MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — When Paul Ryan and Robert Woodson first came here nearly 10 years ago, the Republican congressman from Janesville and the civil rights icon had something in common. They both believed that poverty and generational crime in black communities was best remedied not by big government programs, the monies of which typically go more to staff than those in need, but instead by the community members themselves.

For years, Woodson took Ryan incognito to neighborhoods in Indiana, Ohio, and here in Wisconsin, each plagued by generations-long drug epidemics, street violence, and a shortage of prosperity and upward mobility. They visited faith-based organizations, often led by ministers whose own lives had included stints on drugs or in jail. These community leaders, reborn in their own lives, were able to reach their peers. They wanted to be part of the solution rather than continuing the legacy of apathy and dependence.