After the Oct. 7 attack, community leader Darryl Morin, the national president of Forward Latino, reached out to local Jewish leaders and asked how he could help.
“We’ve seen the hate antisemitism has triggered across our country. Hate against any community in any form is simply unacceptable,” said Morin, who went to Washington D.C. for a national rally after the attack, describing it as a profound experience as he was surrounded by tens of thousands of people peacefully singing in Hebrew.
“In the end, if we go back far enough, we’re all each other’s brothers and sisters. We’re all brothers and sisters of the Lord above,” he added.
For his work against hate, Morin was awarded the Robert H. Friebert Social Justice Award during the Jewish Community Relations Council annual meeting on May 21.
“It’s been my great honor to partner with you. I want to reaffirm with you today that I will always be here by your side, the members and affiliates of Forward Latino will always be here by the Jewish community’s side to make sure that we do what is right,” he said in accepting the award.
Forward Latino is a 29-state organization that advocates around civic issues such as health care, immigration and education.
“We work tirelessly to make sure that every child, not just Hispanic children, but every child has access to a quality education and quality health care,” he said during his remarks.
He also sits on numerous local boards and is cofounder of the Latino-Jewish Alliance and the 80% Coalition Against Gun Violence. Morin advocates against hate as well as for civil and human rights here in Milwaukee and around the nation.
“Whether there have been attacks against the African American community, the Asian community, the Hispanic community, the Jewish community, the LGBTQ community, the Muslim community or the Sikh community, we’ve always been able to stand shoulder to shoulder to defend human dignity and to serve examples of doing what is right,” he added.
The father of two is also the president and CEO of Advance Wireless. His company has donated more than $2 million in Internet equipment and services to schools and non-profits in underserved communities across the nation.
The award recognizes individuals who typify courage, passion and leadership as they work to eliminate hate and discrimination. The award’s namesake Robert Friebert was a prominent attorney in Milwaukee, who worked diligently in pursuit of social justice.
“I know he would have been … extremely angry by the realities of the world today, but he would also be actively engaged in building bridges,” said Ellen Schupper, the daughter of Friebert, who passed away in 2013. “That is why I’m especially honored to be up here to present this year’s award to (Morin) for his unwavering commitment to standing up for the rights of all people, and the way he leads by example is an inspiration to all of us.”
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