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You’re Invited: Understanding the Roots and Legacy of Housing Segregation at Community Advocates Public Policy Institute’s 10th Anniversary Celebration | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Lisa Kaiser
April 2, 2018
You’re Invited to Community Advocates Public Policy Institute’s
10th Anniversary Celebration
April 26 at the Milwaukee Public Museum
Understanding the Roots and Legacy of Housing Segregation
with The Color of Law’s Richard Rothstein and Local Historian Reggie Jackson
To mark our first decade and kick off our second, on April 26, Community Advocates Public Policy Institute will host a special night at the Milwaukee Public Museum featuring keynote speaker Richard Rothstein, author of The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America. To provide a local perspective on housing segregation in Milwaukee, historian Reggie Jackson, Head Griot of America’s Black Holocaust Museum, will be our special guest.
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“We believe that in order to create a better future, we must understand our past,” said Kari Lerch, Deputy Director of Community Advocates Public Policy Institute. “We want to provide our community the opportunity to explore the impact hat housing segregation has had on the Milwaukee area and the nation as a whole. Then, we can reduce longstanding disparities and increase access and opportunity.”
Here’s what you can expect:
VIP Reception, 6 p.m.: Sponsors and individuals with VIP tickets will be able to meet Rothstein and Jackson in an intimate gathering at the Milwaukee Public Museum with light refreshments from 6 to 7 p.m., before the main program begins. Individual VIP tickets, which include admission to the VIP Reception, the Main Event, and the Mix & Mingle, are $210.
Main Event, 7 p.m.: All guests will attend attend Rothstein’s and Jackson’s presentations on the roots and legacy of local and national policies creating residential segregation. Individual general admission tickets to the Main Event and Mix & Mingle are $55.
Mix & Mingle, 8 p.m.: All guests will enjoy private, after-hours access to Milwaukee Public Museum’s recently renovated Streets of Old Milwaukee, which provides an environment in which guests can reflect on the past in order to transform the future. Our mix and mingle, with desserts and coffee, will conclude at 9 p.m. Admission to the Mix & Mingle is included with all ticket purchases.
Individual tickets are on sale now. Deadline for RSVPs is April 12, so purchase your individual VIP or general admission ticket today!
Haven’t read The Color of Law yet? Boswell Book Co. will be on hand to sell copies, which Rothstein has graciously agreed to sign that evening.
About Community Advocates Public Policy Institute: Community Advocates established the Public Policy Institute in 2008 to work toward preventing and reducing poverty while improving the quality of life for individuals and families in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin. The Public Policy Institute targets poverty in a number of ways – we try to reduce it through changes to relevant public policies and laws; we try to prevent its effects through public health efforts; and we work to increase opportunity and wellness for low-income people by fostering factors related to success, resilience and well-being. Read more about our history here.
About Richard Rothstein: Rothstein is a research associate of the Washington, D.C.-based Economic Policy Institute and a fellow at the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and of the Haas Institute at the University of California (Berkeley). He is the author of The Color of Law, which recovers a forgotten history of how federal, state, and local policy explicitly segregated metropolitan areas nationwide, creating  racially homogeneous neighborhoods in patterns that violate the Constitution and require remediation. The Color of Law was a finalist on the long list for the National Book Award for nonfiction in 2017.
About Reggie Jackson: Jackson is an educator, public speaker, and writer concerning equal rights and Black history, as well as Chief Griot and leader at the America’s Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee. In 2017, Jackson received the Frank P. Zeidler Public Service Award.
Sponsors
Partner Sponsor:
Employ Milwaukee
Contributing Sponsors:
Aurora Health Care
Center for Self-Sufficiency
Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee
United Community Center
Media Sponsor:
Shepherd Express

author: Lisa Kaiser


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Name *
April 2, 2018

source: news-milwaukeenns

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Name *


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After-school program prepares students for urban leadership | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
April 3, 2018
Teacher Portia Hunter helps third-grader Naomi Murphy learn to multiply and count by fives and 10s in the Young Einsteins math activity group. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
In the art room at Milwaukee College Prep’s Lloyd Street campus, middle school students stand in front of hanging panels, absorbed in painting colorful butterflies.
In a nearby classroom, students take turns reading aloud from an historical novel about an African captive sold into slavery on her 15th birthday.
Down the hall, younger children use playing cards to do multiplication activities and count by fives and 10s.
One by one, students finishing a hula hoop class in the gym call out affirmations: “I am vivacious. I am tenacious. I am ambitious. I am grateful. I am hopeful. I am determined, I am excited. I am joyful.”
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Although the Tuesday dismissal bell signaled the end of the day for most MCP students several hours earlier, the participants in the Future Urban Leaders Foundation program chose to stay and continue learning.
Teacher Ross Romenesko and his friend Brandon Vonck founded the program in 2014. Their goals include providing central city youth who show ability and an interest in becoming leaders with the tools and opportunities they need to excel. The program offers academic support, mentorship, mindfulness training and community engagement opportunities. By reinforcing positive behaviors and providing resources for self-development, Future Urban Leaders aims to help participants become role models and create positive change in their community.
Zhakaria Murphy-Smith, a seventh-grader at Milwaukee College Prep’s Lloyd Street campus, works on a section of a mural for the school’s butterfly garden. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
When Romenesko was a first-year teacher, he found that building relationships with students through basketball helped him become more effective in the classroom. He enlisted Vonck, a management executive, in taking students to a basketball tournament they grew up attending in Appleton. Impressed by the effect the experience had on the students, they began to build a program so that more students could participate.
Gradually growing from fewer than 10 to more than 70 participants from MCP and other schools, FUL now meets after school at MCP one or two afternoons weekly and one weekend day a month. FUL also offers quarterly activities, including reading and discussing books about youth grappling with urban issues, exercise sessions and tutoring. Romenesko takes students on field trips to museums, plays, athletic events and nature destinations, and to connect with employers in STEM fields.
Tina Romenesko, a certified yoga therapist and mindfulness meditation teacher —and Ross’ mother — oversees FUL’s health and wellness program. It includes a focus on healthy eating and mindfulness, a practice that helps individuals reduce stress by raising awareness of students’ physical and mental state. Mindfulness allows individuals to calm themselves and gain control over their responses to outside stimuli.
FUL recently started a two-year collaboration with a medical student at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s Training in Urban Medicine and Public Health (TRIUMPH) program. She will evaluate FUL’s mindfulness program and help create a best- practice model, said Wendy Washington Hamilton, FUL’s executive director. Hamilton noted that teachers often reprimand children for behaviors that arise from trauma without understanding their root causes. The collaboration will also help FUL develop a sexual health program, Hamilton said.
“Trauma and anger management are two of the specialty focuses of our mindfulness training. It’s very effective with kids who have suffered trauma,” Ross Romenesko said.
Hamilton, who was hired part-time last summer, is pursuing nonprofit status for the organization and working to build its financial foundation and student capacity.
Jayla Washington, a Milwaukee High School of the Arts junior, has been involved in FUL since Romenesko was her seventh-grade teacher at Business and Economics (BEAM) Academy of Milwaukee, a charter school that closed in 2017.
Jayla said that Romenesko knows what individual students are interested in and looks for opportunities for them. He helped her get a scholarship at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design’s pre-college program this summer.
In addition, she and other students visited the Chicago and Milwaukee offices of dciArtform, where Vonck is director of operations and finance. The students observed its engineers and designers at work and talked with them over lunch about what they do.
“The (FUL) program is amazing. It helps me get where I want to get in life and I’m really grateful for that,” Jayla said.
“I was all for Jayla participating (in FUL), knowing Mr. Romenesko as an individual, how he interacted with the kids, and his passion for helping (them) and making sure they had what they needed,” said Kim Davis, Jayla’s mother.
FUL helps its participants attend top–quality high schools and stays connected with them. It is also reaching into the younger grades to accommodate families that drive their students to and from MCP.
Treshawn Harvell, an MCP eighth-grader, started participating in FUL in seventh grade.
“Mr. R … told me about how (FUL) will prepare me for the future. I was thinking about being an obstetrician and I still am. (The program leaders) help me with my schoolwork and with communication skills,” Harvell said. He has a scholarship to attend Pius XI High School next year.
The “Big Sibs” program matches two adult staff with three students to provide a small ratio of adults to youth. Older students also meet with middle-school students to give them tips on making a successful transition to high school.
MCP eighth-grader Erin Frazier, who wants to teach science or work as an environmental engineer, participated in the national Future City Competition at MSOE this year. The competition has sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade students design and build cities of the future.
“It gave me more insight into the process of engineering, where we tried things out and if they didn’t work we would go back and redesign them,” said Frazier, who will attend Rufus King International High School in the fall.
This year was the first time FUL participated in the competition but it will do so again next year, Romenesko said. “Presenting to an audience of adults is a college-level skill we (were able to) give to middle-schoolers,” he added.
Kasim Alexander, a FUL participant and seventh-grader at MCP, said he used to be “a very quiet kid.”
“FUL helped me increase my social skills and … it boosted my confidence.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct an error regarding the TRIUMPH program. It is located at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, not the Medical College of Wisconsin. We apologize for the error.

author: Andrea Waxman


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 2, 2018

author: Adam Carr


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Alderwoman Coggs launches 10th Annual Freedom Essay Scholarship Contest | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ald. Milele A. Coggs
April 3, 2018
Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs is challenging recent Milwaukee high school graduates to dissect the concept of “freedom” for the 10th Annual Freedom Essay Scholarship Contest. The scholarship is open to current and recent high school graduates from Milwaukee who are college- bound.
The topic for the essay is “freedom,” and it provides graduates with an opportunity to parse out how they define the subject and what it means to them. They are encouraged to share their ideas to end prejudice, oppression, discrimination, sexism and violence, on a global scale. The suggested length of an applicant’s essay is 1,000 words.
Applications are being accepted now and must be postmarked by Tuesday, August 7, 2018. Two $500 scholarships will be awarded and winning essays may be published, according to Alderwoman Coggs.
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Alderwoman Coggs says one cannot talk about progress and change without talking about the new generation of inspiring young leaders.
“The scholarship contest provides young people an opportunity to reflect on the lessons of history and use those lessons to help shape their future, not only for themselves but also for their community, for Milwaukee and possibly beyond.” she said.
Paper applications will also be available at city libraries, many high schools and colleges, and the following are drop-off locations:
The contest is open to students who reside in the City of Milwaukee and attended a public, private, parochial or home school, or who participated in a high school correspondence program in the city. Preference will be given to residents of the 6th Aldermanic District.
Entries can be submitted online or by a downloadable paper application, both found at milwaukee.gov/district6/FSEC. Additional contest rules, complete details and submission requirements are contained within the application. For more information, please contact Akuwa Dantzler at adantz@milwaukee.gov or at (414) 286-2994.

author: Ald. Milele A. Coggs


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 3, 2018


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Alverno College receiving inaugural Latino Spirit Award from Marcus Theatres® at the CineLatino Festival premiere night | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Kelly Fay
April 3, 2018
Alverno College is receiving the inaugural Latino Spirit Award from Marcus Theatres in recognition of the college becoming the first Hispanic-Serving Institution in Wisconsin and for a history of supporting first-generation students.
The award, given in conjunction with the second annual CineLatino Milwaukee Film Festival, honors individuals or organizations who are role models and community leaders and understand how to be agents of positive change.
“We understand that through collaboration with community, commitment to what unites us, and courage to sometimes go against the grain and be first, people and families are made stronger,” said Rolando Rodriguez, chairman, president and CEO of Marcus Theatres. “It is in this spirit that we honor Alverno College, which is a source of inspiration to the Hispanic community and all of our community.”
Alverno President Andrea Lee, IHM, will accept the award at the CineLatino Festival Premiere Night on April 11 at the BistroPlex℠ Cinema at Southridge Mall. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. with a networking reception and fundraising activities and all proceeds benefiting the Aurora Cancer Care – Spanish Clinic.
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“The richness of our diverse student body and the intentional way in which we seek to build and support our campus community are in Alverno’s DNA,” Lee said. “I’m absolutely honored to accept this award on behalf of the college’s students, faculty and staff.”
For more information about the CineLatino Festival Premiere Night, please visit MarcusTheatres.com/PremiereNight.
About Marcus Theatres
Marcus Theatres®, a division of The Marcus Corporation, is the fourth largest theatre circuit in the United States and currently owns or operates 895 screens at 69 locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and Ohio. For more information, please visit www.marcustheatres.com and follow the company on Facebook and Twitter (@Marcus_Theatres).
About Alverno College
Alverno College promotes the academic, personal and professional development of its students in a collaborative and inclusive environment. Undergraduate programs for women are offered in more than 60 areas of study, and graduate programs in education, nursing, community psychology and business are open to women and men.
A leader in higher education innovation, Alverno has earned international accolades for its highly effective ability-based, assessment-as-learning approach to education, which emphasizes hands-on experience and develops in-demand skills. The College has consulted with three U.S. presidential administrations on accountability and outcomes in higher education and for the past eight years has been ranked one of the top five schools in the Midwest doing “the best job of educating undergrads” by U.S. News & World Report.
Based in Milwaukee, Wis., Alverno College is a four-year independent, Catholic, liberal arts college.

author: Kelly Fay


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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April 3, 2018


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Interested in receiving a grant of up to $2,000 to improve your neighborhood? | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Community Connections
April 3, 2018
Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 25, 2018
The Community Connections Small Grants Program supports resident-led efforts to improve the quality of life throughout local neighborhoods. Grants range from $50 to $2,000 to fund projects, events, and activities. All grant applications are reviewed and scored by a group of residents who reside in the targeted zip codes.
Neighbor to Neighbor Grant Program – Ranges from $50-$750.
Neighbor-to-Neighbor projects are resident-led projects addressing a neighborhood issue or concern. Only two grants will be funded per neighborhood per year.
Milwaukee Innovation Grants – Ranges up to $2,000
Milwaukee Innovation projects support community problem-solving efforts that are inclusive, collaborative and resourceful. Innovation grants contain a “WOW” factor by stimulating something new in the local community. Only one innovative grant will be funded per neighborhood per year.
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Projects should benefit a specific neighborhood. At least three group members need to live in the zip-code where the project will take place.
Resident led groups living and working in the following zip codes 53204, 53205, 53206, 53208, 53209, 53210, 53212, 53215, 53216, 53224 and the Tower Hill and Baran Park neighborhoods in Waukesha are encouraged to apply.
Visit www.ccsmallgrants.org to apply online and to learn about application requirements!
Funded By: Northwestern Mutual, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, and Zilber Family Foundation

author: Community Connections


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Milwaukee youth celebrate Kick Butts Day | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Lorraine Lathen
April 3, 2018
Members of the Wisconsin African American Tobacco Prevention Network FACT group, part of Wisconsin’s youth-led tobacco prevention movement, joined other activists recently to celebrate Kick Butts Day (KBD), a national day of activism when youth are empowered to stand up against Big Tobacco. The FACT youth facilitators commemorated KBD by sharing their message with youth at Silver Spring Neighborhood Center and Neighborhood House. That message, “Tobacco is still the number one cause of preventable death in America and tobacco companies are trying to entice you with new products, including candy and fruit flavored e-cigarettes.”
This year’s KBD event took on added urgency, as several recent studies have confirmed that the use of products such as electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), including the Juul vaping device, are common gateways towards traditional cigarette use and on the rise among youth. They’re also just as dangerous as traditional cigarettes. A new study from American Academy of Pediatrics found that e-cigarettes deliver cancer causing chemicals to the body, with fruity flavors delivering the most chemicals.
In Wisconsin, the most recent data from the Youth Tobacco Survey found that 13.3 percent of high-schoolers had used e-cigarettes during the past 30 days, compared to 8 percent who smoked a traditional cigarette. Nationally, e-cigarette use among youth has also outpaced traditional cigarette use and use of e-cigarettes is increasing annually.
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The rise in youth use of e-cigarettes is tied to the fact that e-cigarettes are often candy and fruit-flavored, and have other features that appeal to youth. Because they smell like candy or fruit and often look like other electronic devices youth commonly use, they’re easier to conceal from parents and others. Also, in Milwaukee, there are no penalties for tobacco retailers that sell e-cigarettes to minors, even though tobacco is illegal for anyone under 18 years of age. To learn more about the new face of tobacco you can check out the Wisconsin Department of Health’s new campaign titled, “Tobacco is Changing.”
In addition, minority youth continue to be targeted with and use menthol tobacco products at a higher rate than their white counterparts. Menthol products can be more dangerous than non-menthol because users tend to start younger and inhale deeper because of the cooling effect menthol has. Also, in Milwaukee’s Central City and elsewhere, single cigarettes, also known as loosies, are often sold to minors. Loosies and menthol products make it easier for young people to become addicted to tobacco.

author: Lorraine Lathen


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On the Block: On track to nursing | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Talis Shelbourne
April 3, 2018
Jerricka Horton, 24, wants to leave a legacy of fitness, health and helping others.
Horton’s grandmother, mother, and several aunts were all nurses. Working with them, Horton said she developed a fondness for taking care of others.
Between studying to become a registered nurse at Milwaukee Area Technical College, the Nathan Lane High School graduate runs track to stay healthy and relieve stress.
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author: Talis Shelbourne


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How to volunteer in April | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Martha Cannon, Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee
April 4, 2018
Volunteers from Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful pitched in on the Great American Cleanup in their neighborhood.
Now that the days are getting longer and a little warmer, there are many chances to get outside and volunteer in Milwaukee.
Spring is in the air, and you can celebrate by making our community a better and greener place to live in. Volunteer Milwaukee, a service of the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee, features a calendar full of events, one-time and ongoing. Here are a few opportunities in April.
Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful
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Set up, register volunteers and pass out supplies from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 21 for the start of the spring cleanup season (through May 31).
Join this nationwide cleanup and choose any day in April and/or May to clean up a neighborhood, park, or river. Supplies are provided.
Contact: Betsy Bolte at betsy@kgmb.org or 414-272-5462 Ext. 301.
Plant a tree in your neighborhood, local park or elsewhere in Milwaukee Friday, April 27. Contact us with a plan of location and number of trees.  This is a great group activity.
Contact: Joe Wilson at jwilson@kgmb.org or 414-272-5462.
Penfield Children’s Center
Penfield needs a team of 4-6 to trim bushes, sweep and rake, pick up trash, tidy up the playground area and wash outside windows Thursday, April 19 for two-hour shifts in morning or afternoon.
Contact: Ellen Anderson at ellenanderson@penfieldchildren.org or 414-345-6376.
Victory Garden Initiative
Plant fruit and nut trees in residential yards and community spaces throughout the Milwaukee area April 19-22; morning and afternoon shifts.
Contact: Eric Anderson at Eric@VictoryGardenInitiative.org or 414-431-0888.
Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers
As part of the Environmental Health program, clean up Pulaski Park, the river and the surrounding neighborhood by picking up trash from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 21.
Contact: Stephanie Mercado at stephanie.mercado@sschc.org or (414) 897-5596.
Milwaukee Recreation Department
Help out with trash clean up around the property and remove invasive species or any other special projects from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 21.
Contact: Nicole Sponholtz at Nicole@MilwaukeeRecreation.net or 414-647-6043.
Neighborhood House
Participate in the Historic Concordia neighborhood spring cleanup by picking up trash, sweeping out debris and more from noon to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, April 21.
Contact: Tasha Parker at tparker@nh-milw.org or 414-933-6161 ext.142.
Urban Ecology Center
Clean up and add wood chips to trails, remove invasive species, pick up trash in parks and more at one of three Urban Ecology Center locations from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 21.
Help replace invasive species with native plants, maintain trails, control erosion and more during spring and summer months; morning and afternoon shifts. Choose from one of three Urban Ecology Center locations.
Contact Menomonee Valley: Chris Steinkamp at csteinkamp@urbanecologycenter.org or 414-431-2940.
Contact Riverside Park: Taylor Valencia at tvalencia@urbanecologycenter.org or 414-964-8505.
Contact Washington Park: Ben Barker at bbarker@urbanecologycenter.org or 414-344-5460.
Assist with traffic control, welcome guests in and out of the theater for presentations and help with park cleanups at Lakeshore State Park and more Sunday, April 22; four-hour shifts between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Contact Kelly Christman at volunteer@discoveryworld.org or 414-765-1978.
River Revitalization Foundation
Remove invasive species, establish native plants and trees and maintain trails to improve habitat surrounding Milwaukee’s river basin; Monday and Friday afternoons and Saturdays in spring, summer and fall months.
Contact: Volunteer coordinator at volunteer@riverrevitalizationfoundation.org or 414-271-8000.
Alliance for the Great Lakes
™
Join a group that has already organized an Adopt-a-Beach™ cleanup. In addition to picking up debris, volunteers record what they find to help guide education and solutions; April and May dates.
Find an open event near you at greatlakesadopt.org.
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center
Remove invasive species on the shores of Lake Michigan in northern Milwaukee County with our conservation team; Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday mornings. Great for groups and individuals. Fill out an application.
Contact: Marie Honel at MHonel@schlitzaudubon.org or 414-352-2880, ext. 144.
Running Rebels Community Organization
Pick up trash and clean up the Harambee neighborhood from 9 a.m.. to noon Saturday, April 21, then enjoy the after-party and picnic at Clinton Rose Park.
Contact: Sharon Cross at volunteer@runningrebels.org or 414-316-5222.


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March for Our Lives draws hundreds seeking gun reform in light of school shootings | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Margaret Cannon
April 4, 2018
High school students Sofia Kurszewski, Alexa Grosz, Molinna Bui and Arianna Neal are among those standing up for gun reform. (Photo by Margaret Cannon)
Hundreds of participants in the recent March for Our Lives in Milwaukee are looking toward November to elect representatives willing to stand up to the NRA and pass legislation to limit availability of guns.
“Our voices collectively are powerful and loud; and I expect nothing less than absolute change,” Destiny Devooght told the crowd outside the Milwaukee County Courthouse, 901 N. 9th St.
Devooght, a senior at Union Grove High School, said she expected that about 10 people would show up at a walkout she organized on March 14 in response to the fatal Parkland, Florida school shooting in February. Union Grove ended up with 170 students participating. Devooght then applied to be a student speaker at the March for Our Lives in Milwaukee on March 24.
Katie Eder, a student organizer from Shorewood High School, told the crowd, “If the politicians won’t make the change, then come November, we are prepared to change the politicians.”
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Milwaukee’s march was one of more than 800 that took place across the country. The nationwide movement was started by survivors of the Florida school shooting in which 17 people were killed, including 14 students. People of all ages and backgrounds showed up to take a stand at the event, which included music, nondenominational prayer and speakers calling for stricter gun laws. Photos were shared on social media using the hashtag, #WeCallBSMKE.
Protesters march down State Street, joining a movement against gun violence sweeping the country. (Photo by Margaret Cannon)
Arianna Neal, a 17-year-old student at Germantown High School, 11501 N. River Lane, said she was there because kids should never feel afraid to go to school and parents should never fear for their child’s safety at school.
“Kids our age have been deemed as uneducated about government and uneducated about how the system works, when actually, we take classes about this stuff, we educate ourselves and we involve ourselves in politics,” Neal said.
The marchers left the Milwaukee County Courthouse and walked east on State Street toward City Hall, 200 E. Wells St., chanting in opposition to gun violence. Voter registration booths were set up at City Hall. For many students, it would be the first time they registered to vote.
Alondra Gomez and Jackie Foren are 13-year-old students at Bruce-Guadalupe Community School. They said that they were there to show support and demonstrate that their generation is not “messing around.”
“I am so glad that our generation is not going to stop, even when politicians say we are,” said Jackie.
Eder invited young people to participate in the “50 Miles More” four-day march, which took place immediately after the March for Our Lives. Young people from all over Wisconsin gathered in Madison and marched 50 miles to Janesville, the hometown of U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan.
“We are directly calling out Paul Ryan for his direct role in blocking and banning any chance of gun reform,” said Eder.
Many signs criticized the National Rifle Association and called for “common sense” gun laws that expand background checks for online sales and at gun shows.
Second- and third-graders were holding signs that read “Protect kids not guns!” and “Fear has no place in our schools.”
In 1963 Percy James marched on Washington during the Civil Rights Movement. Fifty-five years later, he participated in the March for Our Lives, holding a painting of his late wife, who was active in the anti-war movement.
“I didn’t realize until after she was deceased that she was a wonderful mentor to me and this is the very least I can do to memorialize her,” said James.
James, a veteran, said that he will never own a firearm. He said that the NRA represents “the perversion of capitalism.”
Members of Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America, an organization created in 2013 by moms in response to the deadly Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, also participated in the march. The group has 4.5 members and a chapter in every state, including 75,000 members in Wisconsin.
Chris Krasovich, the Wisconsin chapter lead of Moms Demand Action, has been involved with the organization for more than two years.
“We know that children are dying and paying the blood price for our failure to enact common sense gun legislation and we’ve had enough,” Krasovich said at the march.
“I think it’s important for the students to see that we’ve got their backs,” she added. “We aren’t sitting back and waiting for change to happen; we’re willing to be a part of the movement to make change with them.”

author: Margaret Cannon


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Community members react to announcement of MPS superintendent’s departure | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
April 5, 2018
Darienne Driver (foreground), Milwaukee Public Schools superintendent, stands with the students at Rufus King International High School at a national school walkout for gun control last month. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Although many leaders of Milwaukee Public Schools’ partner organizations were surprised by MPS Superintendent Darienne Driver’s announcement that she will leave Milwaukee in July, Mary Lou Young was not.
Young, CEO of the United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County, has worked closely with Driver on the United Way board, where Driver chaired the volunteer engagement committee. They also worked on many joint projects, including Milwaukee Community Schools Partnership, Milwaukee Succeeds, teen pregnancy prevention and drivers education, Young said.
“Dr. Driver is a collaborator. She keeps efficiencies top of mind all the time but she doesn’t feel like MPS has to create everything. She finds other entities that have expertise or skill sets in different areas that can help the kids and finds a way for MPS to collaborate with them,” Young said.
Young, a Michigan native, was involved in “connecting the dots,” for Driver’s new position as president and CEO of the United Way for Southeastern Michigan in Detroit, according to Brian McKaig, United Way’s vice president of marketing and communications.
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Although the community will miss her insight and energy, Young said, she is happy for United Way and for Driver, who has become a friend. Young added that Driver “recently got engaged and her fiancé lives in Detroit.”
An MPS student uses watercolors in an art class taught by an Arts @ Large teacher. (Photo courtesy of Arts @ Large)
Walter Bond, executive director of Teach for America Milwaukee, and Teri Sullivan, co-founder and CEO of Arts @ Large, said they value her commitment to MPS’ children and are grateful for her collaboration with their organizations. Both worked closely with Driver, who came to MPS in 2012, became interim superintendent in July 2014 and was named permanently to the position in September 2014.
Bond said an important contribution has been Driver’s “incessant and unyielding focus on children and what’s best for children,” which he called  “a breath of fresh air” in a city that “has a way of bogging folks down and saddling our leaders and our talent with the vitriol in the wars of yesteryear.”
Noting that issues do become complicated when money, politics and governance come into play, Bond said he hopes the next superintendent also will possess the “clarity” of focusing on the children.
Under Driver, arts education has “has been at the forefront of this administration,” and has expanded to many more MPS students, said Sullivan.
Driver not only added an MPS arts manager, Arts @ Large and MPS worked together in late 2015 to create the Fill the Gaps program to train artists to teach in classrooms across the district.
“We’ve made such amazing strides … in making arts education equitable for all students in MPS,” Sullivan said. “We’ve been extremely appreciative of that.”
Reggie Moore worked with Driver on the steering committee for the Blueprint for Peace, the Milwaukee Health Department Office of Violence Prevention’s comprehensive anti-violence plan unveiled last fall. Moore is OVP’s director.
Moore said Driver “brought a level of vision, tenacity and focus that we hadn’t seen in a long time to the district leadership.”
Her “fresh eyes” and “passion for young people” and the community were important, Moore said. He added that Driver has been “committed to … implementing strategies that raise achievement but also address the whole child and the whole family.”
According to Moore, Driver understands that schools exist within a community, and that the school district plays an important role as a community partner and anchor institution in neighborhoods. His office’s surveys show that young people feel safest when they are at school, he added.
“If a leader doesn’t leave a mark then nobody cares when they leave,” Moore said. “It’s clear that (Driver) has left a mark and that her leadership was valued and respected.”
Terry Falk, an at-large director of the school board, has sometimes clashed with Driver, who he described as “trying to do everything herself.” He said she “needed to involve the board and other people in decision making more.”
Driver “was able to collaborate when people said ‘we need to collaborate,’ but she tended to move ahead on her own,” he added.
Falk would like the next superintendent to have more experience than Driver had coming in. Having never been a superintendent or school principal, “she made some mistakes along the way,” he said, “but everybody does.”
Bob Peterson, a former Milwaukee Teachers’ Education Association president and a founding editor of the magazine “Rethinking Schools,” said he is grateful for Driver’s service. ”She’s obviously been committed to the students and the public schools,” adding, “It’s a daily challenge in (our city).”
“Driver was working, and the next superintendent will be working, in a very difficult position — being employed by the public schools and at the same time facing pressures to privatize and sell off the public schools,” Peterson noted.
Peterson would like to see community educators and students have input in the selection process for a new superintendent, who should be a strong advocate for public schools, he said.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 4, 2018


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Controversy increases over shuttered Mitchell Street Social Security office | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
April 6, 2018
Seniors gathered at the United Community Center are among nearly 47 million people who received Social Security benefits in February 2018. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
The Mitchell Street Social Security Administration (SSA) branch, 1710 S. 7th St., closed on March 22, but the controversy continues over whether SSA followed its own policies for closing the office, and whether SSA defied an order from Congress to halt the shutdown.
The congressional order to halt actions at Mitchell Street and other Social Security branches until the Office of the Inspector General completes a review of SSA office closures was written into the 2018 Omnibus Appropriations Act, according to a March 22 statement by Congresswoman Gwen Moore and Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
“There is significant concern about decisions to close field offices that may not be in accordance with law, regulations, and SSA procedures,” the order says. “While the IG review is ongoing, the Acting Commissioner should not make any final decisions related to field office locations under review.” The order also states that SSA should carefully consider and fully implement any recommendations that may result from the IG review.
The review will address whether SSA followed internal procedures in proposing consolidation, notifying the public and considering public input.
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The Omnibus Appropriations Act was not signed by President Trump until March 23, the day after the branch closed. SSA declined to comment on the ramifications of the timing.
The order also notes that SSA is reducing resources for field offices, despite a 5 percent increase in visitors from 2015 to 2017.  An estimated 42 million clients visit SSA offices annually.
“President Trump and his Republican allies are relentless in their efforts to decimate Social Security,” Moore said in a statement. “It’s clear that the closure of the Mitchell St. Field Office is part of nationwide effort to cut costs and, as a result, deny Americans their rightful access to vital SSA services.”
The Mitchell Street Social Security branch, 1710 S. 7th St., closed on March 22. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
Moore vowed to fight to restore SSA services on the South Side and other “underserved” areas across the country. Depending on the findings of the investigation and further actions by SSA, legal recourse is a possibility, said a spokeswoman for Moore.
Doug Nguyen, regional communications director for SSA, declined to respond to questions from Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service about whether the order from Congress affects the status of the Mitchell Street branch or if it would reopen. He also declined to comment whether Social Security would open an office on the South Side in the future.
According to Nguyen, the rationale for closing the Mitchell Street field office included elevator troubles, which forced patrons to use the stairs; lack of secure parking and a secure street entrance; and heating, ventilation and air conditioning issues. Nguyen stated in an email to NNS that SSA would continue to evaluate how it can best serve the public, including in person, by telephone and online.
Tammy Rivera, executive director of the Southside Organizing Committee, said she continues to be skeptical of SSA’s rationale for shutting down the Mitchell Street branch, adding that SSA declared the building unsafe to justify not following its own policy related to closing an office.
“There’s something sinister about the closing,” Rivera said. “Why would you decide not to serve a community of 90,000 people and keep an office located in an area where only 30,000 people live open,” questioned Rivera, referring to the Greenfield SSA office at 8455 W. Layton Ave. Rivera organized several protests regarding the Mitchell Street branch closure and met with SSA officials weeks before the shutdown.
Rivera said studies have found that closing a Social Security branch harms communities. According to a report by the Disability Research Consortium, excerpts of which were included in the 2018 federal budget, closing a satellite Social Security office results in an 11 percent decrease in disability applications in the affected ZIP codes and the effect continues for at least two years after the closing. Applications for other programs drop as well, and decreases are higher in low-income communities, the report stated.
Rivera and other organizers were at the Mitchell Street office at 9 a.m. the day after it closed to speak with residents. She said about 10 people showed up seeking services during the hour they were there, including one woman who had an appointment, and a veteran. Fifteen more people showed up between 9 and 10 a.m. the following Monday, she said. Several spoke only Spanish.
According to Rivera, English and Spanish notices of the closure were posted on the door with information on other local Social Security offices, but they failed to mention whether services are provided in Spanish or other languages at the other locations. Rivera said this is hardly the type of notice a multilingual community deserves.
“Someone made the programmatic decision not to serve the community. It’s not believable that they could not find another location nearby,” Rivera said.
The SSA lease at the Mitchell Street building expired at the end of March, but Mayor Tom Barrett offered the site of the closed Forest Home Library, 1432 W. Forest Home Ave., as a place to relocate. Other leaders also suggested the office be moved to the vacant second floor of the Mitchell Street Library, 906 W. Mitchell St.
According to Rivera, an attorney working pro bono has submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to SSA on behalf of the community, seeking documentation related to the Mitchell Street closure. Those documents may contain the true reason the Mitchell Street branch was closed, according to Rivera. The documents will be reviewed to determine whether any civil rights or equal access violations occurred, she said.
No timetable has been set for the release of the Inspector General’s final report. Rivera vowed that the fight for an SSA office on the South Side would continue.
“They didn’t care about how it would impact the community,” Rivera said. “This is not over; what happened is unacceptable.”

author: Edgar Mendez


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 5, 2018


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200+ jobs at the next job fair in Lindsay Heights | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Walnut Way
April 8, 2018
Job Fair in Lindsay Heights
In partnership with SDC, MCFI, and Walnut Way
200 plus positions are available
Monday, April 16, 10:00am-2:00pm
at SDC 1730 W. North Avenue
In partnership with Milwaukee Center for Independence (MCFI) and Social Development Commission (SDC) we are helping get the word out to neighbors about the next job fair in Lindsay Heights. Over 200 positions are available with MCFI, a tenant at Walnut Way’s Innovations and Wellness Commons (IWC) and other city wide locations.
Positions include:
CNAs • Nurses • CBRF Staff Custodial Services • Drivers Food Service • Cooks and Kitchen Helpers • and many more opportunities!
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MCFI Offers Meaningful Employment
MCFI is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit that offers life-changing programs and services for children and adults with disabilities, special needs, and barriers to success. The MCFI Hospitality Academy, which is leasing space for a commercial kitchen in Walnut Way’s Innovations and Wellness Commons, provides on-the-job training for individuals interested in working in the hospitality industry. MCFI uses the commercial kitchen to prepare fresh, healthy meals for its contract clients – child care centers and schools that serve mainly low-income families. The kitchen provides jobs and paid training opportunities to local residents and offer job opportunities in other MCFI facilities.
In addition to MCFI’s location at Walnut Way’s Innovations and Wellness Commons, MCFI has several additional locations across Milwaukee. Learn more about MCFI.

author: Walnut Way


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 8, 2018


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Princeton professor to give Metcalfe Lecture at MU on April 18 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Arthur Heitzer
April 8, 2018
A professor of theology emeritus from Princeton University will talk about his personal journey studying and writing about African American history, as this year’s Metcalfe Lecture, Wednesday, April 18, from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Raynor Memorial Libraries Beaumier Suites BC, 1355 W. Wisconsin Avenue.
Dr. Albert Raboteau, who attended Marquette in the late 1960s, is Henry W. Putnam Professor of Religion Emeritus at Princeton. He will deliver his lecture, “A Fire in the Bones.” A scholar on African American religion, his books include: Slave Religion: The “Invisible Institution” in the Antebellum South (1978), Canaan Land: A Religious History of African Americans (2001), and A Sorrowful Joy: A Spiritual Journey of an African American Man in Late Twentieth Century America (2002). He has received honorary doctorates from four universities and held fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Guggenheim Foundation.

author: Arthur Heitzer


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Albert-Raboteau-web.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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April 6, 2018


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Advocates call for more resources for victims of sexual assault in the workplace | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Elizabeth Baker
April 9, 2018
Workplace sexual assault victims say that discussing the issue with others who have endured a similar experience can help with the recovery process (Photo by Adam Carr)
The #MeToo movement has fostered strong support for women who speak out about their experiences of workplace sexual assault and has emboldened some companies to rethink their harassment policies. As victims attempt to recover both personally and professionally, however, guidance and support are hard to come by.
Psychologists have found that victims often suffer stress, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of sexual assault or harassment. These incidents – particularly when they occur early in an individual’s career — can cause long-term depressive symptoms.
“We try to compartmentalize things into different boxes in our minds, but that’s not how our bodies work,” explained Simmone Stovall, a healing counselor with Aurora Healing and Advocacy Services. “Our neurobiology says the things that affect me at home, I do carry with me to my work,” and vice versa.
She said she has noticed recently that women who have experienced sexual harassment seem more interested in participating in support groups or talking about it with other women. They want to connect with others who are suffering without having to go through a formal legal, human resources or psychotherapy system. There is healing power when women start to talk and realize that what happened to them has happened to others, too, Stovall said. It helps them overcome anxiety, stress or depression that occurred as a result of the incident.
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Carmen Pitre, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Sojourner Family Peace Center. (Photo by Elizabeth Baker)
Aurora Healing and Advocacy Services serves anyone recovering from an experience of sexual harassment or assault, offering individual counseling and support groups at its Healing Center in Walker’s Point. Stovall, who practices at the Sojourner Family Peace Center, said she tries to help victims understand how the shame, guilt and trauma may be affecting them. She helps patients address the question, “How I can go back into the world and make a slightly more positive outcome for myself by learning more about what happened in my past?”
Sojourner deals with all forms of sexual harassment or assault, said Carmen Pitre, CEO and executive director. The staff offers psychological and legal support, and talks to people about how to ensure they feel safe going forward
“Anyone who has been hurt can come to us to not be alone and to be helped,” Pitre said.  An incident of workplace harassment or assault can affect other parts of that person’s life in a complex way, she explained. “It is part of multiple incidents that can happen in a person’s life. They will often have trouble at home, in their past and at work when they’ve been hurt by someone.”
“I think the value of the Me Too movement, like all movements, is that it gives people permission to come forward, and I hope that that continues to happen,” added Pitre.
One Milwaukee woman who shared her experience of sexual harassment and assault while working as a caregiver at a small group home several years ago said it would be beneficial to create specific counseling or therapy for people recovering from workplace harassment or assault.
“A support group, or something like that, would be a very valuable service to women or persons going through these situations who are afraid to talk to their loved ones or don’t have anyone around to confide in,” said Ashley (not her real name).
Local advocates say that since the #MeToo movement, women who have experienced sexual harassment seem more interested in participating in support groups or talking about it with other women. (Photo by Adam Carr)
Ashley said she knows there are services available to help people through these situations, but she thinks they need to advertise their resources better.
“They don’t do a good enough job of letting people know what they can do to help,” Ashley said.
Hearing stories from other women at an event hosted by 9to5 Wisconsin a few months ago inspired her to talk about her experience for the first time. She said sharing her story empowered her to acknowledge how the experience affected her, both personally and professionally.
“You leave it buried for so long that you don’t know how much it still affects you and still hurts,” she said.
The stigma surrounding workplace harassment and assault hinders the process of recovery, said Jen Dirks, president and CEO of TEMPO Milwaukee. An organization of local women in CEO, executive and leadership positions, TEMPO conducted a survey of its members last December and found that 68 percent of respondents had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. Nearly one-third stated they would not report or were unsure if they would report blatant sexual harassment if it happened tomorrow, fearing repercussions, career damage, not being believed or embarrassment.
The survey sparked conversation about workplace harassment among members, Dirks said. “Even at our holiday party, right after the survey was issued, several women came up and started talking about it, saying, ‘The same thing happened to me,’ or, ‘I’m so sorry that happened to you,’ or ‘Did you report it?’ It becomes this community of reporting out what has happened to them.”
TEMPO has continued the conversation with a few community panel discussions. Members also have the opportunity to be part of “mentor circles,” small group meetings where they can talk about issues they face in a safe, honest and confidential setting.
Dirks said the anxiety women often feel about talking about their assault “makes it harder to find kindred souls.”
For Ashley, finally talking about what happened to her was a breakthrough. “It’s interesting what can happen to you when you’re surrounded by people who have experienced the same thing,” she said. “It helps you own it, claim it and start your recovery.”

author: Elizabeth Baker


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2018 Milwaukee Black Restaurant Week | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Bridget Robinson
April 10, 2018
What is Milwaukee Black Restaurant Week 2018?
For the 3rd year in a row Blank Space Milwaukee (founded by black women Symphony Swan & Bridget Robinson) have launched a week dedicated to celebrating the entrepreneurship of our locally owned eateries and want to direct patrons to restaurants that they can support.
We do this at no cost to the restaurant owner or to the sponsors!! This is a grass roots effort to engage Milwaukee in building wealth in our community. We do not profit from this event.
Last year many of our participating restaurants realized significant sales increase (some almost doubling in daily sales), a surge in media attention and a boost of new customers from the week.
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Milwaukee Black Restaurant Week 2018 is taking place April 15-21.
How does the week work?
We have researched local black owned restaurants and asked them to allow us to include them in the project. With their permission, we use data collection from the week to demonstrate the effectiveness of cooperative economics and the significance of the local dollar to sustain businesses. Business approval is a requirement.
We then ask residents of Milwaukee to visit one or more restaurants on the list. Spend money! Eat good food. And document your attendance by “checking in” on social media using the hashtag #MBRW18 and taking a photo of your receipt. We also ask that you survey your experience at the end of the week. We track all of this data for our final community report.
How do the meet ups work?
Different organizations and groups (sponsors) have agreed to dine in together at a local restaurant in support of the week. They also agree to help us spread the word and mission about the project. This is a great way to fellowship and build community and learn more about the work they do. You are not required to go to the meet up – this is only a suggestion. You are encouraged to go to any of the restaurants during a time that best meets your schedule.
Why isn’t my favorite black owned restaurant listed?
There is no way that we could capture every restaurant. In most cases, the business owner did not respond to our invite to participate for a variety of reasons. We acknowledge that there are many food trucks, catering services, pop up shops and other sorts of eateries. We begin our solicitation of businesses in January of each year. Our deadlines limit our ability to add on restaurants after we have begun our marketing for the week. However, please continue to support your favorites and encourage the owners to get involved next year.
Who are we?
BlankSpaceMKE is an urban art cooperative with a very basic principle of spreading the message about cooperative economics – build people to build unity to build wealth to build power! We operate as a virtual collective marrying the concept of art and activism. We were established in 2014.
Milwaukee Black Restaurant Week becomes an opportunity for us to demonstrate the power of cash mobs when strategically aimed at supporting minority owned businesses – specifically in this week – restaurants. We believe that by supporting Black Restaurants (and other local businesses) we can make a significant impact on strengthening communities and creating new opportunities for future entrepreneurs.
Though the title suggests a mere week of great eating, the platform will allow black owned restaurants the opportunity to bring in new customers and raise awareness about social entrepreneurship. Milwaukee and surrounding area communities will be encouraged to support businesses and get to know the owners who manage the establishments.
This year our Restaurant Meet Up list includes:
* Coffee Makes You Black
* Mi Casa Su Cafe
* The Cultured Vegan at Mi Casa Su Cafe
* Uppa Yard Jamaican Resturant
* In the Nick of time
* Rise & Grind Cafe
* Irie Zulu
* Scene 1 Restaurant & Lounge
* Mr. Perkins
* Mister Barbeque Jervel MrBarbeque Williams
* Dee’s Elegance
* Tony’s BBQ Unlimited
* Pass Da Peas
* Daddy’s Soul Food & Grille
* Chic Underground
*On the Bayou
*Big Country’s BBQ
Shouts out to our Sponsors this year hosting meet ups during the week:
* Keghaznavi Illustration
* Melanated Mama
* QB Solutions, LLC
* Public Allies
* Leaders Igniting Transformation (LIT)
* Black Lens MKE
* UBLAC Milwaukee
* Progressive Baptist Church (PBC)
* MATC African American Network
* Marquette “Here’s Where We Gonna Be”
#MBRW18 #BlankSpaceMke
Blankspacemke@gmail.com
http://blankspacemke.weebly.com/

author: Bridget Robinson


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30595239_10156113775546093_7793080719638528000_n.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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April 10, 2018


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On the Block: Dancing at City Hall | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Margaret Cannon
April 10, 2018
Nekea Leon, a senior at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is getting her degree in dance and chemistry. She lived in Sherman Park until she was 5 years old and remembers going to the park with her grandmother. Leon said she likes living in Milwaukee because she can walk everywhere and it is a close-knit community where people help each other advance.
Leon recently participated in a performance at Milwaukee City Hall, using dance to portray the stories of people who live in Sherman Park and Washington Park.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 9, 2018


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Residents of Midtown neighborhood look forward to home ownership initiative | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Talis Shelbourne
April 10, 2018
Homes on the 2100 block of Vine Street may be eligible for the Habitat Midtown project. (Photo by Talis Shelbourne)
Lamark Jackson used to watch his children from the window of his house on 24th Street.
As a single parent, Jackson appreciated the Midtown neighborhood’s sense of togetherness.
“I lived there about 15 years,” he said. “It was nice then because everybody knew everybody. People used to get together; the neighborhood watched out for their kids.”
Jackson, who now lives in a different house in the neighborhood, said he hopes to qualify for a home through Habitat for Humanity’s Midtown 100 initiative, to help revive Midtown’s sense of community.
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“It doesn’t matter [if it’s new], as long as it can be mine,” he said. “I’m at a place where I don’t want to be over nobody or under nobody.”
As part of its Midtown 100 project, Habitat for Humanity is preparing to build or rehabilitate 100 homes from 21st and Garfield to 29th and Vine.
Habitat Development Director Andy Heuer said the organization plans to invest about $10 million on the project, which is intended to create more housing and improve Midtown’s reputation.
Lamark Jackson plans on applying to become a homeowner through Habitat’s Midtown 100 project. (Photo by Talis Shelbourne)
“Our goal is to build 65 new homes, rehab 15 homes [and perform] critical repairs on up to 20 homes, maybe fixing a roof or foundation,” Heuer said. “A hundred families, 80 new home-ownership opportunities and 20 renovations — that makes a significant impact in that neighborhood.”
Latrisha Williams, who’s been living on Vine Street for less than a year, is hoping the Habitat project will reduce crime.
“Shootings, robberies — [you] can’t feel safe,” she said.
Jackson agreed, noting that the loss of neighborhood elders has contributed to Midtown’s rough reputation.
“I’m in my 50s,” he said. “A lot of [those] people are kids. Cars crashing in the neighborhood, kids fighting in the neighborhood … things have changed.”
Habitat representatives consult with local elected officials, as well as homeowners and other community members, before delving into a project. Applications are submitted by lead organizations within each community. Washington Park Partners submitted the application for Midtown.
Jake Brandt, Habitat’s director of marketing & communications, said the organization chose the Midtown area because “we saw an opportunity to transform blocks of empty lots into rows of safe, affordable homes in an area of the city where there is a clear need for more affordable housing.”
Heuer said he hopes the project will make Midtown a safer place. The organization spent six years developing homes in Washington Park, where stronger community ties reduced the crime rate by 46 percent, according to Heuer.
Corey Hult, 25, who has spent nine years living in a house at 20th and Vine, said that he hopes new Habitat homes will change Midtown’s image and bring the community together.
“Right now, everybody just does their own thing,” he said. “[Redevelopment] would make the neighborhood look better.”
Williams said new housing – with new neighbors – might make it worth staying in Midtown.
“The neighbors here, the older ones, I love them. It’s those little young hoodlums that need to move on out of here,” she said.
Williams applied to become a Habitat homeowner because she wants to move out of public housing.
“With me being [in] government housing, I can’t protect my house because they put restrictions on what you can have,” she explained. “You can’t have cameras, you can’t have big dogs. But if it’s my own, I can do that.”
If she isn’t chosen for a Habitat home, Williams said she would leave Milwaukee.
Habitat homeowners are selected through an application process and must fulfill requirements such as being employed, attending financial literacy training and volunteering 300-500 hours of “sweat equity.” Families typically pay $450-$600 in mortgage and property taxes.
Brandt said Habitat works in tandem with communities in a mutually beneficial way.
“First and foremost, we want to learn from these communities — what are their needs and what they see as necessary for their communities to grow,” he said. “It’s not us just coming in and saying, ‘This is how we do things.’”
Jackson said he hopes new homes will bring the neighborhood back to what it was like when he was a child.
“My mom worked at Goodwill and we used to go ice skating. A lot [has] happened,” he noted. “[But] I think it would be good; I would like to get a house of my own.”


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Three upcoming “on-the-spot interview” opportunities in April | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Department of Workforce Development
April 10, 2018
2018 DWD Reentry Job & Resource Fair
4201 N 27th St, Milwaukee, 53216
Thursday, April 12, 2018
9:30am – 2:00pm
Do you have feedback on Milwaukee NNS's reporting? Take our survey to let us know how we're doing!
This event is to help former offenders make valuable employment connections
Featured Industries
Construction, Hospitality, Customer Service Warehouse and Transportation.
Resources Include:
Pitney Bowes
On The Spot Interviews
4201 N 27 St, Milwaukee, 53216
Thursday, April 19th 2018
10am to 12pm
Available Positions
Milwaukee Center For Independence ( M.C.F.I )
ON THE SPOT INTERVIEWS
4201 N 27th St, Milwaukee, 53216
Friday, April 20th  2018
12pm to 2pm
Apply at www.mcfi.net. Prior to the event

author: Department of Workforce Development


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City Hall event celebrates architectural and cultural history of Sherman Park | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Margaret Cannon
April 11, 2018
Dancers from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee take a bow after their interpretive dance, based on oral stories by Sherman Park residents. (Photo by Margaret Cannon)
Tremerell Robinson has been a Sherman Park resident since she was 9 years old. She said the neighborhood of her childhood was much different than present-day Sherman Park.
When Robinson and her family moved in, they became the first black family on the block. Robinson remembers feeling safe as a child and recalls that the neighborhood was generally clean and quiet.
“You could talk to your neighbors without them wondering if you had a negative agenda,” said Robinson.
Robinson said she still loves her community, which is why she attended “Picturing Milwaukee: Sherman Park” Friday, hosted by the Buildings-Landscapes-Cultures field school at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, founded by Associate Professor Arijit Sen.
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The event, held at the Milwaukee City Hall Rotunda, celebrated the stories of residents collected as part of Sen’s Picturing Milwaukee project. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and University of Wisconsin-Madison students enrolled in architecture and art history doctoral programs conducted the research.
This year the project’s focus is on “environmental justice and grassroots actions in the Sherman Park, Washington Park, Martin Drive and Midtown areas,” said Sen.
Dr. Arijit Sen addresses the audience at the Picturing Milwaukee event. (Photo by Margaret Cannon)
Sen and his students have researched the architectural and cultural history of Sherman Park by talking to residents and studying buildings, homes, parks and vacant areas.
“If you look around Sherman Park and Washington Park… you find out there is incredible bravery,” said Sen. “When you are here, you learn…about safety, environmental practices, sustainability and stewardship.”
Sen was born and raised in India. He has lived in Milwaukee for 12 years and said this program has helped him “find a place I can call my own.”
The field school partnered with Marquette University’s Future Milwaukee leadership program, a two-semester program in which teams of participants are paired with community members to work on a project in the Greater Milwaukee area. A team of four Future Milwaukee participants was assigned to Sen.
Josh Smith, a Future Milwaukee participant, said his team was interested in the asset maps Sen and his students have been creating for the past several years. The asset maps convey how people move around Sherman Park and where space is being utilized.
“All of this knowledge was disappearing from semester to semester, so we thought maybe this was something we could help out with…to give some history and make it easier for students to make a more immediate impact,” said Smith.
Smith added that his team is trying to make a “crowd-sourced” asset map showing positive activities in the neighborhood by talking directly to community leaders and residents.
The event included a discussion panel comprising community leaders, professors and elected officials, including state Rep. David Bowen, a native of Sherman Park. “I’ve seen firsthand and I truly recognize that we have the chance to change the course of our neighborhoods,” he said, referring to the field school project. He added that the field school project is important because it allows residents to become leaders by deciding what issues they want to address.
Bowen said as a legislator, he has seen state government prevent resources from reaching “great neighborhoods like Sherman Park.”
An unusual aspect of the event was a performance by University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee dance students. The interpretive dance used oral histories of Sherman Park residents collected by Sen and his students to tell the neighborhood’s story. The dance was choreographed by Simone Ferro, a professor at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
Robinson said she is happy to see the focus on Sherman Park. “I want neighbors to have pride in their community.”


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 10, 2018


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How to report when you’ve been sexually assaulted at work | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Elizabeth Baker
April 11, 2018
Finding a trustworthy ally, such as a friend, family member or coworker, to support you through the process of reporting an incident of workplace sexual assault is essential. (Photo by Adam Carr)
Sexual assault, defined as nonconsensual intimate contact, is illegal. If it happens to you at work, you can report the assault to your company’s human resources department, consult an attorney or file a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Jane Foley, who recently retired from a 37-year career working in the Milwaukee district attorney’s office in both the domestic violence and special crimes unit, and labor and employment attorney Barbara Quindel share their advice on how to go about reporting sexual assault in the workplace.
Each case is different, Quindel said, but these steps can serve as a general guide in many situations:
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Take action immediately
Quindel stressed the importance of reporting the assault to your employer immediately. If your employer fails to properly handle the situation, the case you bring to an attorney or file with the EEOC is weakened when you wait too long after the incident occurred. In fact, if you choose to report your assault to the EEOC, you must file within 300 days of the incident.
Find an ally
“If you’re going to report this as a woman, you need support, because it’s a really scary thing to do,” Foley said. Find someone you trust either within or outside the company to help you make a plan of action and support you throughout the process.
Document everything
Write detailed notes of everything that occurred, including names and dates. Take screenshots of relevant emails, text messages and social media posts or messages. Make sure you have several hard copies of all items to present to an HR manager, a senior leader or an attorney.
Devise a strategy
Consider the structure, hierarchies, ranks and relationships within your organization to create the most realistic plan to report the incident. Has a sexual assault case ever happened at the company? If so, what happened to the victim and the harasser? Most companies have an HR manager who handles these situations, but it may make more sense for you to talk first to someone else, such as your immediate supervisor. If, for example, the HR director is a close friend of your harasser, Foley said, you need to take alternative steps to protect yourself while still reporting your assault. You’re not just dealing with the harasser, Foley said, but the entire culture of the company.
Protect your confidentiality
When you go to HR, make sure what you say is kept confidential. Before you tell anyone anything, ask how they will protect you and who else will find out about the information you disclose. If you demand right away that your confidentiality be protected, the HR manager will most likely present a plan for how the situation will be handled, Foley said.
Consult an attorney
If you feel that you cannot trust anyone in your company, if your employer ignores your complaint or if you are terminated as a result of reporting the assault, it’s time to consult an attorney. Quindel said attorneys help you identify your rights and devise a course of action. They can also help you report your case to the federal EEOC and state Equal Rights Division, depending on the situation.
Resources
9to5 helpline (not 24 hours): 800-522-0925
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: 202-663-4900


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Save services at St. Joseph’s Hospital | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
George Hinton, Social Development Commission
April 11, 2018
(Photo by Sue Vliet)
George Hinton, chief executive officer of the Milwaukee-based Social Development Commission, writes that Ascension Wisconsin’s plan to cut medical services at St. Joseph’s Hospital will harm people who need health care the most.
As CEO of Milwaukee County’s community action agency, an advocate for people living in poverty, I cannot sit in silence as nonprofit health care systems like Ascension Wisconsin abandon people who need health care the most.
Last week, a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article revealed Ascension Wisconsin’s plan to cut critical medical services at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Sherman Park. Now, there is additional reason for concern. Ald. Bob Donovan announced that Ascension Wisconsin may downsize services at St. Francis Hospital on the city’s South Side.
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This action will hurt people who experience poverty and anyone else looking for health care in the impacted communities.
Ascension Wisconsin’s reduction of medical service will affect all Milwaukee residents. Health care cuts with no collaboration among other health care systems could create a crisis in our community.
If other systems follow Ascension Wisconsin’s lead, restrict access to patients or eliminate beds, we could see patients sitting in hallways, waiting for beds as a worse-case scenario.
We recognize the fact that it is challenging to provide health care for people unable to fully pay for services. However, hospital systems strategically select the communities they serve. Profitable services are often placed in affluent communities where people do have the right insurance to pay for service. In other words, hospitals move where the money is. This flexibility also gives systems the ability to support hospitals in lower-income areas.
There is an obligation to support basic health care needs with inpatient and outpatient services.
Not-for-profit hospital systems are obligated to provide appropriate safety nets for all populations in the community.
This is the true spirit of a not-for-profit organization. They don’t pay taxes.
Every move like this undermines stability in our communities. In addition to a lack of health care, this action frequently comes with job cuts — many are family-sustaining jobs.
All health care systems that make money from our community must think carefully about how they treat those with fewer resources.
Since we don’t have socialized health care in this country, this is everyone’s responsibility.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 11, 2018


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Sherman Phoenix developers receive $250,000 WEDC grant | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Andrea Waxman
April 12, 2018
Co-developers JoAnne Johnson-Sabir and Juli Kaufmann speak to members of the press at the grant announcement. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
The Sherman Phoenix real estate development project in Sherman Park has received a $250,000 grant from The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
The Community Development Investment Grant to Milwaukee County for the Sherman Phoenix project was announced by Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch at the site Tuesday.
“We’re very excited, not just about WEDC’s contribution, but also about the entrepreneurs who will live their business dreams here, the people who will hire their friends and neighbors, the people who will have customers and clients right here in Sherman Park,” Kleefisch said.
Real estate developers JoAnne Johnson-Sabir and Juli Kaufmann are repurposing the former BMO Harris Bank, 3526 W. Fond Du Lac Ave., which was burned in the August 2016 unrest that followed the police shooting of Sylville Smith.
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The use of the name “phoenix,” a mythological bird that rises from the ashes of its predecessor, represents the developers’ intent to breathe new life into Sherman Park’s economic and community life after years of disinvestment and decline.
Joanna Brooks, owner of Embody YOGA, stands in her future studio on the third floor of the Sherman Phoenix. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
“The reason I love the symbolism of the phoenix” is that the project is bringing back “pride, capacity and ability that were always here,” said Chris Abele, Milwaukee County executive.
According to Johnson-Sabir, $2.5 million, including the WEDC grant, has been raised for the project from more than 100 investors and donors. An additional $1 million is needed before the building can be completed. She said she is confident that the project will reach that goal.
An ongoing Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign for the project allows Sherman Park residents and other community members to invest in the economic wellbeing of the area.
A significant feature of the model of small businesses sharing space will be mentoring and learning opportunities for entrepreneurs of color who often don’t have access to such resources, Johnson-Sabir said.
Erected in 1927, the building encompasses 20,000 square feet on three floors and the basement. In its new incarnation, it will house 20 businesses owned by local entrepreneurs, most of whom are African-American, and will provide an estimated 75 jobs. There are 10 tenants on a waiting list, Johnson-Sabir said.
Prospective tenants include restaurants and other food businesses, wellness and beauty services and a variety of retail businesses. Space also will be dedicated to cultural and community events such as the Milwaukee Film Festival and Gallery Night, Johnson-Sabir said.
Johnson-Sabir and her husband Maanaan Sabir, who co-own The Juice Kitchen, 1617 W. North Ave., plan to operate a café called Shindig at the Sherman Phoenix. Other businesses offering food would include Funky Fresh Spring Rolls, Next Level Vegan, Lush Popcorn, Purple Door Ice Cream, Buffalo Boss and Pizza Bar.
There will be martial arts and yoga studios, and a consignment shop, which will double as a retail training opportunity for young women who have been trafficked.
Embody YOGA studio owner Joanna Brooks said she is locating her business at the Sherman Phoenix because it provides an example for the community’s young people.
For them to “see themselves reflected as (potential) owners, entrepreneurs and community change agents is a really big deal,” Brooks said. For that reason the project “stands to have a much larger and wider impact than we could have ever imagined.”
Construction has begun at the building located at 3526 N. Fond Du Lac Ave. and the developers hope to have a grand opening in the fall.
Kaufmann, founding owner of Fix Development, called on real estate professionals across the city to “take a second look” at investing in central city neighborhoods.


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Sounding the alarm on inner-city transit | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Rev. Marilyn Miller
April 12, 2018
(Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Milwaukee residents living in zip codes 53205, 53206, 53208, 53209, 53210, 53212, 53216, 53218, 53233 are in danger of losing an important lifeline. The Milwaukee County Transit System’s (MCTS) bus routes 6 and 61 – also known as the JobLines – will disappear from these nine urban zip codes at the end of 2018, unless new funding sources are found.
The JobLines routes were established in 2014 as a settlement with the Wisconsin and U.S. Departments of Transportation, the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin (BHCW) and Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope (MICAH) to aid in transporting individuals living in urban neighborhoods to employment opportunities in Waukesha and Washington Counties.
Route 6 runs west along Capitol Drive to Moorland Rd. and south through several New Berlin industrial parks. Route 61 runs northwest along W. Appleton Avenue into a busy business district in Menomonee Falls.
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If you are unsure about the impact of losing these two bus lines, consider this:
In short, transportation has a ripple effect on the economic health of the entire area it serves. Imagine the crippling effect on your daily routine if you did not have access to a car. It’s something most of us take for granted.
So, what do we tell the inner-city residents at the end of 2018 when their transportation lifeline is cut off? What do we tell businesses that suffer due to losing access to employees and customers? What do we tell taxpayers who become disenchanted with the area’s growing blight?
What we can tell people and business owners is to speak up NOW:
The Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin and Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope meet regularly with MCTS to discuss the JobLines bus routes and other transportation issues. We invite area businesses and community leaders to invest in and commit to JobLines as well.
Rev. Marilyn Miller
Pastor, Reformation Lutheran Church
President, Milwaukee Inner-City Congregations Allied for Hope – MICAH
Jim Addison
President & CEO, Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin – BHCW

author: Rev. Marilyn Miller


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 12, 2018


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Realtors, city realtors recognize those who participated in Open Housing marches | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Greater Milwaukee Association of REALTORS
April 13, 2018
(Photo courtesy of GMAR)
Milwaukee-area REALTORS and city leaders gathered to recognize the 50 anniversary of the Fair Housing Act and Milwaukee’s open housing marches that began on August 28, 1967, and lasted until March 14, 1968.
During a news conference just north of the 16 Street Viaduct, former members of the Milwaukee NAACP Youth Council and Commandos who participated in the 200 days of marches were honored and thanked for their bravery and courage in demanding an open housing ordinance in the city and an end to housing discrimination. Alderwoman Vel Phillips and Father James E. Groppi were also recognized for their leadership and dedication.
“We wanted to thank the members of the NAACP Youth Council, the Commandos and all of the participants of the open housing marches 50 years ago. Their efforts improved the lives of thousands of people in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and the United States,” said Vickie Kelsall, chairwoman of the board of directors of the Greater Milwaukee Association of REALTORS (GMAR). “The principles they marched for were important 50 years ago and are just as important today. And, they will be more important tomorrow, as future generations pursue the American dream of homeownership.”
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On April 11, 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Fair Housing Act, which prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status and national origin.
As part of the news conference, the GMAR presented a check for $12,500 to Housing Resources, Inc. to support their work in preparing Milwaukeeans for successful homeownership. Shorewest Realtors, RE/MAX Realty 100, the First Weber Foundation and Century 21 Affiliated each contributed funds to make the donation possible.
The GMAR also announced a first-time homebuyer awareness and education initiative. During May and June, the association will execute a postcard mailing to thousands of renters throughout the city to encourage them to consider homeownership and direct them to homebuying classes offered by Housing Resources, Inc. The GMAR also plans to produce a rack card for placement in city churches.
Statistics show Milwaukee has experienced a loss of owner-occupied homes in the last 10 years.
“Prior to the recession in 2007, 78% of single family homes, duplexes and condo units in the City of Milwaukee were owner-occupied. Currently, that figure is 68%, which represents a loss of roughly 13,000 owner-occupied homes,” said Kelsall, citing numbers from the City of Milwaukee, Department of City Development. “We want to reverse that trend. That’s why we’re focusing our efforts on encouraging and preparing more first-time homebuyers to enter the market.”
A number of former Milwaukee NAACP Youth Council members, Commandos and marchers were able to attend the April 11 recognition event. Fred Reed, a former NAACP Youth Council Commando member, and Margaret “Peggy” Rozga, the wife of Father Groppi and a Youth Council member, spoke at the news conference and shared their experiences during the 200 days of marching.
The entire group received special recognition from City of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett who led a standing ovation.
Alderman Ashanti Hamilton, president of the Milwaukee Common Council, spoke about the leadership, determination and persistence of Vel Phillips. Phillips was a champion of fair housing in Milwaukee, was active in the NAACP and helped lead the open housing marches.
On April 30, a couple of weeks after President Johnson signed the federal Fair Housing Act, the Milwaukee Common Council passed its own fair housing ordinance that was more comprehensive than the federal law.
“The Fair Housing Act was landmark legislation. We didn’t want this significant, historic event to pass by quietly,” said Kelsall. “As REALTORS, we felt it was important to take time to celebrate what was achieved 50 years ago and then continue to work for more progress now and in the future.”


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
April 13, 2018