Remembering South Side organizer Manuel “Manni” Marquez

Manuel “Manni” Marquez, a longtime Milwaukee community organizer who helped lead the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative, died Oct. 28. Marquez, 53, was born and raised on the South Side and devoted much of his career to improving the lives of young people and families in the community. He spent 15 years at Journey House, first as a gang intervention specialist. He worked in youth development and workforce programming before becoming director of the Clarke Square Neighborhood Initiative, according to Michele Bria, executive director of Journey House. In 2011, Marquez, who went from getting his GED to eventually earning a master’s degree at Cardinal Stritch University, won a “Mi Comunidad” award, which recognizes an unsung hero in Milwaukee’s Hispanic community. Marquez held positions at UMOS, Boys Girls Clubs of Milwaukee and the Cathedral Center. At the time of his death, he was director of administration at First Unitarian Society of Milwaukee. Paul Smith, execut