Tammy Baldwin: “today I rise to honor the retirement of Rev.Dr. Carmen Porco following a 50-year career of dedicated service in…”

“today I rise to honor the retirement of Rev.Dr. Carmen Porco following a 50-year career of dedicated service in Wisconsin communities. His tireless work advocating for access to housing and leading a multifront effort to fight poverty has touched thousands of lives across the State of Wisconsin. Reverend Dr. Porco grew up in a small town in West Virginia. In his youth, he saw his mother put some of her hard-earned money toward helping support those who lost their jobs in a steel mill layoff. Inspired by his mother's selflessness, Reverend Dr. Porco began his career of public service early in his life. At 19 years old, he moved to Milwaukee to intern for the Milwaukee Christian Center. His internship focused on conflict resolution between youth gangs but exposed him to the now historic marches calling for open housing legislation. Between 1967 and 1968, African-American teenagers lead by Father James Groppi marched for 200 nights throughout Milwaukee to advocate for fair housing. Reverend Dr. Porco joined those marches and in turn found a passion that shaped his entire career. Reverend Dr. Porco went on to develop and lead Housing Ministries of Wisconsin, which aims to move residents from public housing toward homeownership. Throughout his long and impressive career, Reverend Dr. Porco has fought to end poverty by supporting and uplifting the individuals affected by it. He helped improve the U.S.…”