Milwaukee Muslims celebrate Br. Will Perry’s service

Photo by Fardowsa Mohamed

More than 150 people visited the Milwaukee Islamic Dawah Center last Friday to celebrate the service of Br. Will Perry (4th from left). Among them were (left-right) Islamic Society of Milwaukee Imam Amir Hamza, Br. Assad, Sheikh Zakaria Nurdeen, Br. Perry, Br. Reggie and Br. Shakir.

Friends of Will Perry, the long-time executive director of the Milwaukee Islamic Dawah Center, describe him as:

“Tireless,” said Fouad Ahmad. “He is somebody who doesn’t sleep. He doesn’t give up. He doesn’t stop no matter how difficult the situation is. If you call Brother Will, he’s going to be there. When I think of what a Muslim man should be, that would be Br. Will.”

“Hands-on,” said Dawah Center president Burhan Clark. “While others are planning, Will is on the scene, picking up stuff.”

“A real man,” proclaimed Salah Sarsour, the president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee. Sarsour recalled when, as a teenage Palestinian, he was imprisoned by Israel, “One brother in there taught me, ‘You’ll meet real men and fake men in life. Choose to keep the real men around you because real men will do the real job.’ We need someone who will stand tall and be on the right side of history. In Will, I met a real man who stood against the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine, who will stand up and say the right thing and keep our community together.”

“Br. Will is such a special brother and has touched so many lives. Words cannot describe how he has selflessly and relentlessly supported our community,” said Rebekah Bissen, Dawah Center Office Manager. “He is a blessing from Allah SWT indeed.” 

Photo by Cherrie Hanson

“There is no single issue in this country that has been so blatantly biased, so unashamedly one-sided … as the issue of Palestine and Israel,” Will Perry said at an October press conference of the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine.

More than 150 Milwaukee Muslims and others gathered Friday for a family-style appreciation dinner to honor Perry for his service to the Milwaukee Islamic Dawah Center, the Greater Milwaukee Muslim community and Milwaukee at large. Perry gradually transitioned out of the executive director position over the past year.

Perry served two decades as the second executive director of the Dawah Center, following Br. Ayyub Al-Amin, who founded the center in 1992. Perry was known to work day and night, maintaining the Dawah Center’s daily operations, including its Monday-through-Thursday food pantry that distributes more than 10,000 pounds of food a week in North Milwaukee; its Weekend Academy, which offers children and youth lessons in the Quran, Arabic and Islam; and its Ibrahim House, which supports ex-offenders with their faith needs, employment opportunities, leadership training and personal growth.

Photos by Fardowsa Mohamed

Rev. Joseph Ellwanger of Milwaukee Inner-City Churches Allied for Hope congratulations Br. Will Perry.

Photo by Fardowsa Mohamed

Children at the Milwaukee Islamic Dawah Center all know and love Br. Will, members say.

Photo by Sandra Whitehead

Fatima Jackson-Perry receives flowers of gratitude for her service as her sister Cheryl Jackson looks on.

In addition, Perry served Greater Milwaukee’s Muslim community in many capacities. He was the first president of the Wisconsin Muslim Civic Alliance, which launched in 2019 to “educate the Muslim Community of Wisconsin and its allies in civics, democracy, and related issues, and to encourage participation in the electoral process,” its mission statement says. For four years, he ran the Wisconsin Muslim Funeral Home, which facilitated the burial of Muslims wherever needed in the state. Perry also represented Milwaukee’s Muslim Community in several interfaith organizations, including the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee and Milwaukee Inner-City Churches Allied for Hope (MICAH).

“Will’s not stepping back. He is stepping sideways,” said Clark. “Everyone knows Will. If you come by, he’ll be here a lot.”

As Perry passes on the responsibilities of the Dawah Center’s daily operations, he will have time to leverage his many connections with other mosques and his deep knowledge of Milwaukee’s Muslim community, Clark said. “Just having so many connections is a huge benefit. We want to give him time to stop worrying about little fires here and there, so he can meet with people at MICAH or Project Return or go and talk with Muslims in different parts of the community.

“People like Will are huge catalysts for keeping the community together, really trying to make sure people feel a consistent connection. We want him to do more than that.”

Photo by Fardowsa Mohamed

Former Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (right) stopped by to offer Br. Will his congratulations.

Always a first responder

Clark admires the way Perry prepared himself for a life of service, he told attendees at the appreciation dinner. “There are lots of things Br. Will did that we should all consider in order to set ourselves up to be able to help in the community.”

After high school, Perry served six years as a sergeant in the United States Marine Corps Reserve, from 1976-1982. After that, he was a firefighter for the City of Milwaukee for 27 years. He also graduated from Cardinal Stritch with an undergraduate degree in business in his 30s and a Masters of Business Administration in his early 40s..

“After a long career of helping people throughout the city, he was able to retire from the fire department at a young age,” Clark noted. “And what was his retirement plan? It was not, ‘Let me find a couch. Let me go on trips.’ His retirement plan was ‘Let me come to the masjid and serve the community.”

His constant presence at the Dawah Center even before he was executive director helped build a community, Clark added. “As I look back on what was important to me when I was younger, it was that connection to other Muslims. Seeing a brother, knowing their family. The masjid is an important place, but more important is the community.”

Perry stepped up to do whatever was needed, Clark recalled. “When they lost a person from the Muslim Funeral Home, Will served as director, handling not only all the funerals for Muslims in southeastern Wisconsin but also for most of the state. If anyone died in Green Bay at 3 o’clock in the morning, he was on his way. And, through this work, he got close to even more families.”

Two immigrants noted how Perry helped them adjust to life in Milwaukee and made them feel at home. “We have been in this community 25 years,” said Morris Ko, who immigrated from Nigeria. He recalled when one of his brothers died here. “We were confused about what to do and Br. Will came to our need.”

A woman asked for the microphone. “Because of Br. Will, my son has a man in his life,” Sr. Hadja said. “Br. Will would pick up my son and take him to prayer, for years and years. And when my mom came from Africa and got sick, she was dying for two years, every single day, Br. Will and his wife Fatima were with us. I felt like I was in Africa with the family.”

Others commented on how Perry showed up for every march to defend important causes. “Br. Will, we in MICAH, are truly grateful because you have gone to Madison and brought others with you,” said Rev. Joseph Ellwanger.

Eugene Nelson from Project Return recalled “one story two years ago. We were in Madison advocating and rallying at the State Capitol on behalf of individuals who are disenfranchised, underserved and underprivileged. Will said, ‘I’m going to tag along with you.’ 

“When we went to talk to legislators about creating legislation to help those individuals, to my surprise, I was amazed by his aggressiveness in letting them know the laws need to be changed to help individuals who need the most.”

Perry always shows up and not just for big crises and important causes, Clark said. “There were times when I was locked out of my car and you can call him and he would find somebody to help you or he would help you himself. What’s special is that consistent thing about him, just how much he has been engaged with so many different things.”

“Br. Will is like a grandfather, father, brother and uncle to everyone he meets,” Bissen said. “When a family member takes care of another family member, they do it expecting nothing in return but purely out of love for that person. That’s Br. Will. He shows up without expecting anything in return.”

“I’ve been involved with the Dawah Center since 1992,” said Rafat Arain of Brookfield. “Br. Will is everywhere. That’s the biggest thing. He is in every masjid, every function, day in and day out. And if I call him for any little thing, he will be available. There are very few people in the world like that.”

What’s next?

For Perry and his wife Sr. Fatima Jackson-Perry, a pharmacist, the Milwaukee Islamic Dawah Center will continue to be home, they said in an interview Wednesday with the Wisconsin Muslim Journal. They settled into a small office in the center where they fielded questions from community members who occasionally popped their heads in the door.

Photo by Fardowsa Mohamed

Fatima Jackson-Perry and Will Perry share daily prayer and service, helping each other be better Muslims, they say.

Br. Will became a Muslim in 1976, before the Dawah Center was established. “My exposure to Islam was through the Muslim Journal, back in the day,” he said. A relative had shared it with him. “But I didn’t have any place to pray with others.”  

Later he learned about the Islamic Society of Milwaukee on the southside and went a few times, but it was difficult to get there regularly, he said. “I spent most of the eighties and early nineties praying and studying on my own.” Perry learned about the Dawah Center in 1993 or 1994 and began attending Friday congregational prayers. He became more involved in the center in 1999, when he attended some Shura meetings. 

“Dr. Pruitt said to me, ‘We are going to be needing you around here more often,’ Perry recalled. “’Br. Ayuub is slowing down and you can help.’” That was 25 years ago and Perry has been at the Dawah Center almost every day since.

“At 49 years old, I had more than 25 years at the Fire Department, so I could retire,” he said. (Perry served the department as a firefighter, paramedic and lieutenant for 27 years.)

Meanwhile, Fatima had also discovered Islam and moved to Milwaukee after living in Chicago, Louisiana and Florida. They met each other at the Dawah Center. Fatima told the story.

“This place was crowded as usual. There was a lady selling cakes. I had left my money in the car. So, I went out to the parking lot to get my money. I’m on my way back, when all of the sudden, someone said, ‘Excuse me, sister.’

“I looked and he was holding his head down. ‘I have observed you here and I haven’t seen you gossiping with the sisters or hanging out with the brothers. I was wondering if you are available for marriage.’

“I said, ‘I had a husband who passed away less than a year ago.’

“He said, ‘Sister, I’m sorry to hear that.’ He was still waiting on me to answer him about marriage. That’s when I looked at him and I thought to myself, I need just one good conversation with him and I’ll know.”

The couple followed the Islamic practice of having a representative of Fatima’s family speak with Will. Meanwhile, she told her two young daughters, who knew Br. Will from the masjid and told her he is nice. Others in the community told her the same thing. And they had their conversation on the phone. Fatima decided to accept his proposal.

Photo by Fardowsa Mohamed

Fatima Jackson-Perry taught in the Dawah Center’s Weekend Academy for six years. She is pictured with Dawah Office Manager Sr. Rebekah Bissen’s daughter.

They married at the Dawah Center, which looked “sensational” that day, thanks to Will, Fatima said. “The whole place was decorated with flowers everywhere.” They got married on a Thursday and Will announced it at Friday prayers, inviting everyone to dinner. He announced it again the next Friday and held another dinner. They didn’t want to miss anyone, he said.

Since then, the couple get up every morning and pray together. They have worked together on many programs and activities at the Dawah Center, particularly the weekend school for children and youth.

Their commitment to the Dawah community reminds Will of their commitment to family. “It’s lifelong,” he said But, as situations change and people grow, relationships adapt.

“Over the years, as the eldest with three younger siblings, I’m accustomed to being of service and a little bit hands-on,” he explained. 

“It was the same with the fire department. A 9-1-1 call comes in and you do whatever that person needs. You try to respond to the emergency, whatever it is.

“That’s been my environment for a long time. Allah has blessed me to be able to come here and bring some of those skills and experiences with me so I could be of service to the community. 

“Now we have the staff and the imams. We’ve grown substantially. That means I can look to expanding our relationships and collaborations with other masjids. That’s going to be my focus.”

Photo by Sandra Whitehead

Br. Will Perry (center) embraces friends Dawood and Sh. Amir Hamza at the Dawah Center’s Will Perry Appreciation Dinner.