101.7 is true.
This is your girl Jazz Tyler.
We are live and direct good afternoon everyone today We are sitting down with the Mrs. Erica Crowley a wife a mother professional woman of faith and someone who has stood beside David Crowley throughout one of the most closely watched chapters in his public life campaigns
often focused on the candidate, but behind every elected official is a family making sacrifices the public rarely sees.
So today, there's an opportunity for us to hear from the woman behind the campaign, not about politics, not about just the campaign, but just life, family, purpose, perseverance, service, all of the above.
So again, Erica, thank you so much for joining us today.
Thank you for having me.
I'm excited first and foremost because I am familiar with the work that you do.
And I think that a lot of people who are listening would be eager to learn a little bit more as well.
So we know that you are the director of the Rental Housing Resource Center in Milwaukee.
You have worked with organizations since 2020 and leaves efforts that helps residents avoid eviction, navigate housing issues, and connect with community resources.
You've served more than 15 years.
You have more than 15 years of experience in social services and poverty reduction.
And you graduated from...
UWM with a bachelor's degree in community education.
I'm sorry, community engagement and education.
Again, thank you so much, Erica.
I wanted to get that out there so that people will understand how important it is for us to discuss your journey and what you're great at as well.
So again, thank you so much for joining us.
I'm like, wow, I did all of that?
Yes.
So before people knew you as David Crawley's wife, they knew you as Erica.
Tell us about the experiences that shaped you as a woman you are today.
So before I was Erica Crawley, I was Erica Wright.
I was my own individual.
I had my own goals and dreams.
But at my basic court, when people always be like, tell me about yourself, I'd be like.
It's so weird because over the years, that definition of who I am has changed.
I always say at my basic core, I am someone that believes in operating and optimism with some possibility and grace.
I am a mother of three beautiful girls known as the A-Squad,
because some
reason I name all my kids with the letter
A. Don't
know why I do that.
Can't remember their names half
the
time.
But I'm someone that's just always worked in social service.
I started working in social service at the age of 19 at the social development.
Commission in the Energy Assistance Program.
And I
just always believed in working with organizations that either are.
anti-poverty organizations or help with alleviating poverty.
I'm very passionate about moving people beyond poverty.
Yes.
Where did you grow up?
And if you grew up here, what part of Milwaukee did you grow up?
So I was initial, originally born in Chicago.
I moved here when I was probably about four, but I'm pretty much from Milwaukee.
I don't really
have a lot of memories of Chicago other than going back for holidays or, you know, during the summer, but I grew up mostly on the North side.
My mother was someone that liked to move like every two years.
So I didn't have a
a stable neighborhood where I would say, like, this is my neighborhood.
This is where
I
rep.
But pretty much the north side of Milwaukee.
Yeah.
And
what high school did you go to?
Oh, only the best high school ever, Riverside University.
Oh, wow.
OK.
You know, I don't have nothing.
I know a lot of people that went to Riverside.
But you are basically, I was asking this because it just proved that you are homegrown, whether you were born here or not.
And the fact, again, that you have expertise when it comes to
poverty when it comes to knowing what it is that your people need.
What was it at a young age that made you decide to say, hey, this is something that I want to do and this is something that I should be doing?
Believe it or not, I kind of just fell into it.
So my mother also worked for a SDC.
So when I was a child, I would go to work with her, watch her interact with clients.
I mean, I believe she was...
At one point, she was an executive assistant, and she worked her way up.
But I would just go with her to the office, learn about what the agency did, learn about how they help people, learn about their services.
And then when I needed a job,
I was
like, hey, mom,
is there anything higher?
Yeah.
You know,
at SDC.
And I started off volunteering in their energy assistance program.
But just, again, learning more about the different services and the work that they had, I just couldn't move away from it.
Yes.
I just, again, I.
I was always touched by people's stories.
I started off as, again, a volunteer and then worked my way up to a crisis case manager and then just really helping families find their definition of equality alive and it's just something I stuck
with.
Yes, so you are familiar with being boots on the ground.
You know what it means to work, to meet the people where they are and to work with them side by side.
Now, you mentioned that you have the A-Squad.
The A-Squad, yes.
My
girls.
So you guys have no sons at all?
I just all know.
No sons, no.
Wow.
So it's very interesting raising three different personalities.
My oldest is getting ready to go to college in a couple of weeks.
It's very bittersweet.
I'm
so glad that
she gets to have this experience and she's growing, but that's my baby, you know?
Like, oh, what am I going to do without her in this house?
I can't check on her.
I might have to keep your location on all the time.
I can't do that anymore.
So it's interesting.
So that one's pretty much very introvert.
That middle one is my rebel without a car.
She's so passionate about everything.
That one's going to be, I can almost guarantee she's going to be like dated when she grows
up.
Yeah.
That twins.
Yeah.
But
just in her mannerism, how she acts, how she speaks, she's exactly like him.
And then that little one, that's my wild child.
That's the one I think is turning my hair gray, but that one has the sweetest soul.
Oh my gosh, she's such a sweet kid and she just loves everybody and she's so friendly.
So just trying to navigate three different personalities, trying to make sure I install the same things into all three girls, also understanding that each child kind of gets a different version of me.
But making sure that they have all the tools that they need to be successful women because I'm raising women.
Yes, come on.
Come on now.
Come on, Pete.
So we wear many hats and I was talking about this the other day.
especially black women.
We have to be the mother, the wife, the sister, the best friend, the doctor, the therapist, everything, right?
So with us often wearing many hats, the professional, the wife, the mother, and community leader, which role has taught you the most about yourself?
Ooh, I would probably say being a mother.
Yeah.
Yeah, that, okay.
So let me tell you a quick story.
After I had my third child, I had post-partum depression, right?
And eventually it turned to like functioning depression.
And then
it got a little bit severe.
And I had like a lot of mom guilt as it relates to like trying to find the time for myself and balancing what it means to be a mom and what it means to still be an individual.
So I had to learn that process, right?
I had to learn that it was okay for me to step away from these kids like.
I don't need to be there everything every moment of the day like
I can have
a life for myself.
So I think being a mother has really reminded me that I was an individual
before I
had these kids and it reminded me that I had a sense of self and a sense of worth before them and I'm more than just their mom.
But I love being their mom.
I enjoy being their mom.
But
I enjoy being me too.
I know that's why you can't we can't do for them if we don't do ourselves.
How old is you guys youngest?
So my youngest will be seven this year.
OK.
So this is, this came, you mentioned the postpartum depression.
I have a nine year old.
I actually experienced that after I had her as well.
And it's not something that's taught in a black community.
We don't really talk about it.
So I wasn't really familiar with it.
But if she's seven, this means that this was happening during the time that you- The pandemic, yes.
So Autumn was born 2019.
November of 2019.
So that means we were going into the pandemic 2020, which means we were at
home.
We were isolated.
My husband
just became county executive,
which means
he was he was gone all the time.
So I had this nine year old, this one almost two year old and this brand new baby and me just trying to navigate what life looked for us
in the
during the pandemic.
And eventually I, you know, I started working that community advocates in 2020.
But again, I had to.
be a worker
and also
be a wife and also be a mom.
And again, just trying to hold it all together in the most craziest time of the world,
right?
Not being able to have the help that I needed because of fear of people bringing COVID-19 into the household
and my babies
getting sick.
Yeah.
So how were you able to balance all of that, especially with David becoming the county exec and you getting your new position?
How were you able to stay sane and say, you know what?
I'm going through this, and again, we don't have opportunities to be selfish all the time.
But I'm going through this, but I have a newborn.
I have two other children.
My husband has a new career, and I have one.
How do you balance that?
I had to learn it.
It wasn't something that came easy.
It was very hard in the beginning.
Yeah.
And I think probably around the time Autumn might have been four is when I finally learned that, OK.
Again, this is going back to me having that depression that I needed to get the necessary help that I needed and really trying to figure out, again, how do I get back to myself?
So finding the time for myself.
I mean, it helped that the world opened back up and we were able to communicate
and
hang out and give people hugs and love on people.
But it was really about just trying to really find...
a new version of me that I love.
When you have children, when you become a wife, and this is not everyone's story, it's just mine, but you can lose yourself in those titles of wife and mother.
You know, right?
So you have to get back to a sense of self.
And for me, it was.
Getting back to what I used to love, you know, getting back to writing, getting back to hanging out with friends, finding some time just to sing my favorite songs out loud in the car, listen to the music that I want to listen to and not kids bop
on.
Yes, yes.
It's a lot.
It's a lot.
And I commend you for that, too, for being able to pull yourself out of that.
because when you are focused on everybody else while going through postpartum or any type of depression and anxiety, it's extremely difficult.
You know, it could be extremely difficult.
We don't often view it that way until later on, like, dang, how did I get through that?
I know, right?
But you know what?
I would say for me, I had a really great support system, but I also had God.
Yes.
Without God and without faith, I don't know if I would have got through it.
So I always give credit.
to God, credit to where credit is due because if it wasn't for him and then those quiet nights with me and him, me crying out to him, me like, Lord, I need you today.
Otherwise, I don't know if I'm going to be here tomorrow.
I had to hold on to that.
I had to cry out to him.
And I'm glad you mentioned that because that was going to be my next question.
Where does your strength comes from?
Yep, definitely from the man above.
It definitely comes from growing up.
My dad used to be a pastor.
So I always, always had that foundation of faith.
My dad
has always installed to us like.
calling on God, loving on God, knowing where your help comes from.
He put that in us very early.
So, you know, as you get older, you kind of stray
away, you become an
adult, you want to do your own thing.
But
then as
you get older, you're like, I remember my dad taught me these things.
I
remember someone told me that you need this higher power in your life if you're going to get through anything.
So I hold on to that.
You know, my favorite verse is about.
worry about nothing and pray about everything.
That's how I
live my life now.
I don't worry about a single thing.
I pray about everything.
Yes, that's right.
We have Mrs. Erica Crawley in the building.
Do not touch that dial.
When we come back, we are going to talk more about...
Some of the public facing issues, also, again, the strength and the things, the role that you play behind scenes, not just being his wife, but just as a woman in general, a woman of the people.
We want to hear from you.
833-212-1017.
Do not touch that dial.
It should grudge your ass, Tyler.
One-on-one point seven the truth is your girl Jazz Tyler.
We are live and direct and we are joined by Mrs. Erica Crowley again Thank you so much for joining us if you are just now tuning in before we went to break we were talking about Her her support her being a woman her wearing many hats being a wife a mother Being a director all of the above as you know in this campaign there has been
Some issues surrounding some old tweets.
We know that public life often means that moments from the past can resurface years later, sometimes becoming part of a person's public story long after they've moved on.
In David's case, there has been public attention surrounding social media posts that were attributed to him years ago.
David has consistently maintained that he did not write those posts and that someone else had access to his account.
From your perspective, Erica, what do you wish people understand?
about that chapter and its impact on your family.
One thing I would say is that you can't judge somebody by what they did in their past.
Who he was in his 20s is not the same person who he is in his 40.
And if you grew up in Milwaukee, you knew who the party promoters are.
You knew who that whole little group was.
I grew up with most of the guys that was a part of that group.
I went to high school with them
and
I partied with a lot of them in my 20s.
If you would see me in my 20s, you'd be like, oh, you're not the same person that you were.
So I don't think we should hold someone accountable for something they did when they were young.
You got to meet people where they are and give them time to grow.
If we held him to who he was in his 20s, he wouldn't become the man he is today.
That man ain't nothing like he was back in his 20s.
And that's a lot of men these days.
A lot of our men, now in their 40s and their 50s, they are nothing like who they are back in.
We were young.
We were wild.
We
were
just, you know, as the kids say, living our best
life, right?
So I want people just to understand that, yes, this is something that he's attached to, but it's not who he is.
It's not who our family is.
This is not the image that we have for our girls.
It's not
the beliefs that we have.
And just mind your business.
Come on now.
Okay.
This is something that happened 20 years ago.
Mind your business.
This has happened yesterday.
No, it happened 20 years ago.
Mind your business.
Let it go.
And that's coming from his wife.
So if she's saying mind your business, mind your business.
Mind your business.
How has this impacted you, right?
Sitting back like, does some of these things bother you?
Like, man, they just, they just be coming up with anything.
Um, no, not anymore.
I think I'm used to it.
Again, I've, David ran for state, he was a state rep back in, I think 2016.
I was pregnant with, uh, Ava.
I don't remember how old my kids are.
So, you know, I've been a part of this since.
since we've been married.
So this isn't nothing new to me, the criticism, the information that they think they found on him, the racist comments.
I'm used to it by now.
I don't even indulge.
I just look at it and go about my day or I just don't read it.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And that's the best way to go.
We know that campaigns can test the family strength in the ways the public never sees.
What has taught you the most about resilience during this journey?
Ooh,
that is a good question.
I would probably say, again, when we talk about the racism that I'm seeing, am I aware that we're still, they're still racemen in our country?
Absolutely.
Is it a little disheartening to see it so close to home?
Yeah.
Absolutely.
So I've been trying really hard to shield my family, my girls, our parents from some of the things that we're seeing online.
But despite it all,
We just we again, we hold on to our faith.
We do what needs to be done.
We focus on our family.
We focus on what's important to us.
And we just as my husband say, you know, every day is a good day and
we just
get through our days.
And I really dislike people who who make comments like that, not just because only just because they're racist and they shouldn't, but because.
is social media.
People can, you know, we have loved ones, right?
Especially when you're trying to, all you're trying to do is serve your people and you hate me because I'm trying to serve my people.
Like that doesn't make any sense.
And I know that Crowley has thick skin and that he has been in this as well.
But how much do you have to pour into him?
in moments like this or any moments where he feels attacked from every different angle.
We know the unspoken realities that black men face when they walk outside of their doors, right?
How do you support him?
How do you pour into him?
I mean, I've been poured into that man since the day we met.
Yes, come
on, come on now.
Let's go.
I would 100% believe in edifying my man that,
you
know, he works very hard and not just for the community, but for our family.
Yes.
And he needs to know that
He's appreciated that he loved that we trust him.
We trust his leadership and we love him.
So I
had to fight him all the time.
You
know,
when he needs extra support, whatever extra support he needs, I'm going to give it.
But he knows that his best friend got his back.
He knows that I'm going to take care of him.
He knows that I go to jail for him.
No, I'm just kidding.
I'm just kidding.
I'm not going to go to jail.
I know what you mean.
But no, I mean, the best thing I can do as a wife, again, is to, again, pray for him.
I constantly pray for him, pray for his protection, pray for his peace, pray for his wisdom, make sure he operates in wisdom.
And again, verbally let him know that you are appreciated,
that we
trust you, that we love you, and that there's nothing we could do without you.
Yeah, absolutely.
So we know that he dropped out of the race.
Were you thrilled about him joining the race, rejoining the race?
It was a bit complicated.
When he dropped out, I felt grieved about it.
I
was really saddened about it when he was like, I think we should do this.
And I'm just like, no, just hold on.
Let's just wait and see.
No, this is for our family.
He was like, the numbers aren't there.
I'm just going to drop.
And I was a bit devastated.
So I felt like I grieved the process.
And then getting back in, I was very hesitant because
I just didn't want to go through that grief process
again.
I didn't want to feel the pain.
And it's not because so much that I wanted it, but I wanted it for him.
And I wanted people to really finally see him for who he was, that amazing leader, that strategic thinker, that person that's always thinking about how to make somebody else's life better.
And I
really wanted people to understand that and see that about him.
So when he dropped out, it was like.
Now people don't get to see what I see every day.
So now that he's back in, I'm glad that people are finally paying attention to exactly who he is and the receipts that he have.
Because I think most people didn't understand what a county executive did or does.
People are forced to do their research and understand exactly what he does and how he does it and how the decisions that he's making is going to better Milwaukee County.
Yes.
And what you just said is, um, is key because a lot of times people have opinions and they don't even understand, right?
So sometimes we can, uh, when we're, especially when we're aligned and we're walking in our calling, uh, when we're doing the work, we're doing it for everybody else.
So to your point, the fact that he did rejoin obviously because he want to make this a better state for us.
but what it also does on the back end is forces people.
to be put in a position to where they have to educate themselves so that, A, they can check themselves and not misspeak, but also offer more support and be more considerate when it comes to some of the comments that are made.
Let's touch on you a little bit.
So we know that you motivate him, we know that you're there, you got his back, and that you are a driving force in your household when it comes to building him up, right?
What does that look like for you when it comes?
you know, for they because I know that you have your career as well.
And like you said, sometimes what happens is we put as moms, we put ourselves on the back burner.
And then being a mom, another new mom during a pandemic while starting a new career can be very difficult.
What was the motivation from him like to say, hey, babe, you know what, get out there and do do what you need to do.
Yeah, David has always been my biggest cheerleader.
He.
I will say because I am by nature a bit more introvert.
He has always pushed me out of my comfort zone and he has stretched me in ways that I didn't even know that I could do this.
I could do that.
I didn't even think I was capable of a lot of the things that he has encouraged me to do.
So since the day we met, he's always been like...
You can do this, you're intelligent, you're smart, you can do this, this, this, and this.
And then he always, it's not so much that he tells me, but he gives me the tools to show me to make sure I'm successful.
So that's one thing that I appreciate because it's great when someone is seeing how great you are, but when they actually assist you and give you the tools so that you can be successful, that's even better.
So that's what I would say.
Yes.
How has it been now that he has rejoined the race?
I've seen you in a couple of clips at some of them.
It's been crazy.
How has it been for you like popping out because you're more behind the scenes.
I'm very behind the scenes.
I would rather write the speech if somebody else give it.
So it's been very interesting kind of.
Being everywhere it's it's a little frightening but also very humbling because I didn't think that I had that much of an impact I didn't think I had that much to say or that I was that important Yeah, and what is showing me is that people appreciate what I have to say and that people appreciate my perspective and that They love to hear from me, and I'm just like
oh, I'm just I'm so honored in touch Yeah, yeah, I mean we do we want to I said it yesterday that who you Marys
Who you marry matters?
Primarily because, especially when you're doing this work, because your partner should be doing the work too, right?
And we all come from this city.
We know what that looks like.
It's not just a one person type of situation.
It has to be a team.
And I think that you guys are a great example of what that team looks like.
What advice do you have for young couples?
who may be interested in joining politics or something similar and they're trying to figure it out.
Communicate with each other.
Be on the same page.
Have a vision for your family and also have a vision for your family and politics.
know what the vision that you have for the community and make sure it aligns with the vision that you have for your family.
Like I said, our family operates in optimism with some grace and possibility and that's the same information that I want to serve the clients that I serve that again when you're sitting with me
what does a quality life look for you?
And then how do I help you get there?
So I would say for any young couple, have a vision for yourself, have a vision for your marriage, have your individual
plans for
yourself, and then have a vision for how you want to operate within the community.
Yeah, I have to say, I love y'all for real.
I do.
Because I was sitting, when I was watching it, I was watching the speech.
And when you start speaking, everybody that was watching can see the way David was looking at you.
It was like how a bomber look at myself.
I was like, let's go, DC!
Like, yeah, that's my woman.
What y'all thought?
How has it been for the girls?
Oh, the girls
are fine.
I mean, they don't care.
Do they look on TV and be like, you know, at that
moment?
Again, they're used to it because their dad has been on TV multiple times
before.
Their dad has had rallies.
Their dad has had events.
And we, I mean, the girls are included in everything that we do.
Because
again, if we're a family of service, we're teaching our girls service.
How
to, how to, how to, again, serve yourself.
but also how to serve the community, how to serve the people.
So they're used to it.
I mean, they're all like, another event.
I
get another, you
know, my youngest is like, I get another dress.
She's my princess.
That's my princess.
That's my princess princess.
She's such a diva.
She's all like, do I get a new dress?
Do I get another
dress?
Yeah, she's all for it.
Yeah, she's all for it.
Sign me up.
Sign me up.
We are talking to Mrs. Erica Crawley coming up.
We're going to turn our attention to Milwaukee's future education, affordable housing, and the role Erica hopes to play if David, sorry, when David is elected because we're claiming that.
You won't want to miss this.
Please do not touch that dial.
It's your girl, Jazz Tyler.
One on 1.7 is true.
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Now, we've talked about the campaign.
We've talked about how you support David.
We've talked about your upbringing.
I want to tap into who you are today.
We know that you are a director.
We know that you went to graduate from UWM.
Can you tap a little bit more into your educational background and then move to your role as a
director?
I had like 20 majors when I started school.
Initially, I thought I was going to be a doctor, but I learned at the college level, the science was way too hard for me.
Then I was into criminal justice.
I don't know what was going on.
I just couldn't figure out the concepts of some things, but I was already working at SDC.
So my advisor said, you know what, since you're already working in the community, we should change your major to community engagement and education.
And I could have either became a teacher, but since I was already working in the nonprofit sector, it just made more sense for me to stay there.
So I ended up staying there, worked at SDC for nine years, again, started off as a volunteer, ended up being a crisis case manager.
I ended up working for a weatherization agency that, again, focused on low-income families and providing free weatherization services to low-income families.
Again, was working at that job, got laid off, and I was eight weeks pregnant with my youngest, so I was a stay-at-home parent for quite some time, and then in 2020, went into community advocates.
And believe it or not, I didn't get hired as a director right away.
I got hired as a case manager working in our emergency rental assistance program, but because I was doing such a great job.
And I came in and created all these different systems and streamlined all of our processes so that things just flowed easier.
Our quality assurance system, you know, just so things flow better, I ended up being promoted to the director.
Come on now.
Come on.
So campaigns are often centered around one name on the ballot, but leadership is rarely a one person journey.
If David or when David is elected, what role do you hope to play?
Not only as his wife, but as a partner and serving the community.
I think it's going to be the role that I already play, which is being a advocate for poverty, being an advocate for housing.
I don't know if you guys look at the makeup of our city, but housing is an issue
in our
county.
Housing is an issue.
We don't have enough housing, housing, the cost of housing is way too high.
We don't have enough resources for housing.
And for me, I want to be a champion of housing.
I
want to make
sure that the federal government gives us the money that we need to make sure that our residents, and this is not just.
focus on Milwaukee County, but just statewide to make sure that, you know, we don't have mothers and children sleeping in cars.
We don't have homeless people sleeping on the street that, you know, people can afford to afford their rent because rent is crazy.
It's
super high.
So I'm going to continue to be a champion for housing and again, for anything anti-poverty.
Can you talk a little bit more about some of the challenges you see residents face with this role as the director?
A lot of it breaks my heart because again, it's looking at that mother coming in looking for resources and her and her kids are sleeping outside in their car.
Yeah,
it's someone who may have a place but they're dealing with a slumlord and there's an infestation of rats and mice and roses roaches and or it's someone who has the desire to move but don't have enough income.
Yeah.
I'm seeing a lot more seers that
can't afford
their house that's getting kicked out of their house and have nowhere to go because they don't have any
family.
So there's a lot of issues surrounding housing.
Can you break down how the funding trickles down and what the process is for those who are in need once funding is obtained and the importance of receiving funding?
So why don't let's talk about why we need to receive the funding.
Because as I mentioned before, there's all these issues that's surrounding housing.
Again, rent is too high, not enough housing stock, or being forced to live somewhere because you don't have enough income to afford a better place.
But we can't provide the services that we need.
So again, assisting with housing, let's go back.
We also work with domestic violence survivors.
So if you're someone that's in a domestic violence situation,
needs to be
relocated, you will come to the Rental Housing Resource Center at Community Advocates so we can help you with housing resources.
But again, if we don't have...
funding for that, if we don't have housing stock for that, how do I help someone get to their next safe place?
So we got to start with making sure we have the necessary funds.
And a lot of that has to start at the federal level.
The federal level has to trickle down their dollars to the state, and the state needs to disperse it between the city and the county.
Without funding, we don't operate.
My ultimate goal would be to work myself out of a job, but that's because everyone has stability.
And then we got to understand that housing
Stable housing makes everything else stable, right?
If you have stable housing, then, you know, you have stable income, stable mental health.
Your
kids
can stay in their schools.
They don't have to move around a lot.
So our goal is stability.
So even though we're housing focused, we need to make sure that we're stabilizing the whole household.
But that only happens if we have the necessary funds to disperse and give clients the resources that they need.
Yeah.
So outside of housing.
Are there any other initiatives once elected or if David is elected that you will want to put in the forefront?
Absolutely.
As we know, our children can't read.
And although our children, I would I would even argue that even though our children can't read, they also can't comprehend.
So it's not
enough just not to know how to read.
But for those who can read, they're not comprehending what they're actually reading.
So believe it or not, I am an author.
We can talk about it.
So this is how I met David.
So I used to be the VP of operation for a magazine called Black and Power Magazine.
I remember that.
Yeah, it was.
Do you remember that?
Okay.
So it was a, it was a magazine that my cousin and I started.
So I was VP of operations, but I also wrote majority of the articles.
And David was someone I interviewed and had to write up his, write up his, his article.
So I would like to focus on literacy.
Like
how do we
get our kids to read?
How do we find things that they're interested in?
Are we focusing on the phonics?
My kids started reading at the age two.
If you go back in my Facebook page and go look at all of my Ava videos, Ava started reading at two and a half.
You
know
how that happened?
Because I work with her.
My
mother-in-law worked with her.
We bought kids.
We practiced sound.
She was only allowed to watch the TV with the clothes captioned on.
So I really think we need to go back to the basics and really focus on making sure that our children can read, but also making sure that our kids are critical thinkers.
It means nothing to read if you don't critical think.
And that's something I really want to focus on, like making sure not only are we creating the next generation of readers, but are they smart?
Yeah.
Can they read data?
Can they read something and analyze it and understand what the points are?
Yes.
We just too many adults are not critical thinkers.
And it's so frustrating to have the spirited debates because I don't like to argue.
So
we're going to call it the spirited
debates with people.
And I'm just like, did you not understand what this says?
Like,
are you
not reading the facts?
Are you not reading the data?
We need more critical thinkers,
but that only
happens if we have to invest in our youth.
So what do you think is causing the issue as it pertains to our youth being behind when it comes to reading?
I don't want to just always say it's social media that they're stuck on their tablets, that they're stuck on the TV.
I think social media plays a part of it, but also are our parents involved?
Parental involvement.
is essential if we want our kids to excel academically,
right?
And I know that.
I studied
it.
So we got to get our parents more involved.
And if not their parents, are there community leaders?
Are there mentors?
Like, how do we get people involved to make sure that our kids are on the right track?
Yes.
How do you feel about the school voucher program?
I was talking about it earlier.
I personally, my children, I have three children who are 19, 18, and nine.
and they've all experienced charter public and private school.
And I had to put them, so I was, when my two oldest was in school, my mom used to be like, you crazy, they were all going to three different schools.
But I had to, based off of the way they learned and based off their personalities
and
what worked for them, had we not had that option, I don't know where my children would be.
So I am an advocate, I'm not saying that we need to expand it, I am an advocate for it, just.
for parents having options, right?
But I just want to, again, I understand the importance as someone who comes from NPS2, why we need to focus on the public school system.
But where do you stand when it comes to the voucher system?
I actually agree.
I believe in choices.
I don't know if we know the history of why we have the vouchers, but a lot of our black and brown kids weren't allowed in these schools.
So if there are better materials at these schools,
if they're gonna get a better quality of education, not saying that they can't get a great education at an MPS, but I think it's okay for parents to have options.
There's nothing wrong with options.
It's
okay.
I agree, I don't think it needs to be expanded, but if there's a parent who lives in the city of Milwaukee, but wants their kids to go to Nicolet
or
one of those schools on the south side, what's the problem?
Yeah,
I feel like for the...
other candidates who were against it.
I think it's more so just trying to find a solution strictly for the public school system, but we should be finding out whether we have the vouchers or not.
And then we
also got to understand that, as you said, your kids learn differently.
My oldest daughter, she went to a Montessori school because her learning system was based off the Montessori.
And she worked well in Montessori.
My other kids are at a language school.
They're all at NPS schools, but they all learn differently and each school gives them something different.
So
if you
have a child that's not functioning well in a public school and not because the public school isn't great, it's their learning style.
Maybe they
need to be somewhere at a school that fits their learning style.
Yes, exactly.
We have Mrs. Erica Crowley in the building.
When we return, we will end on a personal note, family legacy and the woman behind the public life.
Stay with us for our final conversation.
It should grow Jazz Tyler 101.7, the truth.
One-on-one point seven the truth is your girl Jazz Tyler.
We are live and direct and we are joined by Mrs. Erica quality.
She is
A very, very, very special woman.
Again, I am grateful to have you.
She serves as the director of the Rental Housing Resource Center here in Milwaukee.
She's also the beautiful wife of county exec David Crowley, who is currently running for governor.
So we've had some great conversations.
We've talked about postpartum depression.
We've talked about being a mother, what it means to support.
You know, David, especially when it comes to the non-verbal or the hidden realities that black men face every day when they walk outside of the home.
We talked about your education.
We talked about your upbringing.
I want to dive a little bit more into how you deal with all of this.
So I've watched you throughout this campaign.
And one thing that stands out, Eric, about your ability is to keep showing up is the grace.
Right?
Many people might describe that as having a superwoman schedule.
What keeps you going on the days when you are exhausted?
Girl, God.
Yeah, I'll
tell you.
We're going to give God the glory every time we talk, OK?
Because God keeps me going.
because I know I have purpose.
The thing is that even when I don't feel like I'm needed or I'm necessary or like I mentioned earlier, like I'm such a background person that I don't think that me being the forefront was that important.
I realized that there's purpose in everything that I do and I want to make sure that God always get the glory in
everything that I
do.
So on days that are hard, on days when I'm tired, on days where I feel like giving up, I just have to remember that you have purpose.
And God told me this a long time ago.
I don't even know what year it was, but I remember it was, it was, it was in the winter, but it was a warm day.
Like we didn't have any sun.
And this was
like when my oldest had to be like two or three.
And I remember going to the beach and I'm just like, huh, God, just, I was sick of life, right?
God, I'm sick of life.
I don't know what's going on with this life.
And I remember it was January, but no snow.
It was warm and there was a lot of fog.
And I remember there was a family on the beach going into the fog.
And I remember saying, I can't see the family.
Like I know they're safe,
but I
can't see them.
And I remember God telling me that's just like your purpose just because you can't see.
doesn't know that it isn't there.
And I
hold
on to that every single day to know that I have purpose.
But there's no reason why I should be stressing or even though I do.
But there's no reason why I should be stressing or there's no reason why you can't go on because the purpose hasn't been fulfilled.
So
I hold on to that with everything that I got.
Not leaning on your own understanding.
I'm telling you, because some days I can barely get out the bed if it wasn't for God's sake.
I was trying to tell you.
I want to add touch on, I know earlier we talked a little bit about some of the, you know, rhetoric.
I won't reiterate it, but what do you think people misunderstand most about your family overall?
Oh, that's a good question.
I'm not really sure what I think people misunderstand about our family.
That is a good question.
I might have to get back to you on that, because from most of the stuff that I read, I feel like we get a lot of good.
responses.
A
lot of people love us.
A
lot of people appreciate us.
I don't, again, other than the racist comments, I don't really see too many things attacking our family as a whole.
Do I see them say things about David?
Absolutely.
But it comes with the territory, right?
It's stuff that's been said about him since he was a state legislator, so it's nothing new.
But I've never seen any attacks on our family, and I'm across my fingers that it stayed
that way.
But I do want people to know that, again, we are a family of service.
We've always been a family of service.
We're installing service into our girls.
And that we really care, and we're really compassionate about making things better.
Again, my goal in life is to help someone get to their definition of a quality of life.
Now, what I want for you, but what do you want for yourself?
And then how do I help you get there so that, again, you have whatever purpose look like for you, right?
How do I help you obtain your purpose?
Absolutely, absolutely.
Let's touch back.
Let's back up a little bit.
What advice do you have for...
working mothers who may be experiencing postpartum depression?
Find the time for yourself.
Get the necessary help that you need.
We didn't go too much into it, but when the depression got bad, I had to go get professional help.
I had to go talk to a therapist.
Again, I'm glad I had a great village.
I'm glad I had a supportive husband who recognized the signs, but I had to go talk to somebody.
So if you're going through that one...
don't be afraid to tell someone that you're going through it, but then also get the professional help.
I'm telling you, it makes a difference, but then get back to a version of you that you love.
I think
what I've learned is that I kept trying to get to a version of me that no longer exists.
And I
had to figure out like who I am today, and I had to learn this new version of me and be okay with this new version of me.
And I
think a lot of times we're so focused on, at least this was me, I'm just trying to get back to who I used to be.
That person don't exist
anymore.
That person has some great qualities that you can move in.
You know, you was going for it, but that person does not exist anymore.
So find out who you are in this season and learn to love and build on the person that you want to be going for.
Get the help, please.
I'm telling you, it got really dark and I don't want to go in too much detail, but it got really dark.
And if I didn't get that help, I'm not 100% sure that I would be here today.
So
please, if there's any feelings of that, please get the help.
Yes.
Yes.
And we know, like I, I be saying, I feel like I was in my twenties, man, listen.
I didn't win out a couple of weeks ago with the family for a celebration and I just was all.
Girl, I'll be in the bed like 10, like a 10 o'clock kid.
I got to learn to be in the bed by 10 o'clock.
I can't do it.
I'm not friendly.
Like, we're doing this tonight.
Yes, we is.
We doing this, this, this clothes laid out.
Eight o'clock come, I'll be like, girl.
You gonna
see me for 20 minutes and I'm going home to you back in the bed by 10
p.m.
But thank you for sharing that.
Again, I know we talked a little bit about it offline.
I had postpartum after a postpartum depression after my daughter, too.
And it can take you to a very, very dark space, especially when you're dealing with whatever else you have going on inside of you and outside of you also.
Take time for yourself.
That's the most important thing.
Take time for yourself as she stated.
So we have to go to break when we come back.
We're going to talk about we're going to wrap the.
the interview up, but we want to talk about legacy, right, and what that looks like for you specifically.
We have Mrs. Erica Crawley in the building.
Do not touch that dial.
It's your girl, Jazz Tyler, one on 1.7 to truth.
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