Amicia Sutton (formerly Ramsey), Journalist, Former Keynote Speaker 2023 and Proud MCJ Scholarship Recipient
As the Milwaukee Community Journal inches closer to celebrate its 50 years, I find myself reflecting not only on where I’ve been, but on who I’ve become. At 17 years […]
Black News 
As the Milwaukee Community Journal inches closer to celebrate its 50 years, I find myself reflecting not only on where I’ve been, but on who I’ve become.
At 17 years old, I was a recipient of the Milwaukee Community Journal scholarship. At the time, I didn’t fully understand what it meant, but looking back, I know a seed was planted in me. It was a seed rooted in purpose, possibility, and community.
Years later, I had the honor of returning as a keynote speaker for the Journal’s 47th anniversary. The theme that year centered on diamonds and the pressure it takes to become who you’re meant to be. At that point in my life, I was working in television news, telling stories, highlighting voices, and covering the work happening in the community. I had gone through my own seasons of pressure and growth, and I was proud of where I stood.
That moment now feels even more meaningful because it happened right before a major shift in my life.
Since then, I’ve transitioned from the newsroom into a new role as a wife, a mother, and someone deeply involved in my community in a different way. I’m no longer just reporting on the work. I’m doing the work. I’m living it.
And that perspective has changed everything.
My journalism mindset is still very much a part of who I am. I still pay close attention to what’s happening in our world, whether it’s the economy, politics, or global issues. But now I see it through a more personal lens. I’m not just observing from a distance. I’m connected to it in a deeper way.
That’s why the Milwaukee Community Journal is still so important.
For 50 years, this publication has done more than report the news. It has invested in people. It has created opportunities. It has highlighted the individuals who are actively shaping and strengthening our community.
I’ll never forget the 47th anniversary celebration. My parents were in the audience, brother and husband (at the time we were in a dating relationship). The room was filled with excellence, but it also felt like family. There was genuine joy in celebrating leaders and honoring the legacy of Patricia O’Flynn Pattillo and her late husband and others. I remember looking around and seeing other scholarship recipients, people who, like me, had grown into their own paths and were making an impact.
It made me realize that this work produces something real.
In the Bible, we’re taught that a good tree bears good fruit. The Milwaukee Community Journal is a good tree.
For decades, it has planted seeds through storytelling, scholarships, and representation. And today, we are seeing the fruit of that work in the lives of those who were poured into. I am one of them.
As I reflect on 50 years, I see a legacy that continues to grow. A legacy that has helped shape individuals who go on to serve, lead, build, and give back.
My hope is that the Journal continues to do what it has always done so well, not only telling stories, but uplifting the people who are actively doing the work in our communities.
Because those are the stories that matter. Those are the stories that last.
And as for me, I carry this legacy with me in every role I step into.
The seed that was planted all those years ago is still growing. I am a product of MCJ’s investment, a witness of its impact and believer of its future.
