serves on the Safe & Sound board of directors.

Kendrix was highlighted as one of Madison365’s Black Power 2017: Wisconsin’s 35 Most Influential Black Leaders.