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A new report examines substance-use disorder services in Milwaukee County as drug overdose deaths continue to soar | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
November 30, 2022
At the current pace, the number of drug overdose deaths in Milwaukee County will surpass last year’s record high total of 643.
As of Nov. 6, there were 449 confirmed drug overdose deaths in Milwaukee with 124 probable cases, pending toxicology tests, according to data provided by Karen Domagalski, operations manager for the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office. If those cases are all confirmed, that would put the total at 573 deaths, compared to 536 at that date in 2021. This could mark the fourth consecutive year of record-high drug overdose deaths in Milwaukee County.
With no end to the surge in sight, there is urgency for Milwaukee County to best use the $70 million it expects to receive as its share of the state’s opioid settlement of more than $400 million. That $400 million is part of a $26 billion national legal settlement against opioid manufacturers that helped to fuel the opioid epidemic.
“It’s absolutely imperative they spend this money right,” said Rob Henken, president of the Wisconsin Policy Forum and lead researcher of a report commissioned by the county to help that happen. The Wisconsin Policy Forum is a nonpartisan, independent policy research organization.
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That report, “Road to Recovery,” released this month examines ways to improve substance-use disorder services in Milwaukee County.
“A common sentiment is that current SUD (substance use disorder) services are delivered not as part of a coordinated system of care but as a fragmented and incomplete array of services by dozens of providers who operate largely in their own respective service lanes,” read a Wisconsin Policy Forum statement on the report, which discusses a coordination gap among local, county and private health systems.
One way to possibly address this, Henken said, is for the county to move toward a similar model as was used when it revamped its service-delivery system for mental health care. He said that involved a move away from providing direct crisis care to coordinating an array of services in the community.
“This is a golden opportunity to do something similar on the substance abuse side of things,” he added.
Amanda Rodriguez, community programs and integration manager in Milwaukee for Community Medical Services, a medication-assisted treatment center, said she thinks it would be good for the county to serve as a facilitator of services and also provide technical support to local organizations.
“I think it would help with communication and coordination and also help community folks access grants and other resources to provide more services,” she said.
The report highlighted other challenges to the local substance-use treatment landscape, including a shortage of detox, residential and bridge services, which provide support for individuals who have transitioned out of more intense treatment but still need support.
“Our patients are in need of a higher level of care,” Rodriguez said. “We’re seeing sicker folks than we’ve ever seen before.”
Still, building more centers and adding beds will not solve the problem if there is no one available to provide care, Henken said.
Rodriguez said most, if not all, local agencies are experiencing worker shortages.
“Our counselor caseload ratio is 55 to 1, We’re admitting folks at such a rapid speed we can’t keep up,” she said.
The report suggests investments to help community service providers recruit and retain staff and to create intern stipends for nonprofits. Other recommendations to address service gaps include expanding services to treat alcohol addiction, increasing family services and using funds to support employment and transportation.
Hannah Lepper, prevention manager at the Community Advocates Public Policy Institute, said investing money in prevention and harm reduction at the front end helps lower the demand for crisis services later.
“Education and prevention helps reduce the risks of substance abuse for youth and adults and harm-reduction saves lives,” she said.
The Community Advocates Public Policy Institute operates the Milwaukee County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, or MCSAP, and administers the southeast Wisconsin region of Alliance for Wisconsin Youth, which supports substance-abuse prevention coalitions in several counties.
Nearly half, 218 (49%), of this year’s confirmed drug overdose victims was white, while 168 (37%) were Black and 48 (11%) Hispanic. The other victims were Native American (6), Asian/Pacific Islanders (4), multi-race (4) or East Indian (1).
Seventy-one percent of victims were males, and 29 percent were females. The youngest victim was just 12 years old and the oldest was 83.
The city’s drug overdose hotspot continues to be the South Side, with the 53215 ZIP code area losing 32 residents to drug overdoses, while the adjoining 53204 lost 28. The 53218 neighborhood on the Northwest Side lost 28 residents, while 27 residents each from 53209 and 53206, both on the city’s North Side, lost their lives.
Two more ZIP code areas, 53214 (25), which encompasses parts of Milwaukee and West Allis, and 53208 (23), on the Near West Side, each lost more than 20 residents to drug overdoses so far this year. Twelve victims were homeless or had unknown residences.
You can find a comprehensive list of substance abuse treatment services by clicking here.

created: November 30, 2022


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51416660175_a77ea4be2e_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
November 29, 2022

source: news-milwaukeenns

created: November 29, 2022

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

author: Ron Smith


text:
Milwaukee County sees rise in suicides in Black communities | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Devin Blake
December 1, 2022
Black residents, who make up the largest minority group in Milwaukee County, are committing suicide at a higher rate this year than in any other time during the past 10 years, according to data from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office.
This alarming rate is generally consistent with a national crisis of suicide in communities of color – a trend that preceded, but was exacerbated by, the pandemic.
Since 2013, the average number of Black people who committed suicide each year in Milwaukee County, from January through September, was roughly 12 people.
In 2015, there was a low of five people during this time frame, but the number reached 23 people this year.
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Asian/Pacific Islander communities also experienced a sharp increase in the percentage of people who are committing suicide.
In raw numbers, the average number of suicides in a year, from January through September, among Asian/Pacific Islander residents is roughly two people.
In 2022, the number of suicides was six.
The number of suicides for White and Hispanic residents is currently hovering around or below their respective 10-year averages.
Suicides among White residents peaked before the pandemic, with 95 suicides, from January to September of 2017.
During that time frame this year, the number of suicides was 59, lower than the 10-year average of 67.
For Hispanic residents, the second-largest minority group in the county, the 10-year average for this time frame is roughly six people who have committed suicide during that span this year.
In March, County Executive David Crowley helped launch the Community Health & Healing Series, a series of talks and events addressing mental health for all residents in the county. The talks examined barriers to care and ways in which people can access services.
But the Medical Examiner’s data helps round out this picture.
The data shows that suicide does affect every group in the county, and, at the same time, suicide among some of our minority communities is rising.
Research indicates in the decade from 2010 to 2020, suicides grew dramatically for people of color but most dramatically among Black people.
As the collective crisis continues in Milwaukee, revealing its own trends and patterns, it is worth reviewing the barriers and resources specific to Milwaukee’s Black communities.
Imadé Nibokun, founder and executive director of Depressed While Black, a nonprofit addressing gaps in mental health services for Black people, is upfront about her own experiences with self-harm and the inability of the mental health care system to provide the support she needed.
“I’ve experienced a lot of times – a lot of different touch points – with the mental health system, and they didn’t recognize I was in distress because they didn’t understand how to care for Black people who are struggling,” Nibokun said.
The experience of reaching out for help but not getting the appropriate kind only deepened her crisis.
“When I got out of the hospital … I was more suicidal leaving than I was before,” Nibokun said. “I recognized that I asked for help and didn’t feel better – I felt so much more disappointed.”
“Many times, for African-American people, their symptoms are not believed,” said Dr. Lia Knox, co-founder of Black Space, an organization tailoring mental health support and events for communities of color. “Depression hurts, anxiety hurts … but doctors and nurses and clinicians may not believe these symptoms.”
Unfortunately, this experience is not rare and breeds an ongoing tension between Black communities and mental health systems.
According to a report from Mental Health America, “Historical dehumanization, oppression, and violence against Black and African-American people has evolved into present day racism – structural, institutional, and individual – and cultivates a uniquely mistrustful and less affluent community experience, characterized by a myriad of disparities including inadequate access to and delivery of care in the health system.”
Nibokun once told a therapist she was feeling suicidal. Shortly after, she took a nap, and, because her therapist couldn’t get a hold of her, the therapist called the police to do a wellness check.
“All I could see were their guns,” Nibokun said.
This is a typical example, she said, of the kind of mental health care Black people receive too often, a kind of “punitive care or carceral care – a type of care where the police and punitive measures are employed as the first and only intervention. And it can be terrifying.”
Knox said, in her experience, stigma around mental health within the Black community is yet another barrier that prevents Black people from getting help.
Many Black people “see it as a sign of personal weakness or moral failure … so we tend to press on,” she said.
During a discussion at one of the Community Health & Healing Series events, Crowley said he has personal experience with this kind of stigma, referencing the mental health of a relative.
“When it came down to getting that individual some help, nobody wanted to touch it because nobody wants to deem a person ‘crazy’ … ,”  he said.
Nibokun qualifies stigma, though, as a survival tool in the face of racism and discrimination.
“I often say that stigma is a response to structural inequality,” said Nibokun. “Historically, Black people were punished for expressing any mental distress.”
“There really hasn’t been a time in history where it’s been safe for Black people to say that they need help,” she added.
This trend, she said, continues to this day in other forms. If a Black person says they need help or are in crisis, “you may lose your kids or lose your job.”
The pandemic, if it did anything, put an exclamation point on these discrepancies in risk factors for and resources available to Black people with mental health needs.
There are some important examples within Black communities in Milwaukee that are leading by example, including Black Space and Depressed While Black.
Knox and her colleagues have designed “therapeutic experiences” specifically to address these barriers.
The first order of business for Knox is to address the stigma head on and “normalize the discussion of mental health and wellness … and dispel the myths about mental illness,” she said.
As a Black clinician, Knox’s very presence in the mental health space begins to do the work of normalization, as just over 4% of the psychology workforce in the U.S. is Black.
“At least 80% of people in our groups say they would love to have a therapist who looks like them,” Knox said.
Nibokun’s work grew directly from her own experiences with hospitalization and getting culturally incompetent care.
Through Depressed While Black, Nibokun works with psychiatric hospitals to give its Black patients hygiene kits with hair care and skin care items specifically tailored to their needs.
Not only does this allow “patients to live with dignity and care,” Nibokun said, but a patient’s discharge date from the hospital “is often connected to how you look. If you can’t groom yourself, your discharge date is pushed back.”
Nibokun also works to connect Black people to Black therapists – a connection that was key to getting her the help she needed.
“Despite the trauma I endured in the mental health system, I’ve been able to find Black mental health professionals who saved my life,” Nibokun said.
Andrea Nauer-Waldschmidt, psychiatric crisis services coordinator for the county’s Department of Health and Human Services, said
Milwaukee County is developing services according to the needs of the community, regularly “looking at data for deaths by suicide.”
Extending services to people who are incarcerated, as well as after their release, is one example, she said.
Another example is offering suicide prevention programs aimed at youths, Nauer-Waldschmidt said.
Changes to the county’s access clinics, where outpatient crisis services are available, are yet another example.
The county made sure one of these clinics was relocated to an area that “had lack of availability of mental health resources and purposely found health partners within those communities,” Nauer-Waldschmidt said.  “An individual having access to care closer to where they live is an important part of removing some of those access-to-care barriers.”
BlackLine: a non-police crisis line specifically for people of color: 1-800-604-5841
Milwaukee County Crisis Line: 414-257-7222 (available in English and Spanish)
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, national crisis line: 9-8-8 (available in English and Spanish)
Crisis Text Line: Text “HELLO” to 741-741
Depressed While Black: https://www.depressedwhileblack.com/
Black Space: https://www.blackspacehq.com/
Darkness RISING Project, connecting Black people with Black therapists: https://findmeatherapist.org/
A full list of the county’s mental and behavioral support: https://county.milwaukee.gov/files/county/DHHS/BHD/Crisis-Services/CrisisServicesBrochure.pdf

created: December 1, 2022

author: Devin Blake


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51539872828_25d8f73290_k-1-1 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
November 30, 2022


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51539872828_25d8f73290_k-1 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
November 30, 2022


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52535086383_d18ccbd401_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
November 30, 2022


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OPINION: Black Americans still lag in COVID-19 vaccination rates. We must use culturally attuned strategies to address the issue. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dr. Joan Prince
December 1, 2022
Editor’s note: Have something on your mind? “Community Voices” is the place to let Milwaukee hear what you have to say. To be considered, we need your name, email address and phone number for verification. Please email your submissions to info@milwaukeenns.org
When America gets a cold, the Black community gets pneumonia.
This is a saying that is well known to many who pay attention to topics of health care and health equity in this health-compromised and vulnerable population in America.
Yes, there have been colds, there has been pneumonia, and now there is COVID-19. Once again, those who can least accommodate another health epidemic are the most adversely affected.
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As a national advocate for equity and a research consultant for the national We Can Do This COVID-19 vaccination campaign, these are not just my musings.
Look at the data.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black individuals are about twice as likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID infections than their white counterparts. They also report that pregnant Black women are twice as likely to die than their white counterparts if the cause is the COVID-19 virus.
Studies are pending regarding the effects of known variants of the virus on this same population, but there is no evidence to date to suggest that the data will positively affect the current disparate results.
However, COVID vaccination rates for the Black community still lag behind their white counterparts on all levels (primary vaccine series and additional vaccine doses).
Representing nearly 13% of the U.S. population, the Black community is one of our country’s communities hit hardest by the COVID pandemic.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Data Tracker, on Sept. 14, 43.3% of the Black population was fully vaccinated. This was the lowest among all races/ethnicities.
Research data, both primary and secondary, has disclosed several barriers viewed by the Black community as it relates to receiving the vaccine. Barriers identified were a failure to believe messaging around the benefits of the vaccines due to a reliance on sources that were not research documented and a lack of trust in traditional providers and the current health care delivery system.
Simply providing the vaccine in community locations was not enough to drive individuals to the sites, and other strategies were necessary to increase engagement and decision-making around the virus itself and ways to attack it that include vaccination and other preventive measures.
According to research conducted as part of the We Can Do This COVID-19 Public Education Campaign, several culturally related strategies were identified to address this issue.
The use of culturally linked partnerships with known entities (e.g., Black sororities, fraternities, social and fraternal organization), culturally targeted media programming where trusted messengers reflect the community of interest, and culturally targeted community outreach (activities in the community during community meeting times) rose to a priority level after the community was interviewed regarding their thoughts on the vaccines.
Data identified as barriers by other sources also indicated that hours when vaccinations were available were not conducive to access, as they impacted work hours and school activities.
Other barriers included a lack of transportation to several of the vaccine sites due to public transportation interruptions. There was also discussion around the lack of ease of registration for the vaccine and presenting information about the vaccine in an understandable fashion for the non-medical community.
It is clear that all those involved in the vaccine rollout must respect this message and those that carry the message, with a targeted effort on increasing trust in the health delivery systems through the removal of institutional barriers that continue to exist.
There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to addressing health equity issues. We must find the size that fits this adversely affected segment of the American family if we want the outcomes to be different. We too are America.
And that’s Real Talk!
Dr. Joan Prince is a native of Milwaukee and is a consultant on CMRignite’s Research Team. She was the first African American recipient of a bachelor’s degree in medical technology and master’s in clinical laboratory sciences, with a specialty in hematology and flow cytometry from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In 2012, President Barack Obama nominated Prince as an alternate representative to the 67th General Assembly of the United Nations, with the honorary rank of ambassador. CMRignite is a subcontractor to the Fors Marsh Group for the We Can Do This COVID-19 Public Education Campaign.

author: Dr. Joan Prince


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UWM Leadership Headshots | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
November 30, 2022


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5 things to know and do the weekend of Dec. 2 ￼ | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
December 2, 2022
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
“Between Yesterday and Where, the Magic of Macondo” is a new art exhibition at Latino Arts Inc. exploring themes of magical realism, personal identity, geography and culture. The exhibition is on display through Feb. 17, but the opening reception takes place  at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2 at Latino Arts, located at 1028 S. 9th St.
A ticketed performance by the Latin Jazz band Carlos Adames Group will follow the opening reception. The show runs from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2 , also located at 1028 S. 9th St. More information and tickets here.
The Milwaukee French Immersion Foundation is hosting a screening of “Ratatouille” from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 2 at Milwaukee French Immersion School’s gymnasium, located at 2360 N. 52nd St. The event is free, but paid concessions will be available with proceeds going to the Milwaukee French Immersion Foundation. RSVP here.
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Vivent Health and Neighborhood House of Milwaukee have organized this evening of fun, food, resources and remembrance of those who have lost their lives to HIV/AIDS. The event is free and will include dinner, roller skating and resources related to HIV testing and awareness. The event runs from 4 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3 at Neighborhood House, located at 2819 W. Richardson Place.
Milwaukee Recreation has organized “Sparkle and Shine,” a holiday event for those celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or who just love being in community with their neighbors. The celebration runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 3 at OASIS Community Center, located at 2414 W. Mitchell St. Cost is $3 per person, kids under 3 are free. More information and registration here.
Small businesses in Milwaukee can apply for one-time grants of $1,000 to $5,000 for their business through Scale Up Milwaukee’s holiday bonus cash program supported by JPMorgan Chase. The deadline to apply for this money is Saturday, Dec. 3.
From now until March 1, overnight parking on bus routes and through-highways is not allowed, and some side streets may only allow parking on one side of the road. Check signage carefully when parking and sign up for parking alerts from the city to stay informed here.
For 11 years, the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has used professional journalism to paint a complete portrait of Milwaukee’s communities of color — residents who usually make the news in other outlets only when there is trauma, drama, chaos, and confusion.
As a nonprofit newsroom, we don’t publish for profit. We publish to inform and to help transform our readers and our city.
While our work is provided free, our staff of dedicated reporters and editors –your neighbors—have to be paid. Through Dec. 31, NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 12 times or double your one-time gift, all up to $1,000. Learn more here.

created: December 2, 2022

author: Sam Woods


text:
NNS2022NEWSMATCH | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
December 1, 2022


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As temperatures dip, Milwaukee has only one warming room open | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
December 2, 2022
As temperatures drop to dangerously low levels, the Repairers of the Breach, 1335 W. Vliet St., said its warming room is the only one that’s open.
A warming center is a short-term emergency shelter that opens when temperatures or a combination of precipitation, wind chill, wind and temperature become dangerously inclement. Wednesday night’s temperature officially dropped to 20 degrees, which means most warm rooms would usually be open for the night.
The City of Milwaukee website directs residents to call 211, the centralized referral number for those seeking warming shelter access.
“There is no list because we are the only ones open right now,” James West, the executive director of Repairers of the Breach, said.
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You can dial 211 or text your ZIP code to 898-211 to contact a specialist about temporary entry to shelters.
People who are sleeping outdoors can get an assessment with the Milwaukee Continuum of Care’s  Coordinated Entry team at Repairers of the Breach from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at St. Benedict the Moor Parish, 930 W. State St.
According to the Milwaukee Continuum of Care, expanded emergency shelter resources will be available soon, though there is no date determined yet.
West said he is hopeful more warming rooms will open soon.
“We only have the capacity for 30 to 40 people, but last night (Wednesday), we housed over 60,” he said. “We had to open the third level. It’s just hard to turn people away when it’s cold.”

author: PrincessSafiya Byers


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51686142747_de447b016b_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
December 1, 2022


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5 things to know and do this week in Milwaukee: Dec. 5 to Dec. 9 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
December 5, 2022
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Young people wanting to learn how to drive can register for MPS Drive, an affordable driver’s education option that costs $35. Students living in the City of Milwaukee (both MPS and non-MPS students) are eligible to register for winter/spring classes beginning at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6. Youths need to be 15 years old or older by the first day of class and 17.5 years old or younger by the last day of class to be eligible.
Ex Fabula, a storytelling nonprofit that organizes “StorySlams” as a way of sharing true personal stories on a theme in order to build community, is holding a StorySlam on the theme “language.” These can be stories about slang, colloquialisms, code-switching, learning and forgetting languages and more. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and stories begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at Garfield’s 502, located at 502 W. Garfield Ave. Tickets are $10 in advance; $12 at the door.
Do you have goals for 2023? At this vision board party hosted by C&B Creative, you’ll be encouraged to map out those goals and what it will take to accomplish them and network with others who may be able to help you on your journey. The entire event, including vision board session and social mixer, takes place from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at The BRIC, located at 2741 W. Fond du Lac Ave. Tickets to the vision board session are $10; tickets to the vision board session and social mixer are $25.
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FlexRide Milwaukee is a service that provides affordable transportation for city residents to work in the suburbs. It is expanding in 2023, and MobiliSE and Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission want to know how it can best serve Milwaukee residents as it expands. This free conversation runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at Café el Sol, located inside Latino Arts Inc. at 1028 S. 9th St.  In case you missed it: FlexRide Milwaukee working to address transportation barriers
Get an updated professional headshot going into 2023 from photographer Brianna Griepentrog from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8 at Sherman Phoenix, located at 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave.
Bader Philanthropies provides grants to local organizations working in the sectors of employment, social equality, the arts and more. You can attend breakfast and talk with representatives about their funding priorities and share information about work you think deserves to be funded from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 3300 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
For 11 years, the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has used professional journalism to paint a complete portrait of Milwaukee’s communities of color — residents who usually make the news in other outlets only when there is trauma, drama, chaos, and confusion.
As a nonprofit newsroom, we don’t publish for profit. We publish to inform and to help transform our readers and our city.
While our work is provided free, our staff of dedicated reporters and editors –your neighbors—have to be paid. Through Dec. 31, NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 12 times or double your one-time gift, all up to $1,000. Learn more here.

created: December 5, 2022


text:
16878179440_fb5a30fd73_k-1 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
December 4, 2022

created: December 4, 2022


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Traffic-calming poles part of Milwaukee’s efforts to combat reckless driving | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
December 6, 2022
If you live, work or simply drive in the city of Milwaukee, maybe you’ve seen them: 2- to 3-foot-high traffic posts that also serve as curb extensions. They are placed strategically along the corners of several major intersections.
The traffic-calming poles are part of the city’s rapid implementation initiative, which is now in its third season, and one part of the city’s effort to reduce reckless driving. according to Marissa Meyer, senior transportation planner for the City of Milwaukee.
Meyer said the poles slow traffic by making the roadways narrower and also help improve safety for pedestrians.
“It makes the crossing distance shorter and increases visibility because people can walk a little further into the street before they cross,” she said.
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Narrowing the roadway also makes it nearly impossible for cars to weave around and pass other vehicles from the right lane, she added. The bolted-down plastic posts, which won’t stop vehicles in their tracks if the two collide, still serve as a deterrent.
Meyer said traffic studies have found that the biggest impact of the poles, which were first piloted in 2020, has been on extreme speeders.
On North 27th Street, which has poles from West Wells to West State Street, excessive speeding (over 40 miles per hour) decreased 40%, while yielding to pedestrians increased by 23%. That intersection, along with South 13th Street from West Manitoba to West Harrison streets, were the first two neighborhoods to pilot the poles.
Speeding decreased in that South Side neighborhood by nearly 10% while yielding to pedestrians increased from 3% to 18%, according to the city’s traffic study.
Both those pilots were spearheaded by Business Improvement Districts in those neighborhoods. The Near West Side BID, covers North 27th Street and BID #50, also known as Crisol Corridor, covers the project area on South 13th Street.
Leif Otteson, executive director for BID #50, worked with local businesses and the city for several months to get a contract to place and install poles in his district.
He said the poles complemented other steps the district has taken to slow down drivers, including the installation of solar-powered, flashing pedestrian signage.  Aside from a few business owners concerned about parking and the narrower turn lanes, the posts have garnered positive reviews.
“We’ve gotten no complaints from residents,” he said. “You got to trade for safety, and in return you may get a little bit more frustration.”
In addition, he said, the curbs don’t affect parking, as they are only placed at intersections that prohibit parking within 15 feet of the crosswalk.
Otteson said he envisions the poles as a temporary measure and hopes the city will place permanent concrete slabs to replace the artificial curb extensions.
One challenge that has resulted from the pilot project, he said, has been the maintenance costs. The BID’s agreement with the city included a stipulation that it cover costs for cleanup and snow removal around the poles.
“Ideally we’d love to see something in the city budget that would account for the snow removal,” he said. “Something that makes it more sustainable.”
Just over 10 blocks north of that neighborhood, corner poles were installed two months ago along several intersections on West Mitchell Street between South 6th and South 12 streets.
Nancy Bush, executive director of the Historic Mitchell Street BID #4, said her organization was approached by city Department of Public Works representatives last summer about the poles. She presented the plan to members of her BID and, not surprisingly, she said, they were all in favor.
“Traffic has been horrendous here,” she said. “It’s been a problem that has continued to worsen.”
Early results indicate that traffic has calmed down since the poles were installed, she said.
“I’m grateful to the city because it’s a lot better than not doing anything,” she said.
Bush said her district’s agreement with the city did not include snow removal, and that the poles would be removed in November and reinstalled in the spring.
In addition to Mitchell Street, other locations where posts were placed recently include West Center Street between West Appleton Avenue and North 32nd Street, and South Cesar E. Chavez Drive, between West Walker Street and West Greenfield Avenue.  Past locations include West North Avenue between 15 through 20th Streets and between 44 through 59th, and on West Villard Avenue between North Hopkins and North 32nd streets.
During the summer, Mayor Cavalier Johnson signed a resolution that added Milwaukee to a growing list nationally of cities to implement a “Vision Zero,” approach to eliminate traffic deaths. Adopted several years ago in Madison, Vision Zero involves a collaboration between residents, community groups, and officials to increase road safety by implementing engineering, educational and other comprehensive approaches.
Also, in late October, the city announced the construction of reckless-driving mitigation projects funded through the American Recovery Plan Act, or  ARPA. Those 16 projects, which include signage, high visibility crosswalk markings, refuge islands and more curb extensions, are part of a $19 million dollar investment by the city to curb reckless driving.
“These projects are just the beginning as we will continue to make improvements in neighborhoods across the city,” Johnson said in a news release. “This is part of a comprehensive effort that
includes changing behavior, enforcement, and neighborhood involvement to reduce reckless-driving dangers.”
Although current efforts seem to be having an impact, Otteson said, it’s clear that motorists are still driving recklessly.
“I saw a hummer plow straight through one,” said Otteson about a corner post on South 13th Street. “We’re still optimistic about the city’s plans and about how things will go.”

created: December 6, 2022

author: Edgar Mendez


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52467901852_35af969019_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
December 5, 2022


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Here’s why Milwaukee’s Black homeownership rates are low (plus resources you can use) | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
December 7, 2022
Regina Williams purchased her first home in 2020 and said the road to buying was a long and rough one, but sleeping in her own home was worth it.
Williams, 45, knew how important homeownership was because she’d grown up in homes owned by her grandparents.
She’d planned to take over one of the mortgages of their properties originally. But after a  family fallout, she had to go the traditional route.
“I slept on my friend’s floor for about nine months while I just fixed my credit and saved money,” she said. “I knew what I wanted, so I made the sacrifices to get it.”
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As a single mother of two, Williams wanted to create stability not only for herself but for her children – a
dream many Black Milwaukeeans have but never reach.
A July report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum analyzed Milwaukee’sdistressing rate of homeownership for Black and Hispanic Milwaukeeans in comparison to peer cities.
The report said, “Low and declining Black and Hispanic homeownership rates in Milwaukee are indicators of the city’s acute racial equity challenges. Milwaukee has the lowest homeownership rate among Black and Hispanic households combined (28.9%) among the 10 peer cities.”
Peer cities included Detroit, Kansas City, Memphis, Tucson, Albuquerque, Baltimore, Cleveland, El Paso, Fresno and Tampa.
Housing experts say to understand this crisis in full, you must know both the historical and current barriers Black Milwaukeeans face today.
Trena Bond, the executive director of Housing Resources Inc. said many people just don’t think they can own a home.
“People hear about how long and tedious the process can be and they immediately give up before they ever try,” she said. “When you don’t think something is possible, you don’t pursue it.”
According to Heather Dummer Combs, the program director of Take Root Milwaukee, the continued fallout of systemic racism practices are a huge barrier to Black Milwaukeeans becoming homeowners.
“So, you know things like banks denying communities of color at higher rates or Blacks having non-traditional credit or lower credit scores – those things are baked into the higher rates of denial for lending, for Blacks,” she said.
And another barrier that stems directly from historical racism is the Black community’s lack of generational wealth.
“It’s not as likely for Black people to have those funds readily available to buy a home or for them to borrow a few thousand from their parents for a down payment,” she said.
George Hinton, the CEO of the Social Development Commission,  said because the Black community has had fewer opportunities to create generation wealth, there is less preparation for opportunities like homeownership.
“Just like with everything else, education is key,” he said. “Our community doesn’t know enough about economics to be as successful as we want to be.”
Many are like Williams and don’t know how important credit is until they try to take an important financial step like homeownership.
“Every time, I thought I had crossed my T’s and dotted my I’s, another thing came up,” said Williams. “Discrepancies from the 90’s that I had forgotten about came back up, and I had to fix them before I could move on.”
Warwees Holt, who is a financial coach with the Social Development Commission, said good credit is one of the biggest barriers she sees daily.
“Credit can be damaged so early on in life that we need to talk about it more,” she said. “Everything from student loans to unpaid phone bills matters when you’re trying to improve your credit.”
Holt said on top of all of that, people aren’t paid enough to make rent let alone save for a down payment.
“There are a bunch of little things like appraisal and inspection that you have to pay for,” she said. “And once you get in the home, you are responsible for anything that goes wrong. That can be a difficult transition for someone who has always rented.”
Hinton said because people don’t understand finances, they don’t always make wise financial decisions.
“As a community, we have a consumer culture that goes back to our lack of education,” said Hinton. “Businesses market to the Black community because they know that we will essentially waste money on temporary fulfillment rather than save for long-time goals.”
According to another report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum, Milwaukee’s Black homeownership rate has declined by over 7% since 2010.
“Wisconsin’s declining racial equity in homeownership during this period likely stemmed in part from the 2007- 2010 financial and foreclosure crisis and associated economic recession, which deflated homeownership, homebuilding, and home buying activity for several subsequent years,” the report said.
Dummer Combs said there also isn’t a good stock of affordable housing.
“There hasn’t been a housing boom since the 1960s,” she said. “The houses in the city are old, and if they haven’t been cared for properly, they’re in disrepair.”
And even those houses are hard to come by.
Black Milwaukeeans also are competing with out-of-state investors for what little stock does exist.
“Investors that at one point wouldn’t even look at Milwaukee are now buying properties in abundance,” said Wyman Winston, the principal consultant at Neighborhood Wealth and a former executive director of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority.  “Mostly on the North Side, we are seeing these primarily absentee out-of-state buyers.”
Bond of Housing Resources said because of such issues, her organization  stresses homebuyer classes to everyone it comes across.
“If you can understand your barriers, you can overcome them,” she said. “And you get exposed to all the work being done to help you.”
A few agencies have made it their mission to help raise the rate of Black homeownership in the city.
Acts Housing’s new acquisition fund is raising money to create an expanded inventory of homes in the $90,000 to $140,000 range with monthly housing costs of ownership of $900 to $1,200. It plans to sell these homes back to community members.
The Community Development Alliance is leading an initiative to help advance racial equity by funding quality, affordable homes for Milwaukee families with a $7.5 million grant from the Wells Fargo Foundation.
Take Root Milwaukee houses a series of resources for homebuyers and owners who may be in need.
Both Acts Housing and Housing Resources Inc. offer homebuyer education for those interested in homeownership.
And there are a series of other services for other home-related issues.

created: December 7, 2022


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52442072633_8a9c53e733_b | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
December 6, 2022


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Ron Smith
December 6, 2022


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OPINION: Here’s why Milwaukee needs a new movie palace to replace the Oriental Theatre | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dan Bomberg
December 7, 2022
Editor’s note: Have something on your mind? “Community Voices” is the place to let Milwaukee hear what you have to say. To be considered, we need your name, email address and phone number for verification. Please email your submissions to info@milwaukeenns.org.
Milwaukeeans need a movie palace to view independent, arthouse, and avant-garde films in lovely environs. The Oriental Theatre, long considered one of the centers of Milwaukee film culture, does not fulfill this need.
Despite many Milwaukeeans cherishing the Oriental Theatre as a place to gather and experience quality cinema, the Oriental’s name and design perpetuate racist exoticism of Asian, Pacific Islander and Middle Eastern cultures.
Milwaukee’s cinephiles deserve better.
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I’m heartened Milwaukee Film has facilitated public discussion on the name and design of its theater. But at an event on Sept.11, it was hinted a “multi-year interrogation” on this topic is expected and would be a positive growing experience for Milwaukee.
Milwaukee Film’s artistic director stated we’re “at the beginning” of “a long conversation.”
But do the benefits of gradually interrogating Orientalism for the ignorant outweigh the benefits of closing a building that upholds colonial myth?
I don’t think so.
The “conversation” on the history and effect of the term “oriental” and Orientalist visual culture has been occurring for decades.
Do we really need a multi-year panoply of listening sessions, discussion circles and film events to boil down to the clear point: the term “oriental” is offensive, and manifestations of Orientalism should become relics.
I’m going to give Milwaukeeans the benefit of the doubt and say, overall, our community doesn’t need to be taken by the hand on this one.
The Oriental Theatre, in name and design, is a manifestation of living Orientalism. It is not a mere site to showcase historic architecture.
A major reason people attend screenings there is because of its grandeur, which to many (including, for a long time, this writer) is awe-inspiring.
But I echo Nancy Wang Yuen from the Milwaukee Film Sept. 11 talk: being awed by the Oriental is a major “uh-oh” moment.
Another speaker, Adam Carr, postulates one reason Milwaukeeans historically have enjoyed the Oriental is because its sweeping, ornate interiors are akin to Christian churches that many are familiar with and taken by.
I agree, but it also feeds a certain taste for the exotic many of us have been conditioned to have. It’s why Tiki bars remain popular. We’re more seeped in Orientalism and broader exoticized cultural reductionism than we’d care to think.
Manifestations of living Orientalism maintain stereotypes and fantasies that feed racism.
The Oriental Theatre remains a treasured site to so many because it evinces Orientalist fantasy. This should end.
I believe Orientalist material culture (buildings, books, ceramics, and so forth) should not be erased but rendered mere artifacts of a past era.
The Oriental Theatre should have that fate.
The City of Milwaukee should make it a historic landmark, the owners preserving a dormant space (a la Rome’s Colosseum), with limited opportunities for public access to ensure the building’s awe is put to rest.
Closing the Oriental Theatre will obviously leave a gaping hole for Milwaukee film screenings. That’s why the officialdom of Milwaukee’s film community and their wealthy patrons should build anew.
Having a beautiful, ornate theater to communally witness cinema is a community good. Constructing a new movie palace would be an opportunity to create another dynamic, inclusive space for Milwaukee.
I say build it away from the prosperous coast in a neighborhood off the hipster heatmap. Have stained glass by the likes of Kehinde Wiley (like “Go”in New York’s Moynihan Train Hall) and murals by Tia Richardson.
Maybe transfer over the Oriental’s old pipe organ as a nod to what was truly good. And provide concessions for a wider expanse of diets and tastes.
Visioning a new movie palace is a worthy subject for thorough community discussion and listening sessions – not interrogating an obviously problematic name and building.
Erecting a proper movie palace will cost a fortune. But if Milwaukee Film benefactor Chris Abele can buy a historic lakefront mansion only to tear down to build another, I’m sure he can write a hefty check in support of a more inclusive place.
And there are others like him.
I recognize all this will likely be a long way off, if it happens at all. But building a more inclusive center for viewing quality cinema is something Milwaukee really needs to do.
Dan Bomberg is a public servant in education who loves politics, parks, urban design, and ecstatic dance.

author: Dan Bomberg


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52508389149_353aaf8449_o | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
December 6, 2022


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Ron Smith
December 6, 2022


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Post From Community: Eco Fashion – Winter Hats at the Urban Ecology Center | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
David Snell
December 8, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
(For everyone) It’s that season, but the season of sustainability never ends – come design your own hat using recycled fabric and materials. Learn the basic hand stitch, decorate a hat to fit your wardrobe, and connect with locals just as passionate as you are! This event is eco-fashion fun with a winter flare!  All materials are provided, but participants are welcome to bring a hat of their own that needs some additional “personality” added to it! Pre-registration appreciated!
$6 – $8. See website.
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For questions about this program, please contact Registrar, Augie Rodenbeck, at arodenbeck@urbanecologycenter.org or call (414) 626-8518.
Registration is required for this event and will close 24 hours prior to program start time.

created: December 8, 2022

author: David Snell


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November 30, 2022

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Post From Community: Free fair housing training for housing providers in Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Taylor Raether
December 8, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
The Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council is offering free online fair housing training seminars for housing providers in Milwaukee:
Tuesday December 6, 2022 – 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday December 14, 2022 – 10–11:30 a.m.
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Content of the trainings will be the same. To register for a free online seminar, visit https://tinyurl.com/2022FairHousing or call 414-278-1240.
The seminar will include information about the protected classes and prohibited practices delineated by local, state and federal fair housing laws, as well as emerging issues such as sexual harassment and hate incidents in housing situations.
If you need materials in alternate formats or other accommodations to access our services, please call 414-278-1240.
This material presented during this seminar is intended for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Recording of the seminars is not permitted.

author: Taylor Raether


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MMFHC-logo.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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November 21, 2022

created: November 21, 2022


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Post From Community: Fungi Film Fest | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
David Snell
December 8, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
(For everyone) Have a chance to mingle with fellow mycology enthusiasts before settling in for a 2 hour compilation of fungi-themed films with submissions from people across 10 different countries! See the lineup here: https://www.fungifilmfest.com/2022-program.
This annual Fungi Film Fest is organized by Peter McCoy, author of the book Radical Mycology and founder of Mycologos. This is the only film festival dedicated to the beauty, weirdness, and human influences of mushrooms, lichens, and micro fungi. Welcome to everyone with all levels of mycological and film/arts knowledge.
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Free with $15 suggested donation.
For any additional questions about this program, please contact Neighborhood Engagement Assistant, Tyler Vinca, at tvinca@urbanecologycenter.org.
Registration is not required for this event.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/1237474533776742/


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November 29, 2022


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Post From Community: Hmong American Peace Academy gifted $3 million from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Weston Banker
December 8, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
MILWAUKEE, November 21, 2022 – The Hmong American Peace Academy (“HAPA”), one of the city’s highest performing schools, today announced that it has received a donation from noted philanthropist and author MacKenzie Scott. The gift is part of her latest effort to support organizations working with underserved communities. The $3 million donation is the school’s largest to date and will help HAPA reach its mission of providing students with rigorous academics, character development and Hmong cultural values as they prepare for future higher education opportunities and careers.
“My heart is filled with tremendous gratitude for our abundant blessings including this most generous gift,” said Chris Her-Xiong, HAPA’s founder and chief executive officer. “What drives us forward is the relentless focus we share in building a community of peace builders and lifelong learners who are transforming lives and leading the way out of poverty into a prosperous life of service. This gift continues the momentum that we have built to grow our reach and impact in the community.”
“All that HAPA has and will achieve is the result of hard work and deliberate planning,” said Jason Handal, chair of the HAPA board of directors. “This incredible gift is both validation of our mission and impact, as well as a catalyst to help more students gain the knowledge and self determination to fully realize the blessings of freedom and prosperity their parents and grandparents fought so hard to achieve.”
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About HAPA
HAPA opened its doors in 2004 to local Hmong American children who were struggling to succeed in public schools, and to families who felt that their traditions, language, and values would support a culture of achievement. What modestly began as a K-5 school serving 200 students is today one of Milwaukee’s highest performing schools, serving over 1,800 K4-12 scholars. Data from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction shows that despite 82 percent of students qualifying as economically disadvantaged, HAPA’s academic performance, when compared to all schools in Wisconsin, exceeds expectations. Of the 65 total members in HAPA’s 2022 senior class, 97 percent are enrolled in post-secondary education, with 14 graduates attending University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, eight attending University of Wisconsin-Madison, and others enrolled at Marquette University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, New York University, and Stanford University.

author: Weston Banker


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Post From Community: IAM District 10 H.E.L.P.S. in the Milwaukee Community | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Anne Wiberg
December 8, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) District 10 will once again gather to support early literacy and strong families at the Next Door Foundation in Milwaukee, WI.
On Thursday December 8th, volunteers will participate in one-on-one reading time with children enrolled in the Next Door Foundation’s educational programs at their Capitol Drive facility. The volunteers will also deliver over 2,000 new and used children’s books donated by IAM District 10 members and their families from across the state. IAM District 10 also collected over $1,800 in donations for the Books for Kids program.
The effort is a part of IAM District 10’s “IAM H.E.L.P.S. in the Community Program” and the union’s continued dedication to helping in the communities in which we live. District 10 represents more than 11,000 workers and their families across Wisconsin. “Now that COVID has finally taken a back seat, we are thrilled to return to the Next Door Foundation,” said IAM District 10 Directing Business Representative Alex Hoekstra. “In the labor movement, we know the power of people working together to make our communities stronger.  We are committed to supporting the Next Door Foundation’s literacy programs.”
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About the IAM: The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is among the largest industrial trade unions in North America and represents nearly 600,000 active and retired members in aerospace, transportation, manufacturing, shipbuilding, woodworking, and other diverse industries. To learn more, visit www.iamawd10.org or contact Alex Hoekstra, Directing Business Representative at hoekalex@yahoo.com or (920) 210-7754.
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author: Anne Wiberg


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Post From Community: Memories with Santa at the Urban Ecology Center | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
David Snell
December 8, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
(Free. For everyone) Come visit with Santa and enjoy music, pictures, stories, cookies, hot cocoa, and more!
No registration required – First 75 kids receive a FREE picture with Santa. Families are welcome to bring their own camera and take photos with Santa.
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For any additional questions about this program, please contact Washington Park Branch Manager, Terry Evans, at tevans@urbanecologycenter.org.
Registration is not required for this event.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/events/920509405577269/


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November 30, 2022


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Post From Community: Northwestern Mutual strengthens Milwaukee’s cultural scene with nearly $3 million in grants | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Northwestern Mutual Foundation
December 8, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Northwestern Mutual is committed to helping the company’s hometown of Milwaukee flourish as a great place to live, work and visit. Recently named as one of the best places to travel in 2023, Milwaukee and its cultural scene are on an upward trajectory. Today, Northwestern Mutual announced nearly $3 million in grants to help sustain Milwaukee’s growth and support the city’s leading destinations.
“The exceptional attractions Milwaukee has to offer are at the core of what makes our city a place where residents thrive and visitors want to keep coming back to,” said Steve Radke, president of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation. “Milwaukee is a great city, and Northwestern Mutual is proud to play a role in ensuring these culturally enriching experiences and organizations are here to stay.”
Spotlight: Milwaukee Repertory Theater
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The Milwaukee Repertory Theater recently launched its Powering Milwaukee Campaign to support the construction of an entirely new, expanded theater center, comprised of three state-of-the-art flexible performance spaces, a new education and engagement center, upgraded welcoming spaces, and more.
Northwestern Mutual has made a $1.5 million commitment to the capital campaign, which will allow the Milwaukee Repertory Theater to create a modern performance complex in its current location in downtown Milwaukee. The company’s investment will also support the naming and reconceptualization of the Northwestern Mutual Riverwalk, where a portion of the riverwalk outside of the historic Oneida Street Power Station building will be redesigned to serve as a space to gather pre- and post-show and for events, receptions and celebrations.
“Northwestern Mutual is a pillar of the community — they recognize that the strength of cultural institutions like Milwaukee Rep are integral to the success of our city,” said Chad Bauman, Milwaukee Rep Executive Director. “We are grateful for their generous contribution to our Powering Milwaukee Capital Campaign, which will enable us to reimagine our theatrical home for the needs of today, the possibilities of tomorrow, and power a new era of theatre from Milwaukee, and for Milwaukee.”
The company’s additional funding supports prominent destinations throughout the city, including Betty Brinn Children’s Museum, Discovery World, Marcus Performing Arts Center, Milwaukee Public Museum, Summerfest, United Performing Arts Fund and Zoological Society of Milwaukee.
Locally, Northwestern Mutual also collaborates with community organizations to increase access to quality education and revitalize Milwaukee’s Amani, Metcalfe Park and Muskego Way neighborhoods.
About The Northwestern Mutual Foundation
The mission of the Northwestern Mutual Foundation is to improve the lives of children and families in need. The Foundation has given more than $400 million since its inception in 1992 and is designed to create lasting impact in the communities where the company’s employees and financial representatives live and work. It accomplishes this by combining financial support, volunteerism, thought leadership and convening community partners to deliver the best outcomes. The Northwestern Mutual Foundation’s efforts are focused nationally on curing childhood cancer, and locally on education, neighborhoods and making the company’s hometown of Milwaukee a great destination. Visit Northwestern Mutual Foundation to learn more.
About Northwestern Mutual
Northwestern Mutual has been helping people and businesses achieve financial security for more than 165 years. Through a holistic planning approach, Northwestern Mutual combines the expertise of its financial professionals with a personalized digital experience and industry- leading products to help its clients plan for what’s most important. With more than $560 billion in combined company and client assets, $34 billion in revenues, and $2.1 trillion worth of life insurance protection in force, Northwestern Mutual delivers financial security to nearly five million people with life, disability income and long-term care insurance, annuities, and brokerage and advisory services. Northwestern Mutual ranked 97 on the 2022 FORTUNE 500 and was recognized by FORTUNE® as one of the “World’s Most Admired” life insurance companies in 2022.
Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company (NM), Milwaukee, WI (life and disability insurance, annuities, and life insurance with long-term care benefits) and its subsidiaries. Subsidiaries include Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (investment brokerage services), broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC; the Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company® (NMWMC) (investment advisory and services), federal savings bank; and Northwestern Long Term Care Insurance Company (NLTC) (long-term care insurance). Not all Northwestern Mutual representatives are advisors. Only those representatives with “Advisor” in their title or who otherwise disclose their status as an advisor of NMWMC are credentialed as NMWMC representatives to provide investment advisory services.
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author: Northwestern Mutual Foundation


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Post From Community: Sierra Club Great Waters Group honors Richard Diaz as Environmental Hero | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Karen Samelson
December 8, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
On Dec. 3, 2022, the Great Waters Group of the Sierra Club presented its annual Environmental Hero Award to community activist Richard Diaz.
Diaz was selected for his many years of activism and outreach on behalf of Milwaukee residents to address the lead crisis, secure rights for laborers and promote environmental justice.  Among his many contributions to improving life for local residents, Diaz has:
“In everything he does, Richard exemplifies the mission and purpose of the Great Waters Group to protect our local environment and to address Milwaukee’s history of racial inequality,” said Jenny Abel, chair of the Great Waters Group Executive Committee.
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The Great Waters Group presented the award during its annual holiday party, which started with a hike, at Havenwoods State Forest, 6141 N Hopkins St. in Milwaukee.
The Great Waters Group is the local group of the Sierra Club covering Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties.  For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org/wisconsin/great-waters.
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization. In addition to protecting every person’s right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action.

author: Karen Samelson


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Richard_Diaz.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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November 30, 2022


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You need an ID to get access to some food pantries, shelters and other essential services. Here are three options. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Devin Blake
December 8, 2022
With temperatures predicted to be colder than normal this winter, and Milwaukee County struggling with high levels of food insecurity, exacerbated by the pandemic, easy access to public resources is necessary.
But that also makes something else necessary –easy access to photo identification.
Resources such as shelter, housing, food pantries and Medicaid are often accessible to a person only if they have a specific form of ID.
Many people may take having an ID for granted, but, for those who rely on social services and publicly funded resources, having a photo ID can literally be lifesaving.
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There are three types of ID one can get in the city, each with its own eligibility criteria and method for obtaining it.
A driver’s license is perhaps the most obvious type of ID. But it is also the most difficult to obtain for people experiencing some form of housing instability, according to Dan Grellinger, outreach coordinator at Street Angels Milwaukee Outreach. Much of the work of Street Angels staff is to reach out to people who are living on the street and connect them to services and resources.
When a person needs a driver’s license, “it’s hard because it costs money,” Grellinger said.
A first-time, or probationary, driver’s license costs $28, after the completion of an instruction permit and passing of a road test. Renewing a driver’s license costs $34.
For a first-time license, there is also a substantial list of documentation needed, which can pose another serious hurdle for people experiencing other difficulties, such as housing or food insecurity. These documents include proof of citizenship or legal residency, proof of identity, proof of Wisconsin residency and a Social Security card.
The application process for this type of ID can be started online. DMV customer service centers can be located using the Wisconsin Department of Transportation locator tool.
The second type of ID available to Milwaukee residents is a state ID, which avoids many of the demands of obtaining a driver’s license.
“ID is required for voting in Wisconsin, so they have to issue you one,” Grellinger said.
Since April 2015, voters in Wisconsin have been required to confirm their identity before voting. Because of rights associated with voting, a state ID can be obtained for this purpose free of charge and without other supporting documentation via the Voter ID Petition Process.
Both driver’s licenses and state IDs, however, require a mailing address “to follow up with,” said Grellinger. Those who do not have a regular place to live “don’t know what to do.”
Grellinger informs people that both St. Benedict the Moor Parish and Repairers of the Breach, a nonprofit refuge and resource center for people experiencing homelessness, allow people to send mail to their address. They “are both open during the day, and you can go pick it up pretty easily.”
As with a driver’s license, the application process for a state ID can be started online. DMV customer service centers can be located using the Wisconsin Department of Transportation locator tool.
The third type of photo ID cannot be used for driving or voting but plays an important role in the lives of many people in the city. This type of ID is called a municipal ID, and it is specific to the City of Milwaukee.
“Most of the people coming in for these are undocumented folks, from other countries, and that’s why we are doing that,” said James Cooney, license division manager for the City Clerk’s Office.
Voces de la Frontera, a nonprofit that fights for immigrant and civil rights, “pushed and led the way for these IDs at a time when only 11 other cities in the country offered them,” said Primitivo Torres, deputy director of operations at Voces.
“The municipal IDs, although not a replacement for the driver’s licenses, are vital for our communities,” said Torres. “With these IDs, people are able to do the basic of the basics, such as pick up their medicine from the pharmacies.”
A range of other city agencies require some form of ID, whether it’s “interacting with the police department or something as simple as going to the dump,” Cooney said.
The list of basic services that require some form of ID also often includes obtaining food at a pantry or staying at a shelter.
From January 2017 to October 2022, the city issued 8,619 municipal IDs.
There is a $10 fee for municipal IDs. Proof of residency and identity are also needed, but the range of options for providing this proof is wider than for other forms of ID. Proof of identity via one of the traditional forms of identification such as driver’s license and passports will suffice but applicants lacking these can use two of other forms of identification. These include a foreign birth certificate, a national identification card, a taxpayer ID number and a student ID card
“The whole goal of the program is to not disqualify people from it,” Cooney said. “If someone cannot meet the residency and identity requirements, we will consider whatever you can bring.”


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Ron Smith
December 7, 2022


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5 things to know and do the weekend of Dec. 9 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
December 9, 2022
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
The Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship teaches entrepreneurial skills to teens, and you can see what products and services the teens have developed at the 30th annual Harvest of Hope youth exposition. The exposition will be followed by a live taping of “Hustle and Grow,” a youth-led show related to the program. The events run from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 944 N. 33rd St. Tickets are $30.
HYFIN, an urban alternative radio station from Radio Milwaukee,  presents “Milwaukee Forever,” a night celebrating the Black and Latinx diasporas through music from DJ Bizzon and DJ Nicole Acosta, dance, food and fashion. The event takes place from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10 at Radio Milwaukee, located at 220 E. Pittsburgh Ave. Tickets are $20, tax-deductible and available here.
Get information and resources related to home ownership, home repair and more at this housing resource fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10 at North Division High School, located at 1011 W. Center St.
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Edessa School of Fashion, Wisconsin’s first Black woman-founded fashion school, will be hosting a watch party for “Haute List: It only took 100 years,” a fashion show the school has organized. All outfits at the show were designed by students at the school. The watch party will start at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 11 at the MARN ART + CULTURE HUB, located at 191 N. Broadway.
Donate winter clothes and essential items such as deodorant, laundry detergent and soap to youths at Journey House and Running Rebels. There are 10 drop-off locations throughout the city and donations are accepted through Monday, Dec. 12. You can give a monetary donation here.
“Black Nativity” by Langston Hughes returns for the seventh year to tell the story of the Nativity “through a combination of scripture, poetry, dance and song from the African-American perspective.” The show at the Marcus Performing Arts Center Wilson Theater at Vogel Hall runs through Sunday, Dec. 11 with availability on each day this weekend.
For 11 years, the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has used professional journalism to paint a complete portrait of Milwaukee’s communities of color — residents who usually make the news in other outlets only when there is trauma, drama, chaos, and confusion.
As a nonprofit newsroom, we don’t publish for profit. We publish to inform and to help transform our readers and our city.
While our work is provided free, our staff of dedicated reporters and editors –your neighbors—have to be paid. Through Dec. 31, NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 12 times or double your one-time gift, all up to $1,000. Learn more here.

created: December 9, 2022


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Ron Smith
December 8, 2022


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NNS Spotlight: How this 19-year-old dance coach is making a difference, one move at a time | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Chesnie Wardell
December 9, 2022
A Milwaukee dance coach is using his passion to lead a youth dance team, all part of his plan to give back to the community.
Christopher “Ineque” Cooper, 19, formed the Ineque Dance Team in June, with the hope of building up his dancers in their own journey.
“I’m not going to leave them as just dancers. I’m working them up to be paid dancers one day,” said Cooper, who graduated from the Milwaukee High School of the Arts.
To form the multi-genre team, Cooper promoted it at Milwaukee hotspots such as Mayfair Mall and beaches.
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Cooper works with children from the North Side to teach teamwork and leadership. And he maintains a photography and clothing brand business as well.
“Ineque is more than just a brand, dance team and a photography business,” Cooper said.
Cooper discovered Leah and Legacy Lewis, 11, after spotting them one day doing TikTok videos outside.
“While being on the team, I learned how to do a back handspring and back walkovers,” Legacy said.
Though they have since left the team, they said nothing beats the excitement of traveling to do performances.  Leah said, “We can travel the state for competitions and just have fun.”
The team’s last performance was in September at a Milwaukee seafood restaurant called Red Crab – Juicy Seafood. His team was the first to hold a dance event at the restaurant, Cooper said.
“I look for potential in the new dancers, so I try to make sure all dancers that apply can become a part of the team. I can embed progression and improvement in their journey, “ Cooper said.
You can go online.
The applications are for experienced and non-experienced dancers ages 7 to 17 years old. Other positions such as photographer, coaches and more are available for adults and teens who want to be a helping hand for the team.
At the tryouts, Cooper allows his current dancers to teach the new dancers an eight-count routine while he oversees them. After 30 minutes, Cooper determines who makes the cuts.

author: Chesnie Wardell


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Ron Smith
December 8, 2022


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5 things to know and do this week in Milwaukee: Dec. 12 to Dec. 16 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
December 12, 2022
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Join Muskego Way Forward for its monthly neighborhood meeting. The meeting will focus on the connections between air quality, public health and the health of the environment. Each participant will get a free healthy home kit. The meeting takes place from s4:30 p.m. to  6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 12 at Alexander Mitchell Integrated Arts School, located at 1728 S. 23rd St.
Meet your neighbors at this holiday meal hosted by the Milwaukee Public Library. In addition to the meal, there will be trivia and bingo. The meal runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 13 at the Mitchell Street Library Branch, located at 906 W. Historic Mitchell St.
Wisconsin Poet Laureate Dasha Kelly Hamilton takes her “Makin’ Cake” show to the Milwaukee Area Technical College. The show reveals what the history and ingredients of cake can teach us about race, class and equity in America. The show starts at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14 at the Cooley Theater on MATC’s downtown campus, located at 1015 N. 6th St. There is a cake reception following the show, and the show is free and open to the public.
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Learn keys to authentic connection and community building at this two-day workshop organized by Wisconsin Community Services. The free workshop runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 14 and Thursday, Dec. 15 at Tiefenthaler Park, located at 2480 W. Cherry St.
We Are Here MKE Collective and the Office of Violence Prevention host this town hall on the prevalence of domestic violence in Milwaukee and how to address it. The town hall takes place from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15 at the Washington Park Senior Center, located at 4420 W. Vliet St. Free food and beverages available.
Black Leaders Organizing for Communities is hosting its fifth annual holiday gala starting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15 at Nō Studios, located at 1037 W. McKinley Ave.
For 11 years, the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has used professional journalism to paint a complete portrait of Milwaukee’s communities of color — residents who usually make the news in other outlets only when there is trauma, drama, chaos, and confusion.
As a nonprofit newsroom, we don’t publish for profit. We publish to inform and to help transform our readers and our city.
While our work is provided free, our staff of dedicated reporters and editors –your neighbors—have to be paid. Through Dec. 31, NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 12 times or double your one-time gift, all up to $1,000. Learn more here.

created: December 12, 2022


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Ron Smith
December 11, 2022

created: December 11, 2022


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Why are so few young children in Milwaukee County getting the updated COVID boosters? | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Devin Blake
December 13, 2022
The number of young children in Milwaukee County who have received the updated COVID-19 vaccines remains very low in general, and slightly lower than the rest of the state, despite the county being at a “medium” level of hazard posed by COVID-19.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, announced its approval of the updated, or bivalent, vaccines for 5- to 11-year-olds on Oct. 12.
But as of Dec. 7, only 2.9% of children ages 5 to 11 in Milwaukee County have received an updated dose, compared to 3.4% in the state. The previous week, there were 131.5 new cases of COVID-19 reported for every 100,000 people in the county and 12.7 hospital admissions for every 100,000 people in the county.
Dr. Benjamin Weston, chief health policy adviser for Milwaukee County, wants parents to understand the high degree of safety of vaccines and boosters.
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“This new booster uses the same vaccine mechanism that has been proven safe … . It’s just a change in the recipe,” Weston said during a news conference last month. “Vaccines have been shown to be incredibly safe to all age groups.”
While there have been some observed side effects of the shots, such as fever and fatigue, these are well within the normal range of side effects associated with other vaccines, he said. Moreover, “the benefits of vaccination far outweigh” the dangers of COVID-19, Weston said.
Although the vaccines are free and available to people throughout the county, there does not seem to be a great demand for the shots.
“There’s so much noise in the conversation around COVID,” said Jennifer Kates, senior vice president at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonprofit that conducts health care research and provides health policy analysis.
This noise has resulted in fatigue, hesitancy and skepticism among parents.
“People are sort of just no longer able to receive the message because they’ve been hearing about COVID for so long. It’s harder for them to hear those messages or for us to deliver them in ways that folks can hear them,” said Katie Lepak, project officer for the Milwaukee County Public Health Collaborative, an ongoing collaboration among health departments, hospitals, community clinics and pharmacies to carry out a unified public response to the pandemic.
In addition to this COVID saturation, “there are structural challenges,” said Kates. “Getting a booster isn’t the same as the beginning days of getting a vaccine.”
“You have to more actively seek it out,” she said. “It takes more effort.”
North Side resident Kay Smith, 68, said she “mostly heard about it on the news” but “would have loved” more outreach from the city about the boosters.
She has grandchildren and great-grandchildren and worries about their health as well as the health of the family members they live with.
Phyllis Thompson, 62, lives on the West Side, and her 8-year-old daughter took it upon herself to learn about vaccines and boosters, out of concern for family as well.
“Basically, it was her decision,” Thompson said. “She wanted to receive the vaccine because her grandmother – her grandmother basically is not in good health – and she basically said she wanted to protect her grandmother … .”
“I have a knowledgeable 8-year-old,” she added.
Lepak said she believes one-on-one conversations between providers and patients are the most effective tool to encourage residents to get the vaccines and boosters.
To this end, the Milwaukee County Public Health Collaborative promotes Healthy MKE, a website that provides up-to-date information and resources regarding providers, testing and vaccines.
“How do we get people to get back in front of their provider to have a conversation with somebody they already have a relationship with?” asked Aziz Abdullah, co-founder of INPOWER, a communications agency located in Harambee that built and manages the Healthy MKE site.
And for those who do not have a trusted provider, Healthy MKE has just published content that incorporates feedback from the community “to call out questions we know people are having,” Abdullah said.
Of particular relevance to North and South Side residents is the collaborative’s work with community clinics, sometimes known as Federally Qualified Health Centers, or FQHCs.
These clinics are mandated to serve underinsured and uninsured people.
“In fact,” said Kates, “during the COVID emergency, they were given additional support to do vaccination for communities they serve and get that information out. They are reaching the communities that are the hardest to reach.”
As a whole, however, these clinics, of which there are five in the county, have experienced workforce issues that have limited their ability to reach out formally as well as to administer vaccines.
In an email, Allison Kos, chief medical officer for Progressive Community Health Centers, or PCHC, said, “due to staffing and workforce limitations, PCHC had to suspend our own onsite COVID-19 vaccination efforts.”
“In the early stages of the pandemic, we were able to organize and galvanize people to do community events,” Abdullah said. “And I think those general, open community events are not as open right now maybe due to workforce challenges that we are seeing.”
Abdullah said other members of the county’s collaborative are helping to bridge the gap, though.
For example, PCHC and the Wisconsin Department of Health Services collaborated on several vaccination clinics at the end of October through mid-November.
Healthy MKE’s vaccine finder can be used to locate other clinics and providers administering vaccines and boosters. People can also call 2-1-1.

created: December 13, 2022


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Ron Smith
December 12, 2022


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Ron Smith
December 12, 2022


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Inside the NNS Newsroom: I’ve been at NNS since its beginning. Here’s why I stay. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
December 14, 2022
I found myself in the downstairs hall of the Lao Buddhist Temple, 1925 W. National Ave., in Clarke Square recently celebrating the wedding of an old friend.
In its time, the cream-bricked, three-story place of worship, fronted by statues of two white lions, has served as the setting for many celebrations and community activities, including a dance class in the very same downstairs hall in 2010.
It was there I reported my first story for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Before  getting the job at NNS, I was undecided about whether I would pursue my lifelong goal of being a professional journalist, a dream derailed when I dropped out of high school, or would remain in community work. I was less than two years removed from graduation from UW-Milwaukee but struggled to gain traction as a writer. Until then, my portfolio consisted of some writing I’d done in college and a few freelance pieces I wrote for El Conquistador and a now-defunct website called Scene 262. I was proud of work, but to say that I wasn’t making enough to pay the bills is an understatement, so I moved to social services.
The job description from NNS called for a reporter, passionate about the community, to cover the Clarke Square and Layton Boulevard West neighborhoods on the South Side of Milwaukee, a neighborhood I still live in. I remember feeling like the job was created just for me. Even though I stumbled through my interview, founding NNS Editor Sharon McGowan saw more in me than I saw in myself and hired me. At that time, NNS consisted of just two staff reporters, myself and a colleague who covered Lindsay Heights on the North Side. Also part of the team was our longtime programming whiz Dwayne Burtin, senior photographer Sue Vliet and a handful of volunteers. Our first training assignment was to go into the community and come out with a story.
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I felt I found one at the Lao Buddhist Temple, where couples strutted across the dance floor to salsa beats. I remember being nervous about having to explain that I was a reporter for a news service that had not yet launched and that the story was part of a training assignment and might never see the light of day. Without a car at the time, I remember being excited about the opportunity to walk to the temple to cover news in a neighborhood I grew up in and cared deeply about. I couldn’t tell you what became of the story about the dance class, but I can tell you that this moment was just the beginning of what has become the most rewarding career experience of my life.
Twelve years later, I’m now the senior staff reporter at NNS. While I’ve seen many talented reporters move on to television, magazines and other opportunities in Milwaukee and around the country, something special keeps me there — the people and stories we tell.
During my tenure, I’ve had the opportunity to write about so many issues that matter to me, my family and my community.  Many of those stories highlighted positives, such as the installation of a new football field at Mitchell Park, the first district championship won by a team from the Felix Mantilla Little League, GED classes at Journey House, celebrations, community champions and stories of redemption.
Not all the stories I’m proud of are celebratory. Over the years I’ve also covered violence and policing in Milwaukee, the opioid epidemic, homelessness, lead poisoning, human trafficking, the deaths of local legends, reckless driving and even my own unjust arrest while covering a story in 2018.
The celebrations, just like the challenges, need to be covered. It is the way that NNS covers them that brings me pride and has kept me there for the long run. Starting with our founding editor Sharon McGowan in 2010 and continuing through our transition to our current editor Ron Smith, our mission has always been to provide fair and balanced reporting on Milwaukee neighborhoods that are often covered through a lens that focuses more on the negative and ignores the positive. At NNS, we highlight the successes, or as Ron would say, “illuminate and celebrate,” while also presenting our challenges in a way that is informative and helpful.
When I say helpful I mean that we hit the streets and talk to those who live and work in the neighborhoods we cover- the people who know it best. We highlight people who work to improve the quality of life in the city, and we provide resources to help those who face challenges. We don’t swoop in to cover our communities from an outsider’s point of view. We are residents and stakeholders of the communities we cover.
There are many things I’ve been proud of during my time at NNS. But the most rewarding part of being at NNS to me have been the times where someone from the community has reached out to thank me for writing a story about an issue they care about; an issue that the community cares about. This is why I chose NNS. Maybe that’s why NNS chose me.
For 11 years, the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has used professional journalism to paint a complete portrait of Milwaukee’s communities of color — residents who usually make the news in other outlets only when there is trauma, drama, chaos, and confusion.
As a nonprofit newsroom, we don’t publish for profit. We publish to inform and to help transform our readers and our city.
While our work is provided free, our staff of dedicated reporters and editors –your neighbors—have to be paid. Through Dec. 31, NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 12 times or double your one-time gift, all up to $1,000. Learn more here.

created: December 14, 2022


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Ron Smith
December 13, 2022


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UPDATE: Citing safety concerns, Milwaukee will not release a list of warming rooms this winter | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
December 14, 2022
The Milwaukee Continuum of Care will not release its annual list of warming rooms because of safety concerns.
The consortium, which has updated Milwaukeeans annually on where they can stay when weather drops to dangerously low levels, includes organizations responsible for planning, organizing and evaluating services for homeless individuals and families. It ensures compliance with regulations from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“COVID-19 changed a lot for us. So now before we can open a site, we have to think through the safest way to do it,” said Rafael Acevedo Jr., the Continuum of Care coordinator for the City of Milwaukee. “We aren’t publicizing a list because we don’t want people just showing up at sites.”
Previously, NNS found only one warming room available this year, with authorities suggesting that residents call 2-1-1 to find warming sites.
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Acevedo said during the pandemic, Milwaukee received federal funds to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, allowing the Milwaukee Continuum of Care to house those facing homelessness in hotels through the winter.
But now that those resources are no longer available, the organization has shifted its focus to trying to get people into housing.
“At one point, we had about 180 hotel rooms to house people,” Acevedo said. “But as those resources get more limited, we have to focus more on the housing-first method.”
James Mathy, the housing administrator with the Milwaukee County Housing Division, said the housing-first method is a first step to help people become stable.
Acevedo said what’s needed now is actual housing.
“If there are landlords willing to work with our system, we need them to reach out to us,” he said. “Emergency warming rooms are important, but the only way to end homelessness is to have housing.”
Mathy said the county is working toward being able to give landlords who work with the Milwaukee Continuum of Care incentives.
Because warming rooms often provided emergency food, hygiene supplies and clothing, the Milwaukee Continuum of Care keeps an Amazon Wishlist for people who want to help keep those in need warm over the winter months.


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Ron Smith
December 13, 2022


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Post From Community: Free community-wide guided meditation on New Year’s day | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Maggie Kuhn
December 15, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Meditate Milwaukee today announced it is returning to in-person events for the coming year, kicking off 2023 with a special New Year’s day event at the Riverside Theater.
A community-based effort started in 2019, Meditate Milwaukee provides a monthly 1.5 hour live music and guided group meditation experience on the first Sunday of the month at Sojourner Family Peace Center, 619 W. Walnut Street. With the advent of COVID in 2021, the events went virtual. Looking ahead to 2023, the event organizers have decided to return to in-person.
The first event will take place Sunday, January 1, 1-2:30 p.m. (doors open at 12:30 p.m.). In an effort to bring the Meditate Milwaukee experience to a large and diverse audience, this first event will be held at the Riverside Theater, which can host 2,450 people. After January 1, the monthly event will take place on the first Sunday of each month at Sojourner Family Peace Center, 619 W. Walnut Street.
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“Imagine more than 2,000 Milwaukeeans coming together at the Riverside Theater to meditate,” said Meditate Milwaukee co-founder, Kaita Bliffert. “What better way to start 2023 than with intention for our community and ourselves?”
“Meditate Milwaukee exists to strengthen our community by creating an experience of inclusion, unity and connection through guided group meditation,” said Traci Schwartz, Meditate Milwaukee co-founder. “As we meditate together, our community experiences greater peace, compassion and tolerance.”
The Meditate Milwaukee event each month offers a unique experience of a live musical performance followed by a guided group meditation. For the January 1 event at The Pabst Theater, the lineup includes:
No meditation experience is necessary to participate and the event is free to the public. Registration is required to attend the January 1 event at the Riverside Theater. To learn more about Meditate Milwaukee and make your reservation, please visit: https://www.meditatemilwaukee.com/
Meditate Milwaukee is an offsite program of the nonprofit organization The Blue Lotus Center.

created: December 15, 2022

author: Maggie Kuhn


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December 8, 2022