Embracing Faith, Leadership, and Resilience with Edith Hudson
Chief Edith Hudson, head of the Marquette University Police Department, shares her powerful story of resilience, faith, and leadership. As the eldest child of hardworking parents, Edith faced many challenges, but a pivotal moment came when a colleague questioned her ability to succeed in law enforcement. That doubt fueled her determination, leading to a successful 25-year career.
Edith reflects on how her identity as a Black woman and her deep faith in God have shaped her compassionate, community-focused approach to policing. She talks about Ignatian-inspired policing, where recognizing God in everyone guides her to treat people with dignity and respect.
Edith also highlights the importance of self-care, through practices like silence and forgiveness, and hopes to encourage more women of color to enter law enforcement and drive meaningful change from within. Tune in to hear her inspiring journey and insights that could reshape your perspective on leadership and community policing.
Episode Highlights
03:00 - I have many layers to my identity, as many women do. But I think my faith, my relationship with God, and my adoration and love for Jesus are really the foundation of my identity. I identify as Black, African American, because that’s what this country defines me as. I also identify as a woman, with many layers—mother, friend, and my work is another layer. I think responsibility for many people is also part of those layers. But my faith in God is truly the foundation of who I am and what I enjoy most about my identity.
09:13 - One of the things that was really appealing to me about Marquette's police department was that it was new and different. I refer to it as Ignatian-inspired policing, and I believe that existed before I came there. Being a student and immersed in the spiritual exercises has really helped me understand that God truly is in everything. He is in all people, and if we take the time to look for God in everyone, we treat others differently. The individuals who come to us—whether they are homeless, in the midst of a mental health crisis, or struggling with drug addiction—they're God's children too. They need respect, to be treated fairly, and to be seen. In my opinion, if we don't subscribe to the Ignatian values that our university stands on, then we're not doing our community the service they deserve.
21:13 - My hope for the future is that women of color realize the exercises are for you too. There's no specific group of people the exercises are made for; it's not just for Catholic women or Catholic men. The exercises are for everyone, and there's something freeing in them. My hope is that more women of color will take advantage of the exercises and receive that free gift that God gives us
Interview
What is your story?
01:28 - My story, I think, is very much like many of the stories of women that we see, not only at Marquette, but across the city of Milwaukee and across the country. I didn’t find my current job, my current vocation, until some things happened in life that really weren’t the easiest of things. So I can't say it was an easy journey, but it truly has been a very fulfilling journey. Hopefully, it's a story that will help other women. I had the privilege of being the child of two very hard workers who came up through Mississippi and ended up in Gary, Indiana. We moved around a little, and we ended up here in Milwaukee. Along the way, we really experienced the highs and lows of life, but through faith, family, and love, we made it to a good place.
How do you identify?
03:00 - I have many layers to my identity, as many women do. But I think my faith, my relationship with God, my adoration, and my love for Jesus is really the foundation of my identity. I identify as Black African-American because that’s the construct this country uses. I also identify as a woman. There are many layers—mother, friend, and work is one of those layers. Responsibility for many people is another part of my identity. But my faith in God really is the foundation of who I am and what I enjoy most about my identity.
How did you get on your path?
4:06 - Life has been pretty challenging at times. I was married very young—I got married when I was 18. On my journey, my ex-husband worked for the police department, and one day, he and his partner came by for lunch. His partner made a comment about how the police department was hiring and that they were looking for new people. He said, "I think you’d be great at it," but then he laughed, implying it wasn’t a job I could do. That stirred a "holy anger" within me. Not only did I apply, but even though I failed the first time around, I persisted. I became a police officer and ended up, through 25 years of law enforcement in Milwaukee, becoming an Assistant Chief of the Police Department. I think being told I wasn’t good enough really made me want it more, and I didn’t even know I wanted it.
How have these various layers of identity informed the choices that you've made in life?
05:29 - I am the oldest child. I’m a first-generation child, so there’s always a responsibility that comes with being the first generation. Because of that responsibility, I’ve always thrived in positions of authority, or positions where I’m responsible for helping and caring for others. It’s something I enjoy doing, and I feel grateful for being placed in those roles.
In what way does the theme of the mural project resonate for you?
06:31 - I love the fact that the roots are clearly displayed because we’re all tied together. We all need one another in the community, and that connectedness helps us all to achieve. No single one of us can accomplish anything great on our own. We need to be connected to one another, and I love the way the mural shows that.
What have you seen or felt to be Marquette's impact on women of color?
07:13 - Marquette can be a challenging place at times for women of color. Sometimes, it appears that we’re not at the table, and who knows the reasoning behind that. Sometimes there’s a feeling that you’re not fully supported, but I’m very thankful for the community of women of color at Marquette, and others as well, who provide support. From my perspective, they’ve helped us succeed.
What are some of the ways in which Marquette has influenced your sense of self-worth?
08:13 - The greatest gift that Marquette has given me has been the spiritual exercises. I didn’t know about Saint Ignatius and the spiritual exercises, nor did I fully understand Ignatian spirituality until I came to Marquette and had the opportunity to experience it. I wasn’t just exposed to it—I was immersed in it. It impacted me so much that I took classes, and now I provide spiritual direction and accompaniment through the spiritual exercises. It had a life-changing and truly profound influence on me.
How has it connected to, or how has it influenced the way in which you police at Marquette and lead at Marquette?
09:15 - One of the things that appealed to me about Marquette's police department was that it was new and different. I refer to it as Ignatian-inspired policing. Being a student immersed in the spiritual exercises helped me realize that God is truly in everything and in all people. When you take the time to look for God in all people, you treat them differently. The individuals who come to us—whether they’re homeless, in the midst of mental illness, or dealing with addiction—are God's children too. They need respect, to be treated fairly, and to be seen. If we don't subscribe to the Ignatian values that our university stands on, then we’re not doing the community the service it deserves.
Is that approach to policing only possible at a place like Marquette, or can it be useful in other departments?
11:45 - I think it can be used anywhere, and I think in many police departments, it already is. It’s about seeing others’ humanity, treating them with dignity and respect, and helping them, not just with a band-aid solution, but by truly understanding what they need. It’s what our community demands of us. Some police officers already do this, and others can learn to.
Is there a way that all of those elements can work together and still flow out of Ignatian spirituality?
12:55 - Well, absolutely, because we are all part of the same community. There’s no 'police community' and then 'everybody else.' We are all part of the same community. So we all have to work together in order to make our country and our world a better place. If we don’t do that, then we end up with what we have now.
Who are some of the women who have inspired you?
13:22 - I have the privilege of sitting across the table from one. Sheena, I’ve always admired seeing you in many spaces, but especially in situations where there are only a couple of people of color in the room. You bring truth to whatever conversation is going on, and you don’t water it down. You don’t shrink, and you don’t hide your light for the sake of potentially harming someone else’s feelings, and I really love that. Another person is Janice Welburn, and I love Janice. I really do miss her. During my early years, she was instrumental in helping me navigate Marquette and understand where the university needed me. That was greatly helpful. The last person I’ll mention is Sister Anne Arabome. Sister Anne was absolutely wonderful. She definitely saw me. She introduced me to the spiritual exercises, and I’m forever grateful to her for seeing the potential in me and how I could help others through the exercises.
How do you understand, experience, or practice wellness and healing within our current times, spaces, and based on what you need?
15:18 - Faith has really sustained me and continues to do so. It’s hard work—not only serving our community and seeing what our people need, but also leading the people who are out there serving. It can be very stressful at times, and faith has been my anchor. There are various things I do for wellness. Sitting in silence, practicing solitude, is very helpful for me. Some may wonder how being in silence, void of anything, can help, but there’s so much creativity that comes from it—thoughts about things I should do. Silence is instrumental in my discernment process. I try not to make any major decisions that will impact others without spending time in silence. It gives me space to hear the Spirit and receive guidance. I also work hard at forgiveness, not just for others, but for myself. If I can make it through a day without making more than one mistake, it’s been a good day. Forgiveness is key because sitting in unforgiveness darkens everything and makes it hard to move forward and make decisions.
Is there something particular that women of color bring to this idea of self-care, self-healing, and wellness?
17:41 - I think that sometimes we find it difficult because we are always taking care of other people. We find it challenging to take care of ourselves. There’s something about our resourcefulness—we figure out what we need and give ourselves space for that. And that’s part of self-care. No one else's self-care program works for everyone. You have to find your own self-care, and being resourceful is key. I think we manage to find self-care in many ways, and it looks different from person to person. For me, self-care is about forgiveness and silence.
When was the first time you gave yourself permission to take care of yourself?
18:51- I think the spiritual exercises helped me understand the need for self-care. I was responsible for many things, always moving, and if you're not paying attention constantly, you can miss something. I didn’t want to miss anything. Through reflection, I realized that I don’t need to do everything for everybody. I have my assignment—this thing that I’m supposed to do—and as long as I do that well, I don’t have to worry about other things that aren’t meant for me to handle. We, as women, need to understand that we’re not meant to take care of every problem. We’re only meant to handle certain things. Figure out what you need to focus on and don’t burden yourself with everything else, because it will weigh you down and break you.
What impact do you hope to have on women of color, both on Marquette's campus and beyond?
20:31 - I hope other women see that law enforcement could be an opportunity for them because I’m not going to do this forever. We can’t fix what we see as broken if we’re on the outside. You need someone inside, who understands the system, to make change. It’s my hope that some women will be inspired to create change through law enforcement. I also hope women of color realize that the spiritual exercises are for them too, not just for Catholic women or men. There’s something freeing in the exercises, and I hope more women of color take advantage of that gift.
What would you like our community to know about you and your journey?
22:12 - I would like our community to know that I come to my work with my full heart. I love our community, and I love what I do. I find joy in providing care and support for our community, especially in times when they need something extra. I also want people to know that if I can do this, so can they. I didn’t start out thinking I would one day be a chief of a police department, but here I am. I hope my story shows that through silence, through forgiveness, the Spirit can take you to places you never imagined. You can find a sense of fulfillment in your life that words can't describe. I’m very fortunate to have experienced that.
Contact Information:
http://www.marquette.edu/diversity/
Credits:
The Our Roots Say That We're Sisters Podcast series was recorded and produced by Podcast Town (www.podcasttown.net)
