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‘Color of Law’ author inspires community members to reverse segregation | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Allison Dikanovic
October 24, 2018
From left: Kori Schneider-Peragine of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council (MMFHC), Donsia Strong-Hill of LISC Milwaukee and author Richard Rothstein chat before the community lecture on his book, “The Color of Law.” (Photo by Allison Dikanovic)
Richard Rothstein came to Milwaukee to talk about his nationally acclaimed book, “The Color of Law,” which details how federal, state and local governments deliberately segregated metropolitan areas all over the country. Though he uses examples from other places in the book, the policies he discussed occurred in Milwaukee too, and drastically shaped the makeup of the city.
Rothstein said he hopes his book shows cities like Milwaukee — a place that often is called the most segregated in the U.S. — that residential segregation is part of a broader, national force affecting everyone. He said it’s important to note that the commonalities among cities’ segregation is more important to consider than the marginal differences, and that the policies that got them here could be reversed if there is political will.
“The whole purpose of the book is to give people agency, to help them understand that our government created this,” he said. “The residential boundaries of every metropolitan area of this country violate the constitution, and we have an obligation, all of us, to reform it, to remedy a civil rights violation.”
He said the history of residential segregation is the root cause of many issues in the education, health and criminal justice systems.
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“All of the racial disparities we see today now can in some way be traced to that conscious and deliberate segregation that our government engaged in,” agreed Kori Schneider-Peragine, senior administrator of the Inclusive Communities Program at the Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council, one of the organizations that invited Rothstein to speak.
Rothstein makes the case that residential segregation in the United States is de jure, not de facto. This means that it was caused by explicit government rules, regulations and policies, not just by a conglomeration of people’s individual choices.
“None of us like it, but we all think that residential segregation happened just naturally,” Rothstein said. “But if we understand that it’s not a natural phenomenon, but that it’s the product of explicit government policy, then we can begin to have the conversations that are necessary to develop policies to undo it.”
Some of the policies from the 1930s-’70s outlined in his book demonstrate how government-mandated segregation undermined the ability of black families to own homes and accrue wealth. Rothstein pointed out that because of this, while the average income of an African-American person is about 60 percent of the average income of a white person, an African-American’s average wealth is about 5 percent of an average white’s wealth.
The Cooley Auditorium at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) was packed for the culmination event for the community book read of “The Color of Law” by Richard Rothstein. (Photo by Allison Dikanovic)
He noted that public housing was officially segregated, and that the development of suburbs was heavily subsidized by federal dollars on the condition that new suburban homes would only be sold to white families. He explained that to receive support from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the deed of a home needed to have a racially restrictive covenant that prohibited African-Americans from ever purchasing the home.
While subsidizing the development of exclusively white suburbs, the FHA simultaneously refused to insure mortgages in neighborhoods deemed for African-Americans, in a process known as “redlining.” This led to the concentration of African-American families needing to rent in disinvested central city neighborhoods.
Reggie Jackson, the head griot at America’s Black Holocaust Museum, teaches this local history and often references Rothstein’s work in his presentations. He said that the use of racially restrictive covenants was pervasive in Milwaukee and all of its surrounding suburbs.
For example, according to data collected by MMFHC, the covenant for the Washington Highlands neighborhood in Wauwatosa in 1920 read, “At no time shall the land included in the Washington Highlands or any part thereof, or any building thereon be purchased, owned, leased or occupied by any person other than of white race.” And as late as 1961, the mayor of Mequon instituted a “negro building ban.” These are among a plethora of similar restrictions in suburban communities.
Jackson said redlining was used in Milwaukee to prevent black families from accessing mortgages, and that even before redlining was enforced by the FHA starting in 1938, local developers and officials gathered in 1924 to draw a box around where they intended to allow the increasing African-American population to live in the city.
All of the public housing was officially segregated, and in multiple instances — such as with the Hillside project — black people had to advocate to access it. According to MMFHC, black veterans were denied access to veterans’ housing projects in 1949 and were referred to the Hillside project, on the near North Side near the area known as Bronzeville. Additionally, Jackson said that urban renewal projects in Milwaukee destroyed thousands of homes in predominantly African-American neighborhoods without ever replacing them.
“The government played a much bigger role kind of behind the scenes than people were aware of, and that’s what really important when we think about how we got here,” said Jackson.
Schneider-Peragine and Jerusha Daniels, housing program officer at Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC), said that the need for a common knowledge of the city’s past was the reason they invited Rothstein to Milwaukee.
MMFHC and LISC partnered up to coordinate a community book read so that Milwaukeeans could discuss the book and develop this shared understanding. More than 90 book clubs read “The Color of Law” last summer and into the fall.
“I hope that [conversations about the book] shift the fault, that communities have an understanding that it wasn’t that people chose to be born into certain circumstances or to move into these disinvested neighborhoods,” Daniels said.
“You can’t continue to do your job the same way when you’ve got this in the back of your head,” she said.
About 350 people attended the lecture, which was followed by a question-and-answer session facilitated by Reggie Jackson and Jarrett English, a senior field organizer for a local civil rights organization.
Suzanne Osetek attended the event with her daughter, Diane Goryl. Osetek learned about the community book read through the Milwaukee Public Library, and she and her daughter decided to organize a book club at Saint John’s on the Lake, where Osetek lives.
“I knew some of the story of segregation and imposed segregation, but I didn’t realize how official it was and how deliberate it was at every level of government,” Osetek said. “That was shocking to me.”
She noted that she felt especially angry because she was purchasing a home about the same time that many of these policies were being enforced. “I knew that there were neighborhoods that were closed to black people, but I figured it was because the white people living in those neighborhoods didn’t want them there,” she said. “I thought it was a personal, very local position. I didn’t realize that it was sanctioned by government and promoted by government.”
Goryl said she was frustrated that this history was “glossed over” when she was in school and thinks that middle and high school curricula should address segregation policy more comprehensively. She said her children went to Marquette University High School and that that its curriculum seemed to better address “the ugly parts of our history.”
“The Color of Law” was required reading for Lisa Williams’ graduate class on race and public policy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She said she witnessed a lot of what the book talked about growing up in Chicago — including overcrowded public housing projects after the Great Migration, the movement of white people to the suburbs and construction of highways through communities of color.
“You know how you think certain things, but you never could go to a source that identified it?” she said. “This book definitely identified what I have been thinking all this time, but I never could put words to it that would make it seem credible, but it’s very credible.”
Janette Herrera read “The Color of Law” as part of a Rid Racism book club organized by America’s Black Holocaust Museum and said she wasn’t surprised by what she read.
“It’s the truth. All of this stuff in here, I experienced this, coming from Mississippi, being involved in the movement, marching for fair housing,” she said. “We haven’t experienced fair housing, even though we marched. We still are pretty much experiencing redlining.”
Maybe redlining isn’t happening in the form that it used to, but Schneider-Peragine said that there are still plenty of instances of housing discrimination. She said that in addition to fighting individual cases of discrimination, the organization works to dismantle discriminatory policies that persist, such as exclusionary zoning.
“While zoning may not on its face look discriminatory, when it limits higher density, multi-family or affordable units, it has a disparate impact on people of color, persons with disabilities and single parents because of the wealth and wage disparity,” she said.
Schneider-Peragine noted that the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors made progress toward fair housing during the summer when it passed an ordinance that prevents discrimination against renters using Section 8 vouchers, but MMFHC needs to continue finding ways to get people with vouchers into neighborhoods with more opportunities and resources.
Daniels said LISC is working to make sure that all neighborhoods have opportunities and resources by building wealth among residents with community wealth-building workshops, advocating for affordable housing and creating programs to support resident-driven development that will prevent displacement.
All attendees at the lecture received a ballot titled “Milwaukee Equity Now Initiatives” where they could vote on reforms they would like to see and identify ways to get involved in making change. Some of the options included creating more accurate history curricula, instituting inclusionary zoning policies, developing community land trusts or housing cooperatives, or supporting subsidized programs that would lead to more mixed-income developments, neighborhoods and communities.
“If we want something to happen, we’re going to need to come together and demand it,” Herrera said as she got up to leave the auditorium.
Editor’s note: The original version of this story said that the Milwaukee Common Council passed an ordinance that prevents discrimination against Section 8 voucher holders. It should have said that the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors passed the measure. The story also has been updated to correct the number of attendees. We apologize for the errors.

created: October 24, 2018


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 23, 2018

source: news-milwaukeenns

created: October 23, 2018

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

author: Adam Carr


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How to volunteer in November | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Martha Cannon, Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee
October 24, 2018
Horace Tucker II speaks at an Ex Fabula storytelling event.
With the holiday season around the corner, there are lots of opportunities to lend a hand. Volunteer Milwaukee, a service of the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee features a calendar of events for volunteers, both one-time and ongoing. Here are a few of the opportunities in November and beyond.
Ready to Be a Hero? Disaster Action Team
The American Red Cross of SE WI is offering a one-day training Saturday, Nov. 3, on how to work with people in crisis on-scene at local disasters such as fires and floods in our community; 6-month commitment.
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Register here or contact 414-345-8655.
Help Milwaukee County Residents File Tax Refunds
Prepare basic tax returns for low-income residents or do related clerical duties weekdays, evenings or weekends Jan.-April. Social Development Commission is conducting training in November.
Contact Diane Robinson at drobinson@cr-sdc.org or 414-906-2804.
Ex Fabula Storytelling Event
Welcome guests, sell tickets, hand out programs, staff information and membership table and assist guests in storytelling for Ex Fabula. Sign up for orientation here.
Contact Sam Woods at sam@exfabula.org 414-530-3503.
Children/Teens Group Assistant
Provide care and support for children in group programs at Milwaukee Center For Children And Youth, an agency that provides services to children and youth who have been abused and/or neglected.
Contact Nili Karul at referral@mccy.org or 414-248-3996.
Receptionist/Office Assistant
Answer telephones, screen calls and schedule appointments Tuesdays or Wednesdays at Holton Street Clinic; must have computer experience.
Contact Jim Stewart at jims@holtonstreetclinic.org or 414-264-8800.
Holiday Folk Fair International Event
Greet guests, sell food, monitor exhibits or assist at the walk Nov. 16-18 at the Holiday Folk Fair run by International Institute of Wisconsin. Sign up here.
Contact Volunteer Coordinator at volunteers@folkfair.org or 414-225-6220.
Drumstick Dash 5K Run/Walk
Hand out water, snacks and packets and guide walkers/runners at Miller Park Thursday, Nov. 22, 6:30 a.m.-10 a.m., an event benefiting Feeding America Eastern WI. Register here to volunteer.
Contact: Kim Cafcules at kcafcules@feedingamericawi.org or 414-831-6333.
Ring Bells
Encourage giving with The Salvation Army Milwaukee County donation kettles November through Dec. 24; two-hour shifts at various locations. Register here.
Contact TJ Anguiano at tony_anguiano@usc.salvationarmy.org or 414-302-4300.
Holiday Food Box Program
Your family, business, church or school can collect food for the boxes sent to central city families in need served by Capuchin Community Services for the Nov./Dec. holiday season. Learn more and sign up here.
Contact Mike George at capholidaydrives@thecapuchins.org or 414-933-1300 Ext. 1113.
Winter Coat Needed for Women and Children
Prepare women and children served by Meta House for winter by donating new and gently used winter coats/jackets of all sizes from newborn to adult.
Contact Laura Jacobson at ljacobson@metahouse.org or (414) 977-5823.


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Peace begins in the home | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Carmen Pitre
October 25, 2018
(Photo by Roxanne Helmeid)
Ultimately, we have just one moral duty: to reclaim large areas of peace in ourselves, more and more peace, and to reflect it toward others. And the more peace there is in us, the more peace there will also be in our troubled world. –Etty Hillesum
How can you build a life, have a future, or be well if you are living in daily terror and fear? How can children flourish if they are living and growing to the sounds of violence in their home?
Freedom must exist at this basic level before it can be found in the larger world. This individual experience of peace is critical to the healing that is needed in Milwaukee.
At Sojourner, we believe that ending violence is a human rights issue. We believe that human beings have the fundamental right to live in peace, to live in safety, and to live free from violence. In 2017, Sojourner served 11,346 people, made 79,190 contacts with people who were hurting, provided 18,425 nights of shelter at Sojourner Truth House, and responded to 18,520 crisis calls on our 24-hour hotline. There is too much violence in our homes. This violence is often normalized, passed on from generation to generation, leaving children with the message that violence is an expected way of life.
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The antidote to violence is the individual actions on behalf of peace in our community. We, you and I, are the ones who must create peace in the world and we must start where we live. To make peace, you must find peace, choose peace, and promote it in your inner circle – where you work, where you worship, where you heal and where you love. Peace must start in your own life. These individual choices are important to turning the tide of violence in our community. Every time you choose peace instead of anger, or give love, dignity and respect, you are creating a better world for all of us.
During Domestic Violence Awareness Month, we shine a light on the critical need to end violence in the lives of individuals and families in Milwaukee. There are far too many of us who continue to live in isolation, far too many who live in terror, and too many who are hurt by those who say they love them.
In addition to awareness and education, it is vital that we create spaces where people can experience peace and healing. We need spaces where we are greeted with love and dignity. We need spaces where we are seen as human beings. We need spaces that focus on healing and spaces that help us understand that we are the owners of our own healing process.
Sojourner Family Peace Center is one of these healing places. We are dedicated to offering love, dignity, and respect to everyone who comes to us for help. We are here to help you heal. We stand ready to partner with you, to work with you and others to create the world we so desperately need. A world where harm and hurt do not exist. A world that is grounded in peace.

created: October 25, 2018

author: Carmen Pitre


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 24, 2018


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Women developers work to spark community investment | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Analise Pruni
October 25, 2018
Mike Gousha speaks with real estate developers and entrepreneurs (from left) Melissa Goins, JoAnne Sabir and Juli Kaufmann about revitalizing Milwaukee neighborhoods at a recent “On the Issues” panel at Marquette University. (Photo by Analise Pruni)
Racism and access to capital are barriers to development in Milwaukee’s central city, but three developers who have overcome these obstacles are challenging the mindset that philanthropy and profit can’t go hand in hand. The belief that the private sector will take care of itself and that nonprofits will handle the less fortunate communities is a fundamental myth that needs to be changed, they argue.
Juli Kaufmann, JoAnne Sabir and Melissa Goins spoke recently at Marquette University’s “On the Issues: Revitalizing Milwaukee Neighborhoods,” moderated by Mike Gousha.
The women, real estate developers and entrepreneurs, said that finding innovative ways to convince people to think differently about community development has been a major part of their experience.
“Traditional real estate systems and traditional financial systems do not work in communities of color and disinvested neighborhoods,” said Kaufmann, president of Fix Development.
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Goins, president of Maures Development, has invested about $75 million in Milwaukee during the last 12 years through grants, investor equity and traditional debt. She admitted that community-minded developers sometimes don’t profit as much as they could.
“There are times when the community good really is our priority,” she said.
Goins’ most recent project at 7717 W. Good Hope Road, will replace the outdated Mill Road Library at 6431 N. 76 St. Her firm successfully raised the funding to develop an 18,000-square-foot, technologically modern library building, which they broke ground on last month. The building will also have 65 mixed-income apartments.
Tandem was co-developed by Juli Kaufmann. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
The goal of such developments is to create opportunities that will spark further community investment and access to services.
Sabir said that entrepreneurs need to think about the community’s needs while also staying grounded in the numbers. The Juice Kitchen, which she co-owns with her husband in Lindsay Heights, has been open for nearly three years at 1617 W. North Ave., and will net $500,000 this year, she said.
The Juice Kitchen provides healthy fruit, juice and meals to about 500 diverse people a day, according to Sabir.
“We were called to be in a neighborhood where folks didn’t think we would thrive; where people didn’t imagine that there was a desire for a healthy offering,” Sabir said.
The business is housed in the Innovations and Wellness Commons, a Walnut Way project that Kaufmann co-developed. A community-driven initiative, the Commons provides sustainable jobs, increased local access to services and space for several other small businesses.
The Tandem restaurant, another Kaufmann co-development, is just a few blocks away at 1848 W. Fond du Lac Ave.
Kaufmann said Tandem represents “the story of how a community rises up together through a piece of real estate.” A foreclosed commercial property, the building is now home to eight small businesses, primarily owned by women and people of color, who employ mostly local hires. The building has nearly 50 co-owners, a third of whom live in the neighborhood.
The success of these developments rests not on “transactional” processes, the panelists said, but on relationships. When thinking about employment, they consider the whole individual, encouraging wellness and fostering life skills beyond technical job training.
Kaufmann said it’s important to teach people “how to be loved and how to love yourself, and how to really access those parts of your wellness to be an effective employee.”
Her latest project with Sabir, the Sherman Phoenix, is another redevelopment that they hope will promote community-driven values.
Located in the former BMO Harris Bank building, at 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave., which burned in 2016 during the unrest in Sherman Park, it is set to open Nov. 30 and will be home to 29 small businesses with 55 community owners.
The women insist that strong partnerships are the best way to achieve their goals.
Sabir said she finds strength in her relationships with Goins and Kaufmann not only as dear friends, but as mentors. “When we talk about this mentorship and what’s next, I think that always curating the abilities of others and then allowing for that support system is critically important,” Sabir said, adding that she also draws strength from the community.
Several of the audience members asked how they could help invest in and develop neglected neighborhoods in Milwaukee.
The panelists said that many of their investors, such as the nearly 50 owners who contributed to Kaufmann’s Tandem project, invested the minimum $1,000. Although some larger investments came from “angel” investors who have more money, the majority were smaller amounts from community members. For people without capital to offer, they said the best way to get involved is to volunteer for a project or simply become patrons of the businesses in these communities.
“I also hope that people who look like me and particularly people who are not my gender, people who are white, hear this and own it as our responsibility through our privilege to be the change,” added Kaufmann. “Because this city has been this way for too long.”
Goins said that their work and the lessons they’ve learned can be an example for positive change. “It’s hard out here in these streets,” she said. “But if you’re committed to it and you’re willing to put in that effort” you will achieve your goal.

author: Analise Pruni


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 25, 2018


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‘Invisible Lines’ exposes prejudice in Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Laura Dyan Kezman, Nate Imig and Vianca Fuster
October 26, 2018
Vedale and Darren Hill, brothers and working artists, discuss interactions with police, their biracial identity and dress codes at Milwaukee bars.
Laura Dyan Kezman, Nate Imig and Vianca Fuster directed “Invisible Lines” for 88Nine Radio Milwaukee, where they work as multi-media producers. It will premiere at the Milwaukee Film Festival on Oct. 27.
“Invisible Lines” is a feature-length documentary film about Milwaukee, through the eyes of 10 residents of color. With intimate interviews and art, they share their personal stories of segregation, racism and prejudice. No narrator. No script. Just conversations between people.
Invisible lines are something you feel rather than see, and they take many shapes. Whether it is an unwelcome feeling, a suspect glance, coded language or, more overtly, dress codes that aim to keep out “certain people” from popular bars and restaurants — Milwaukee is full of invisible lines. These themes, as well as colorism, biracial and queer identity, gun violence and police relations are addressed in the film.
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The documentary makes its world premiere as an official selection at the Milwaukee Film Festival Oct. 27, making 88Nine the first Milwaukee media outlet to be featured in the Milwaukee Film Festival and among the first independent radio stations, if not the first, to produce a feature-length non-music-focused documentary.
About “Invisible Lines”
How many times have you heard someone offhandedly say, “Milwaukee is the most segregated city in America?” Dozens? Hundreds?
It’s an unfortunate reputation that has been reinforced, rewritten and repeated so often that it has become self-fulfilling, as if nothing could ever change in the metro Milwaukee area. But there is an important nuance those remarks often miss: What does segregation feel like?
The film’s all-Milwaukee cast includes high school senior Amelia; Milwaukee’s unofficial black mayor, Reuben Harpole; biracial brothers and working artists, Darren and Vedale; mother and daughter Dianné and Luz, who offer a Spanish-language chapter to the film; community activists Vaun and LaToya, who discuss gun violence and colorism; and close friends Jeanette and Selma, who both identify as queer and talk about the role of chosen family in the LGBTQ community.
Each of the film’s vignettes also integrates a performance by a Milwaukee artist. Through spoken word, visual art, dance and music, they showcase the richness in Milwaukee’s creative community. Artists Darren and Vedale and musician Genesis Renji created original pieces for the series. Also featured are local musicians Lex Allen and SistaStrings, poet Karl Oye Iglesias and the Signature Dance Company.
The “Invisible Lines” series came on the heels of our last 88Nine Presents project, “National and North,” which explored the literal and figurative intersections of Milwaukee residents and their different neighborhoods along two of Milwaukee’s longest streets: National and North avenues. We wanted to dig deeper into these “invisible lines” of segregation in Milwaukee. The goal of this series is the same as the last: empathy.
Since our idea for “Invisible Lines,” it has taken many shapes: audio stories broadcasted alongside 88Nine’s musical programming, video episodes streamed on our digital platforms, a live episode screening event with a cast Q&A, a hashtag conversation in July called #MonthOfEmpathy and now, a feature-length documentary.
This is our most ambitious and real video project yet. It doesn’t have one message, but many messages and voices that all serve one call to action: simply, to listen.
Radio Milwaukee is planning future screenings and talk-backs for “Invisible Lines” in the coming months. It hopes to continue the conversation around the film, deepening Milwaukee’s understanding of the multi-faceted and nuanced impact of segregation and prejudice in the city.
Check InvisibleLinesMKE.com to view a trailer for the film and for future screening information.

created: October 26, 2018


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North Shore Bank seeks entries for 95th anniversary video contest supporting local school students | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
North Shore Bank
October 26, 2018
North Shore Bank today announced that it is seeking entries for “Make Change Happen,” a 95th anniversary video contest to help support school initiatives in the local communities that the bank serves. Winning organizations will receive $1,923, matching the year the bank first opened its doors.
The contest will support four projects – one each for the bank’s north, south and central regions, and one specifically for Milwaukee Public Schools. Video entries will be accepted now through Friday, Nov. 2. Entrants can be school, classroom, academic, arts, athletics, technology and club initiatives that will have a positive impact on public or private school students from 4k to 12th grade.
Video entries will be reviewed by a panel of judges and contest finalists will be announced the week of Nov. 5. Then through Friday, Nov. 9, the public will have the opportunity to go online to vote for the organization they best think embodies “Make Change Happen.” Winners will be announced the week of Nov. 12. Complete contest rules and instructions are available at https://www.northshorebank.com/make-change-happen-video-contest.aspx.
“North Shore Bank was founded by a group of teachers in Shorewood, Wisconsin, and as we honor our 95th anniversary, we wanted to continue to support projects that support education and benefit children in our local communities,” said Susan T. Doyle, North Shore Bank’s senior vice president of retail banking. “As a community-minded bank, we have a long relationship and history with schools, and we recognize the need to back efforts that benefit students and that encourage lasting life skills for success. I could not think of a better way to celebrate 95 years.”
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To enter, a video must be submitted that is no longer than two minutes in length. It needs to explain why the project deserves $1,923 to benefit children and how the funds will be spent. Video entries will be considered for their creativity, enthusiasm, and passion in petitioning for the donated funds, as well as, the need and degree of merit it possesses for supporting local students.
North Shore Bank, headquartered in Brookfield, has assets of $2 billion and 45 offices throughout eastern Wisconsin and northern Illinois. Wisconsin locations are in metro Milwaukee, Ozaukee County, Racine, Kenosha, Appleton, Menasha, Green Bay and surrounding areas, Burlington, Union Grove, Muskego, and Door County. . You can also connect with the bank on , , , and .

author: North Shore Bank


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Residents hope Bader’s presence in Harambee helps ‘change the scenery’ through investment | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Allison Dikanovic
October 26, 2018
(From right to left) Ald. Milele E. Coggs and Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton join Bader Philanthropies board members in cutting the ribbons for the organization’s new world headquarters. (Photo by Allison Dikanovic)
Frankie Thomas greeted each guest who arrived at the newly renovated, two-story historic building in the heart of Harambee with a warm smile, a firm handshake and an enthusiastic, “Welcome to Bader!”
Thomas, the safety coordinator at Bader Philanthropies, Inc., has lived within a few blocks of the foundation’s new headquarters, located at 3300 N. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, for more than 60 years. As Common Council President Ashanti Hamilton walked up, the two embraced and simultaneously exclaimed, “Victor Berger!”
“We went to the same school, right down the block,” Thomas explained.
They both attended Victor Berger Elementary School, a Milwaukee Public School that was renamed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Elementary School in 1992. This sense of pride in the neighborhood’s assets, past and present, as well as hope for its promising future, was a resounding theme of the grand opening event for Bader’s new home. Thomas said he remembers a time when this area of King Drive used to be a commercial corridor with a bank, a television station and a sewing store, and said he hopes to see more businesses investing and changing the scenery in the coming years.
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“It beautified the neighborhood,” Thomas said of Bader’s new development. “It made it more distinguished and makes it look like a better place to live in.”
Bader moved their offices from the Third Ward to Harambee as part of an $8 million investment in the neighborhood. It is the first foundation in Wisconsin that funds central city programs to also operate offices there.
“It is one thing to be downtown,” said Ald. Milele Coggs, who grew up two blocks from the foundation’s new location and whose district includes the development. “It is something else to be right in the community of people you are attempting to serve.” Coggs noted that Bader made a conscious choice to contract with firms in the district and those owned by people of color when constructing the building.
(From left to right) Julia Guyton, Sandra Mitchell and Doris Hopkins-Brown enjoy appetizers and discuss their ideas for activities and events they could organize at the Clinton Rose Senior Center, just a few blocks from the new Bader headquarters.
Similar to Coggs, Hamilton said he felt especially connected to the development. “I see classmates in the audience. … We are dismissing the myth that neighborhoods like ours have to be escaped from to find success,” he said. “To see such a group come to our home and commit to making change is something to celebrate.”
“This is where this should be, given the mission of this organization, but they should not be alone,” agreed Mayor Tom Barrett. “Businesses and other organizations need to invest capital in this neighborhood. I want kids in this neighborhood to see vibrant economic life. I want them to see jobs.”
In addition to its focus on healthy aging, arts programming, youth development, workforce development and Jewish education, Bader — which has provided grants totaling more than $265 million since its launch in 1992 — intends to add a place-based component to its mission to invest more directly in the immediate surroundings. Frank Cumberbatch, the foundation’s vice president of engagement, is leading the initiative.
“We want to be a partner in this neighborhood,” he said. “We are no knight on a white horse. We came to work together with the neighborhood, to bring resources and work in a collective.”
Part of that place-based and partnership-building work began in the spring and continued into the summer when the foundation started hosting community listening sessions at its new space for neighborhood residents.
Doris Hopkins-Brown attended many of those meetings. “It’s my neighborhood and I wanted to make sure I was here to see what’s going on,” she said. She has owned her home between Auer Avenue and Ring Street for 47 years, serves on the board of directors of HeartLove Place and regularly attends programming at the Clinton Rose Senior Center.
Hopkins-Brown said she hopes that Bader’s headquarters can bring her neighborhood “more together” and she’s particularly concerned about local youth having safe and supportive places to go.
Julia Guyton, a program coordinator at Clinton Rose, said she participated in a neighborhood cleanup that Bader hosted during the summer. According to Cumberbatch, more than 1,000 residents helped beautify the area bordered by Capitol Drive on the north, North Avenue on the south, Holton Street on the east, and the freeway on the west. The foundation provided tools and equipment that the neighbors could then keep, in addition to hosting a celebration with food, games and music following the cleanup.
Josephine Key has been participating in a focus group on the topic of healthy aging, where local residents shared their thoughts with Bader staff about why they’ve stayed in Harambee and what resources would help them age there in a healthy way. Cumberbatch said conversations such as these will continue on a variety of topics and will inform Bader’s work.
“I love my neighborhood, but I would like to see some changes to make my block even better,” Key said. “We all need help with home improvement. In my neighborhood, I want my home to feel like it could be in the suburbs, with a beautiful front yard and beautiful interior… I really care about this place.”
Barbara Duncan also said she cares deeply about Harambee and is curious about what Bader’s plans are. “I know all of my neighbors,” she said. “It’s just like a family atmosphere. We’re close. We look out for one another, and I love that.” Duncan said that the fact that Bader invited her to their opening makes her feel optimistic that the foundation would be a good neighbor.
“When the trust level rises, when we deliver on things we may promise, and when neighbors recognize that we have delivered on those things, then and only then will we feel that we are true partner and a good neighbor,” Cumberbatch said.

author: Allison Dikanovic


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Advocates call supportive housing critical tool to end homelessness | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Max Nawara
October 27, 2018
Tent camps are set up by homeless people under the highway at 6th street between Michigan and St. Paul streets.
Gathered in a small room in the basement of a South Side residence for the homeless, leaders of multiple groups concerned about homelessness shared their ideas and experiences. Some talked about the need for affordable housing; others discussed how to address the root problems that result in homelessness.
However, one topic resonated louder than the others: How do we change the perception of homelessness in Wisconsin?
“The reality is that [homelessness] has become a much more pervasive and complicated issue,” said Mark Angelini, president of Mercy Housing Lakefront, who led the town hall discussion. “I think everyone has the stereotype of an individual who’s living outside under a bridge. The reality is there’s a situation here where housing costs have accelerated much faster than wages for individuals so it’s becoming much harder for families.”
Angelini noted that affordable housing is an important step toward ending homelessness. He said the Wisconsin Coalition Against Homelessness wants to go one step further and provide supportive housing, which offers on-site services such as health care and substance abuse treatment.
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Mark Angelini (left) and Joe Volk listen as attendees share their thoughts on homelessness in Milwaukee and the surrounding area. (Photo by Max Nawara)
“[The homeless] have been impacted in a way that requires a safety net to be dropped to support them,” Angelini said. “And what does that mean? That means: stable housing, getting the attention necessary to deal with any kind of addiction, behavioral health or mental health issues, getting their physical health in line. Then a vast majority of these people are able to move forward.”
The recent town hall meeting was held at Mercy Housing Lakefront’s Johnson Center, 2150 S. 13th St., which has 91 units of supportive housing for individuals who were homeless, disabled or at a high risk of homelessness.
Also participating on the panel were Joe Volk, executive director of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Homelessness, and Ken Schmidt, president of the Wisconsin Coalition Against Homelessness.
Volk said he believes that “the holy grail of solving the problem” is using Medicaid funding, which is a mix of federal and state dollars, to provide homeless families with supportive housing. The funds could also be used for case workers, job training and tenant advocacy, he added.
According to Volk, the biggest problem with this plan is that the state government moves slowly and reaching these goals under the current federal administration would be “daunting.” However, Volk said that Gov. Scott Walker has agreed that Wisconsin should have a waiver that would allow it to use Medicaid funds for these purposes.
Also in attendance were various leaders of homeless shelters in the greater Milwaukee area, case workers for homeless families and law enforcement officers from Waukesha County.
C.J. Brown, president and CEO of People Power LLC, an organization that helps the homeless find careers, said that to break the cycle of homelessness, the way people approach job placement needs to change.
Brown said that placing people in jobs they don’t want isn’t productive.
“It’s a matter of finding what their true talent is, pulling that talent out, focusing on that talent and finding them a career — not a job,” he said. “A job is a temporary fix. A career is a lifetime.”
The road to fixing the issues at the heart of homelessness in Wisconsin is a long one, but there are positive strides being made, according to Volk.
“We’ve been able to score some legislative victories in the last (Wisconsin state) budget,” said Volk. “We got $1 million worth of new money. This is the first money for homelessness programs that have been added to the state budget since 1994. Those dollars are on the street right now.”

created: October 27, 2018

author: Max Nawara


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 26, 2018


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Lyft offers Milwaukeeans discounted rides on Election Day | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Lyft Milwaukee
October 29, 2018
With past elections, people have cited transportation as one of the top reasons why they didn’t vote. That’s why this election year, we want to remove that barrier and make it easier for people across the country to exercise their right to vote.
“Lyft is deeply committed to improving lives by connecting people with their communities through the world’s best transportation. One big way we’ll get there in Milwaukee is by helping you exercise your right to vote this Election Day,” said Jean-Paul Biondi, market manager for Lyft Milwaukee. “We’re thrilled to help make your voices heard in Milwaukee, in Wisconsin and across the country because every single vote matters.”
“In our work to engage millions of voters every election year, we hear from too many Americans who’ve missed out on the chance to participate in the past,” said Chris Carson, president of the League of Women Voters of the United States. “We’re proud to be working with Lyft to help voters overcome challenges of getting to the polls, and we look forward to seeing everyone casting their vote on November 6!”
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created: October 29, 2018

author: Lyft Milwaukee


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North Side residents hopeful Obama visit will improve voter turnout | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Grace Connatser
October 29, 2018
Andrea Anglin saw former President Barack Obama when he visited Milwaukee just over 10 years ago on Labor Day in 2008. He and running mate Joe Biden were on the campaign trail for their first terms as president and vice president. Since then, Obama has visited Milwaukee in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016.
Anglin didn’t think she would get the chance to see him again after his second term ended, but she was proven wrong. On Thursday, she picked up her tickets at the Democratic Party of Wisconsin office on King Drive. “I’m just excited,” she said.
“Having President Barack Obama here is even more excitement for people to get involved and get out the vote,” Anglin said. “I really stress the importance of voting for whoever you care for, whatever party, the concerns you have.”
Anglin began waiting in line at 10 a.m. at North Division High School, 1011 W. Center St., where Obama delivered remarks in support of Wisconsin Democratic candidates Sen. Tammy Baldwin; Tony Evers, running for governor; Mandela Barnes, candidate for lieutenant governor; and U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore and Randy Bryce, congressional candidates. Many were there hours before Anglin. The doors would not open until 12:30 p.m. for the 1 p.m. event, and 4,000 people eventually piled in. The halls were filled with residents of the North Side community.
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Tequila Burris, one of those residents, said she hopes the advisory marijuana referendum appearing on many county ballots throughout Wisconsin, including Milwaukee County, will encourage people to vote who may not be invested in political figures, but care about policy issues. The Milwaukee County referendum addresses the legalization of recreational and medicinal marijuana in the state of Wisconsin.
Referring to nonviolent individuals who were convinced of possessing marijuana, Burris said, “Legalizing it will help return some of their rights as citizens so they can become successful individuals, whether in work, education or housing,” Burris said. She has a six-year-old nonviolent possession charge, which she said prevents her from receiving financial aid for her classes at Milwaukee Area Technical College. It also makes it difficult to find safe, reliable housing, which she said is especially concerning because she has a child.
Samuel Alford, who attended the rally with Burris, said it was important for the legacy of North Division High School for Obama to speak there. Alford attended NDHS for one year, and although his stay was short, he said the school “has a rich history” in the neighborhood. “It’s right in the middle of 53206, so we know 53206 is statistically the worst ZIP code in the nation (with) mass incarceration and all the poverty that’s faced here,” Alford said. “For him to come here, what’s deemed a bad neighborhood, shines a light here.”
Among other attendees were Democratic candidate for Milwaukee County Sheriff Earnell Lucas, Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm and Rep. David Bowen.
Bowen said Obama’s visit was an important incentive for members of the black community to vote on the issues most important to them. He said they have “experienced political trauma,” having been promised investment and leadership opportunities without receiving them. “(Obama’s) not giving up on this neighborhood,” Bowen said. “He’s not giving up on black communities that are very thirsty for the chance to have transformational change in their neighborhoods.”
Lisa Pettis has been volunteering as a neighborhood canvasser for two years in the hope that she would convince someone to vote, even if it wasn’t for her own party. She said early voting helps working class people to get to the polls because Election Day isn’t a federal holiday and many North Side residents don’t have reliable transportation.
“Holding events like this, word of mouth, canvassing, you have to stay on it,” Pettis said. “We all need to come together and get out and vote.”
Obama spoke on many issues Democrats have raised throughout the campaign season, most notably healthcare, immigration reform and tax cuts benefiting the rich. He also heavily criticized Gov. Scott Walker, President Trump and other Republicans for “shamelessly lying” to constituents and playing on fears of border insecurity. “Wisconsin, don’t fall for that kind of fear mongering,” he said.
Obama pushed people to vote in the hope of historic voter turnout for a midterm election. FairVote.org reported that on average, about 60 percent of eligible voters nationally cast their ballots in presidential elections, and about 40 percent do so in midterm elections. The Pew Research Center also reported a 56 percent increase in voter turnout for 2018 primary races throughout the country earlier this year, with about a fifth of registered voters turning up at the polls. The report also says Democratic primaries had higher turnout rates than Republican primaries.
“The elevated primary turnout levels are further evidence that Americans are unusually engaged with this year’s midterms,” the report stated. “Voter enthusiasm is at its highest level for any midterm election in more than two decades.”
Obama remarked that low voter turnout has negative consequences for democracy. Yet, that seems to be changing, he said. “A great awakening of citizenship is happening across the country. … For the first time in a long time, people are organizing, marching and registering to vote.” Obama added, “The biggest threat to our democracy is our own indifference.”
Anglin said she will vote, and encourage others to do so for the sake of fairness and the democratic process.
“A lot of people feel that their vote(s) don’t matter,” Anglin said. “If you don’t vote, it’s a vote for the opposite party. Don’t be silent. Every vote counts.”

author: Grace Connatser


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 28, 2018

created: October 28, 2018


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Residents can take back their unused medicine every day | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Take Back My Meds MKE
October 29, 2018
In the aftermath of Drug Take Back Day this past Saturday, Take Back My Meds MKE reminds Milwaukee County residents that they can safely get rid of their unused medicines every day of the year at more than 80 locations throughout Milwaukee County which can be found at takebackmymeds.com. Residents do not need to wait for a special take back day, such as the one held this past Saturday, to safely dispose of unused medicine.
“The Drug Take Back Day organized  by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the federal Drug Enforcement Administration and other agencies was a good step, but residents need to know that it is dangerous to keep unused medicine in their home, sometime for months, as they wait for the next drug back day to come around,” said Jon Richards, Coalition Director for Take Back My Meds MKE.
“The easy availability of unused prescription medications is a major factor in overdose, which is the leading cause of accidental death in Milwaukee County.  Roughly 80% of heroin users have used unused medicine to start or feed an addiction,” said Kari Lerch, Deputy Director Community Advocates Public Policy Institute.
In the past two years, Take Back My Meds MKE has helped place drop boxes for unused medicines in pharmacies and envelopes to mail back unused medicines at every City of Milwaukee Fire Department station.
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“Roughly 90% of unused medicines go uncollected and consumers are unsure what to do with them,” said Amber Meyer Smith of Clean Wisconsin. “Unused medicines should never go into the toilet or the trash because that can send drugs to Lake Michigan, the source of Milwaukee’s drinking water.”
Residents of Milwaukee County can take back their unused medicine on any day of the year at one of more than 80 locations in the county.  A map of all locations with either a drop box or drug disposal envelopes can be found at takebackmymeds.com.
Take Back My Meds MKE is a coalition of 17 community organizations and businesses dedicated to making it easier for Milwaukee County residents to combat the opioid crisis by safely disposing of unused medicine.

author: Take Back My Meds MKE


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Supervisor Dimitrijevic proposes Mitchell Park for site of new Milwaukee Public Museum | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
County Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic
October 29, 2018
(Photo by Adam Carr)
County Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic is proposing Mitchell Park as a possible site for the new Milwaukee Public Museum and recommending a combined governing structure to manage the museum and the Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory. The Finance and Audit Committee recommended (7 – 0) including Dimitrijevic’s proposal for a new county work group to evaluate collocating the facilities in Mitchell Park as an amendment to the 2019 county budget. The amendment also creates immediate synergy around the united educational mission both amenities share and county residents enjoy.
“Locating the new Milwaukee Public Museum in Mitchell Park creates a tremendous opportunity for establishing a new world-class cultural site with multiple amenities in the south side of  Milwaukee. There is awesome potential in aligning the work of the horticultural conservatory with the Milwaukee Public Museum and locating both in one of the south side’s greatest parks.We can preserve the mission of the Mitchell Park Domes by partnering with the museum to provide educational programming while delivering a stronger, bolder experience to our residents and visitors. The positive possibilities of this proposed relationship are endless,” said Dimitrijevic.
The Milwaukee Public Museum is in the midst of a $100 million capital campaign to finance a new building to replace its current facility, and looking for a new location.
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“MPM is excited about our future and is continuing to explore many possibilities and potential partnerships. The proposed Milwaukee County taskforce to explore the feasibility of collocating MPM at Mitchell Park is just one such possibility and we are interested in the findings,” said Dr. Ellen Censky, Interim President & CEO of the Milwaukee Public Museum.
County Executive Chris Able expressed his support for exploring locating the museum in Mitchell Park and aligning the work and governing structure with the horticultural conservatory.
“Sustaining the cultural and educational institutions that our community depends on presents a challenge for Milwaukee County with our current fiscal limitations. The Milwaukee Public Museum and the Mitchell Park Conservatory foster vital education and engagement with the world around us, and combining the two is a potential solution to securing their future. We need creative ideas to support the mission and collections of these two important institutions, and I will be interested to see the results of a study that explores the benefits of connecting the two,” said Abele.

author: County Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 29, 2018


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Your voice is Important! Will you respond? | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Bethany Sanchez
October 29, 2018
Photo: Courtesy of Take Root Milwaukee
Bethany Sanchez, director of the Fair Lending Program at the nonprofit Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council, urges Milwaukee residents and organizations to take action to oppose changes that would weaken the Community Reinvestment Act. The CRA has resulted in billions of dollars of loans and investments in low- and moderate-income communities.
It seems like every day, we learn about attacks on our civil rights and on regulations that protect people and our planet. It can be hard to know how we can effectively push back on bad proposals. Here is a situation in which federal agencies are asking for our input. Let’s give it to them!
At first, this suggestion might sound dull or unimportant, but stick with me. You can let federal bank regulators know how you feel about a proposal by the head of the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC). The OCC is the regulator that oversees nationally chartered banks, including Wells Fargo, US Bank, Chase, BMO Harris, PNC, Associated and Pyramax.
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The OCC is floating a proposal that would threaten Milwaukee, and the entire country. The proposal would change the requirements of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) to, among other things:
Here’s some background. As a response to banks’ illegal, discriminatory redlining, in 1977 a federal law called the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) was passed. CRA requires banks to offer their services and loan products to all people within the communities where they do business, including low- and moderate-income people and communities. They must provide home and small business loans to credit-worthy borrowers, investments in community developments that serve low- and moderate-income people, and services including bank branches in low- or moderate-income census tracts, and low-cost checking and saving accounts.
The requirements of CRA have resulted in billions of dollars of loans and investments in communities that had previously been either ignored, or actively redlined by banks. Below are some examples of ways that CRA has benefitted Milwaukee:
Before CRA was established, very few banks did these things. Indeed, they openly discriminated against people of color and redlined low income neighborhoods.
While progress has been made, efforts to combat lending discrimination must be increased, not weakened. In 2017, in the City of Milwaukee, 37.0% of the population was non-Hispanic white, but whites received 57.7% of the home loans, 40% was black or African American, but black borrowers received only 13.7% of home loans, and 17.3% were of Hispanic or Latino origin (of any race), but received 11.4% of home loans.
Even among people with modest incomes and impaired credit, if banks continue to work with us to address these lending disparities, together we can help borrowers become successful homeowners and create strong neighborhoods. Housing counseling, downpayment assistance, credit counseling, niche marketing, and loan officers who reflect the communities they serve have been proven to be effective.
Unless banks know that there would be penalties for discrimination against people of color, women, people with disabilities and other protected classes, illegal discrimination will increase!
The OCC has officially asked for community input on these, and other changes to the Community Reinvestment Act. Join the national effort by advocates for fair housing, fair lending and economic justice, to encourage as many individuals and organizations as possible to provide their comments on the OCC’s proposal.
To help you understand more of what we could lose if CRA were to be weakened, check out the comprehensive set of resources at www.ncrc.org/treasureCRA. Based on a report from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC) estimates that nationally, low- and moderate-income neighborhoods could lose up to $105 billion in home and small business lending nationally over a five-year time period. This represents a 10 to 20% loss. In Wisconsin, that loss would be between $703.4 million and $1.4 billion, and in Wisconsin’s 4Congressional district, which includes the City of Milwaukee, the loss would be between $141 million and $282 million.
I urge you to submit a short comment to the OCC, describing concerns that you learn about at www.ncrc.org/treasureCRA. On that website, as you scroll down the page, you can find sample comments that can be modified to be submitted by your church or community organization. To the right of that, are instructions for how to submit your comments online. Continuing to scroll down the page, you will see “PRINCIPLES FOR A MODERN CRA” and a toolkit including sample links, hashtags, key messages, graphics and more.
Join Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Community First, Plymouth Church, the Fair Housing Council and dozens of others: submit your comment. Let’s let the OCC know that they need to keep the “community” in the Community Reinvestment Act!

author: Bethany Sanchez


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On the Block: Grateful for small things | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sarah Lipo
October 30, 2018
Charles Casey goes to the House of Peace when he runs out of food. He said the violence in Milwaukee stems from the lack of jobs and the racial discrimination in the city. While he is grateful for what he has, he wishes he could reduce the violence in Milwaukee.

created: October 30, 2018

author: Sarah Lipo


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Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers awarded $1 million in funding for social determinants screening | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers
October 30, 2018
Sixteenth Street Community Health Center was awarded $1 million in funding from the Wisconsin Partnership Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health for its project, ¨Improving Health Outcomes by Proactively Integrating Social Determinants Screening into Primary Care Practice.”
The project’s ultimate goal is to reduce housing instability and address healthy inequities among Sixteenth Street’s patients and community, who are primarily Latino and live well below the federal poverty line. The community faces numerous challenges to obtaining community resources, such as navigating complex applications requirements, language differences and concerns about divulging sensitive information.
The project aims to gain a deeper understanding of the socio-economic factors, such as housing insecurity, that inescapably propagate health disparities on the south side of Milwaukee. Knowledge gained will be used to develop a collaborative model for healthcare and social services to close these health gaps and improve health outcomes for patients and community members.
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The model will focus on patient-centered screening and interventions and purposeful data sharing across agencies to ensure a sustainable, systematic change to approaching and addressing social determinants in Sixteenth Street’s primary care practice. Dr. Julie Schuller, President and CEO of Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, says, ¨ Interventions on the patient, organization and community levels are necessary to break the cycle of seemingly insurmountable obstacles that generation after generation of individuals suffer and to get people on a sustainable path to wellness. ¨
Michelle Corbett, MPH, CHES, Associate Researcher at the Center for Urban Population Health, will serve as the academic partner and lead evaluator on this project. Says Corbett, “We are committed to this partnership because of the great potential to make substantial policy, systems and environmental changes to reduce housing instability and address healthy inequities among Sixteenth Street’s patients and community.”


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Walking School Bus program at Lincoln to expand route, improve attendance | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Grace Connatser
October 30, 2018
Lisa Krause, Regina Stieber, Susan Sauerberg and Misty Kreider check off students names on a list. Krause, Sauerberg and Kreider are teachers; Stieber is the community school coordinator. (Photo by Grace Connatser)
It’s dark in Lincoln Village at 6:30 in the morning, but the Lincoln Avenue School Walking School Bus lights up the sidewalk.
Adult volunteers wear bright, reflective vests and carry a big yellow sign that says, “Walking Bus.” As children continue to join the sidewalk parade, neighbors smile and say hello. Laughter breaks through the quiet chirping of birds and the distant rumble of cars. Lincoln’s crossing guard helps the kids cross the street safely as they walk beneath the arch guarding the courtyard.
Angel Garcia Prado, 5, walks the route with his mother, Janeth Prado. She has volunteered with the bus since its beginning last year. He said he likes to hang out with his friend Jonathan Alvarado, 10, while walking to school. The hot chocolate at the end of the route also helps to warm up from the cold outside.
“It’s fun,” Jonathan said. “It motivates me. I like to go to school more.”
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Prado is part of the walking school bus leadership team at Lincoln Avenue School, 1817 W. Lincoln Ave. in Lincoln Village. She said it’s helped her son and his friends to have more interest in school and learning, and she’s glad it’s helping other parents and their children. Even when it’s cold outside, the route doesn’t stop. “Once it got cold and snowy, we kept walking,” Prado said. “It will continue to motivate students.”
The other leader of the group is Regina Stieber, the community school coordinator at Sixteenth Street Community Health Center, a Lincoln partner. Stieber said she plans to expand the program in November by adding eight more kids to the route. All children on the route are handpicked by school staff, including social workers, because of spotty attendance. As the year continues, the school will continue to monitor attendance patterns and invite families that would benefit to join the program.
Jonathan Alvarado, 10, said he likes to walk along the route because it’s fun and it motivates him. (Photo by Grace Connatser)
“There are new staff members willing to volunteer, even getting their sons and daughters involved,” Stieber said. “I think people are really inspired by the walking school bus and they love the kids that go here. … The teachers here care so much that they’re willing to give up a morning to walk the kids to school.”
Mondays were very recently added to the route, which used to run only on Fridays. The school administration is also considering a second route that would run simultaneously with the existing route. The current route only runs south of the school with a maximum distance of two city blocks.
The purpose of the program is to increase attendance at Lincoln, a school that has suffered from significant rates of student absenteeism. The route picks up 13 students at their front door Mondays and Fridays, no matter the weather. The route spans 18, 19 and Grant streets. Stieber has been running the program since August after the previous coordinator stepped down.
Principal Yaribel Rodriguez, who has been at the school for four years, said the days with the highest rates of absences are Mondays, followed by Fridays. Many of those absences are repeated by the same children, resulting in a 12 percent rate of absenteeism for Lincoln students, Rodriguez added. She said the students who have been going to school more often due to the route have been submitting more classwork, leading not just to higher attendance, but also to higher grades.
“Attendance is important (because) if students aren’t in the classroom, they’re not learning,” Rodriguez said. “We need to get them in our building consistently for the classroom instruction that they need.”
Stieber also said parents are big fans of the program because many have said they feel unsafe walking their child to school in the morning in the dark. She said neighbors and others on the street honk and wave as the walking school bus passes by on the sidewalk. “I felt like it was an opportunity to expand the scope of family engagement and the impact on the community,” Stieber said.
Rodriguez said attendance rates have improved significantly since the program started last year. The current daily average at Lincoln is now at 91 percent, but she isn’t stopping there. She hopes to bring it up to 95 percent soon. She said one student has proven to be an example of the impact the walking school bus has had on Lincoln.
“One boy that was on the walking school bus was very detached from the school community … coming to school about 50 percent of the time,” Rodriguez said. “Now, his attendance is closer to 80 percent. We also see him socializing more, we see him smiling more. We see him engage with the adults in the building, so it’s helped him succeed.”
Ryan Hurley, the Milwaukee Community Schools Partnership director at United Way, said other schools in the Milwaukee Public Schools system are looking at Lincoln as an example of creative ways to engage students, families and the surrounding community. He said that as a community school, much of what happens at Lincoln originates directly from the parents in the community. Since many parents cited neighborhood safety as a top concern, Hurley said the walking school bus was a practical, and ultimately successful, solution.
“The walking school bus is a perfect example of what community schools do,” Hurley said. “They engage the community to ask, ‘What are the challenges? What are the barriers to student success? How do we all come together to organize and address those challenges?’”
Other community schools considering their own walking school bus program include Auer Avenue School, Longfellow School and Sarah Scott Middle School, Hurley added. He said community schools can create a network to “share their practices with each other” to find the best solution for each school’s specific needs.
United Way has partnered with Lincoln to donate winter clothing to students in need, Stieber said. The donations of jackets, gloves and hats have provided necessary warmth to students who may otherwise go without, she added.
Stieber said she hopes parents will continue to be engaged with the school and put in the effort to help kids learn. “We have some amazing parents already involved, but hopefully we can inspire more parents to come in so it’s a sustainable model for the community.”
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misidentified the child in the photo. He is Jonathan Alvarado. We apologize for the error.


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How to choose a health care plan | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Cathy Harvey, UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement of Wisconsin
October 31, 2018
Be aware that there are different dates, depending on your coverage provider, to select or switch health insurance plans for 2019 during open enrollment.
Choosing health benefits can feel stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Learn how to help make the process easier.
This fall millions will head to the polls to cast their vote in the midterm elections, but they have another important choice to make as well: their health care coverage for 2019.
Nearly 4.5 million people in Wisconsin will have the opportunity to select or switch their health insurance plans for 2019 during “open” or “annual” enrollment. But unlike Election Day, the dates to keep in mind aren’t the same for everyone and vary depending on your situation:
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For most people, changes made during this time will take effect Jan. 1, 2019.
Consider the following five tips to help make the process easier.
Take Time to Review Your Options
Take the time to explore your options, and understand the benefits and costs of each plan so you can find the coverage that works best for you. Pay attention to more than just the monthly premium. You also should understand what out-of-pocket costs, including the deductible, copays and coinsurance, you may be responsible for. Also, consider any changes to your health over the last year or if you have any major health events planned for 2019 – such as having a baby or surgery – to determine if your current coverage still fits your needs.
Prevent Financial Surprises
Before you select a plan, check to see if your doctor is in your health plan’s care provider network. Visiting doctors that are in-network is one way to help keep your costs lower. If you select a plan that would make your visit to a particular doctor or hospital outside the network, make sure you understand what the costs may be.
Also, see if your medications are covered by the plan. Even if you don’t expect to change plans, it’s important to make sure your drugs will still be covered in 2019. People with Medicare should remember that Original Medicare doesn’t cover prescription drugs, so if you are looking for help covering the costs of your medications, choose either a Part D plan or a Medicare Advantage plan with prescription coverage.
Look for Ways to Save
Ask about incentive-based wellness programs that reward you for living a healthier lifestyle. Some health plans offer incentives for their members to participate in activities that may help improve their health, such as completing a health assessment, visiting a gym, lowering their cholesterol, participating in a wellness-coaching or tobacco-cessation program, or even just walking.
Also, check to see if your plan includes 24/7 telehealth services. Telehealth services can be especially convenient for consultations on minor health issues that occur. Often, telehealth is available to members of employer-sponsored, individual and Medicare Advantage plans.
Don’t forget about additional benefits and features
Open or annual enrollment is the ideal time to select benefit plans that can help protect you and your family from head to toe, so consider adding vision, dental and financial protection plans such as life, accident or critical illness coverage. For people on Medicare, many are surprised to find that Original Medicare doesn’t cover most dental, vision and hearing services. But many Medicare Advantage plans do and often include additional perks such as gym memberships or discounts on hearing aids.
Learn the Lingo
Do you have a full understanding of health care terms, such as premium, deductible, coinsurance and out-of-pocket maximum? If not, there are resources online to help you learn and understand health care terms.

created: October 31, 2018


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 30, 2018


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Youth create ‘beautiful garbage’ receptacles in Clarke Square | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Madison Marx
October 31, 2018
Myron Edwards, District 2 youth organizer for Safe & Sound, and young people from Journey House pose with their ‘beautiful garbage’ receptacles. (Photo by Myron Edwards, courtesy of Safe & Sound)
Garbage isn’t usually associated with the word “beautiful.” The vibrant murals spread throughout Clarke Square are a stark contrast to the trash that blows past schools and homes on a windy Milwaukee day.
The “Beautiful Garbage” project aims to reduce littering through visually appealing garbage receptacles in Clarke Square. Youth involved in Journey House programming painted the garbage cans to look like Cookie Monster, Kirby, Pac-Man, a basketball hoop and a soccer net.
Each can has a message in English that speaks out against littering. The Cookie Monster can says, “I’m not Oscar the Grouch but I still like trash though, bro!” On the opposite side of each can the phrase is translated into Spanish. Clarke Square has a high percentage of Spanish- speaking residents.
Organized by Safe & Sound, the Department of Public Works and Journey House, the Beautiful Garbage initiative originated at a monthly meeting at Journey House with community members and police officers. The group was discussing various issues in the community, including littering.
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“In that meeting I kind of brainstormed ideas, and I said, ‘What if we made trash cans that are attractive so that people want to throw trash away?’” asked Myron Edwards, District 2 youth organizer at Safe & Sound.
Edwards said that litter in a community can affect the psyche of a neighborhood.
The Cookie Monster garbage receptacle was painted by youth from Journey House. The can reads, “I’m not Oscar the Grouch but I still like trash though, bro!” (Photo by Myron Edwards, courtesy of Safe & Sound)
“People litter because they don’t see their area as actually belonging to them,” said Edwards. “So if that psyche is reframed and people didn’t litter so much there would definitely be more pride and ownership of one’s community.”
Quentin Prince, director of youth leadership and student success at Journey House, doesn’t want people to view Clarke Square as a rundown area that has a lot of garbage.
“I’m hoping this project spurs some kind of movement in the area,” said Prince. “Involving the youth gives them a sense of ownership. They feel like their voices are heard.”
Edwards added that painting the cans was a stress reliever for some of the kids. “On the first day when we finished, a lot of the kids didn’t want to leave,” he said.
After another day of painting, some of the kids took off their gloves and threw them on the ground. Frustrated, Edwards explained that the gloves laying on the ground defeated the purpose of the project.
“I think especially for a lot of young folks when they litter, they think, ‘Oh it is just garbage. Someone else will pick it up,’” said Edwards. “This experience shocked them.”
Prince added that before the project some of the youth thought that littering doesn’t have an effect on the community.
The Department of Public Works donated the five garbage receptacles for the project.
“Safe & Sound, with funding from Potawatomi Heart of Canal charitable giving, sponsored the project to involve youth in beautifying litter containers,” said Sandy Walton, spokesperson for the Department of Public Works.
Walton added that DPW maintains control of the containers and decided to place the cans throughout Clarke Square at parks and schools. The garbage receptacles were unveiled recently at Chase Bank, 1337 S. Cesar E. Chavez Drive.
“The project was a fun opportunity that a lot of kids don’t get to do,” said Jayden Krohn, 15, a student at Longfellow School.
The youth involved in the project also see Prince as a mentor.
“I’ve known Prince since I was 10. He really wants kids to be involved,” said Antonio Ponce De Leon, 16, who attends Longfellow School. “He’ll always have my back and my siblings’ back.”
When the garbage cans were completed, Edwards had the kids sign each can and write a message explaining the negative effects of trash and pollution. He said that this final touch gave the youth an increased sense of ownership of the project.
“Youth really are our future,” said Edwards. “I think a lot of times our society doesn’t understand that we have to build our youth as strong as we can so that it has positive repercussions for everyone.”
Cacy Masters, associate director at Safe & Sound, said it is important to engage young people to help them understand that they are community leaders and can have an impact like anyone else.
“If we can get them engaged early, we are helping to mold and encourage future generations of adult residents, alderpersons and city officials who can continue to make an impact for generations,” said Masters.

author: Madison Marx


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Milwaukee groups urge residents to vote “yes” for legalizing marijuana | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
November 1, 2018
Voters in 16 counties, including Milwaukee, will have an opportunity on Nov. 6 to address a referendum question on marijuana. (Photo by Andrea Waxman)
Wisconsin should legalize the use of marijuana, said Craig Johnson, president of the Wisconsin Justice Initiative (WJI).
“It’s time for Wisconsin to join the 21st century and end cannabis prohibition laws,” Johnson said during a recent press conference at the Milwaukee County Courthouse. Currently, recreational marijuana is legal in nine states while medicinal use is legal in 30 states.
WJI, ACLU of Wisconsin, MICAH and several state leaders, including Rep. David Bowen, are calling for voters to support legalization of medicinal and recreational marijuana by voting yes to the non-binding referendum question on their ballots Nov. 6.
In Milwaukee County the referendum question will be, “Do you favor allowing adults 21 years of age and older to engage in personal use of marijuana, while also regulating commercial marijuana-related activities, and imposing a tax on the sale of marijuana?” Variations of that question are also on the ballot in 15 additional Wisconsin counties and two municipalities.
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Legalizing marijuana not only creates economic benefits but it’s also a social justice issue, explained Molly Collins, advocacy director at the ACLU of Wisconsin. Collins said a 2013 report from the ACLU showed that statewide, African-Americans were six times as likely than white people to be arrested for possession of marijuana, despite similar rates of usage.
State Rep. David Bowen said legalizing marijuana would not only improve the economy in Wisconsin but could reduce targeting of minorities by law enforcement. (Photo by Grace Connatser)
“Giving someone a criminal record for simple possession creates a lifetime of collateral damage. The punishment should fit the crime, and public opinion increasingly favors more sensible drug policy and a new approach to marijuana,” Collins said.
That report prompted ACLU’s national office to take a closer look at arrest data in Milwaukee, which led to a $3.4 million lawsuit settlement and reform of the city’s stop and frisk policy.
State Rep. David Bowen said that legalization would reduce the criminalization of black and brown communities and that it could free up resources for law enforcement.
“Law enforcement spends millions targeting people over the use of this harmless substance,” Bowen said.
He said it is essential that voters can ensure that their perspective is heard by voting on Nov. 6. “A lot of people are ready for progressive policy when it comes to marijuana regulation,” Bowen added.
Several members of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, including John Weishan Jr., have voiced support for legalization and Supervisor Sylvia Velez-Ortiz has proposed a study on the possible economic impact of hemp cultivation, possibly at the Mitchell Park greenhouses.
In addition to Bowen, several other state legislators who represent Milwaukee, including Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa and Sen. LaTonya Johnson, have also publicly supported legalization. Johnson sponsored a marijuana legalization bill in the state senate and Bowen authored a bill that would remove THC — the primary active ingredient in marijuana — from employment drug tests, in an effort to bolster the state’s workforce.
“It’s an economic issue. We need people to fill jobs,” Bowen said of the bill.
On the flip side, Gov. Scott Walker has often spoken publicly about his opposition to legalizing marijuana, describing it as a “gateway” drug. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, some research suggests that marijuana use is likely to precede the use of other substances and the development of addiction.
Walker’s opponent in the Nov. 6 election, Tony Evers, has publicly stated that he supports and would sign a medical marijuana bill and believes that the referendum in Wisconsin would help determine whether full legalization should occur.
Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel, a Republican who is also up for re-election on Nov. 6, said during a debate in Milwaukee that he is against legalization, while his Democratic opponent, Josh Kaul, supports legalization of medical marijuana. Much of the support for or against legalization falls along party lines, with Democrats in favor and Republicans against it.
Latina community organizer Luz Sosa said she has never been a marijuana user, but she supports legalization for economic reasons, suggesting an excise tax on sales to raise revenue for the state.
“That money could go back into public goods such as education and health care,” said Sosa, pointing out positive economic results in other states that have legalized marijuana.
Whether or not voters pass the referendum on Nov. 6, marijuana could still be legalized in Wisconsin, but approval would be an important step toward changing the state’s policy on cannabis, Bowen said.
“I think it opens up the conversation for folks on both sides of the aisle, but especially for Republicans,” he said. “They would have insight on how Wisconsin residents feel about going down that direction.”

created: November 1, 2018

author: Edgar Mendez


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
October 31, 2018


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Registration begins Nov. 1 for Municipal Court’s next Warrant Withdrawal Wednesday | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Grace Connatser
November 1, 2018
A defendant comes before Municipal Judge Valarie Hill during the May 2017 Warrant Withdrawal Wednesday. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
The Milwaukee Municipal Court announced in a video that it will host another Warrant Withdrawal Wednesday on Nov. 14. The program helps clear up minor outstanding warrants, driver’s license suspensions, vehicle registration denials, court absences and other legal issues that can lead to fines and arrests. Registration begins on Nov. 1.
Warrant Withdrawal Wednesday will be held at the Quality of Life Center of Christ the King Baptist Church, 7798 N. 60 St. The program will only accept cases regarding the City of Milwaukee, and participants must register by calling 414-286-6600 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration ends once all spots are filled. Once registered, each person will be assigned an appointment time at the church.
Only 250-300 people will be able to register, according to a court spokesperson. In May 2017, more than 1,500 people had their cases processed, and in December 2016, more than 2,000 people were cleared of warrants and suspensions. Those who have participated in past events are not permitted to participate again. In addition, no building and zoning cases will be processed.
Judges Derek Mosley, Valarie Hill and Phillip Chavez will hear the cases. Representatives from the Wisconsin Department of Motor Vehicles will also be there, as well as employers and hiring agents who can help attendees find employment and prepare for job interviews.
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A note on the video pointed out that it is low cost and low quality. “No $$ was spent to make this $0 budget video shot with a point & shoot camera with crappy speakers and free editing software,” the video read.


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Author of ‘The Divided City’ leads Nov. 8 discussion at Greater Milwaukee Foundation | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
November 2, 2018
The Greater Milwaukee Foundation is hosting nationally known author Alan Mallach on Nov. 8 for a presentation and discussion about urban development strategies that foster greater equity and opportunities. The community is invited to attend this free event.
Mallach will present an overview of his latest book, The Divided City: Poverty and Prosperity in Urban America, followed by an audience question-and-answer session moderated by Sam Leichtling from the Department of City Development in the City of Milwaukee. Registration begins at 4:30 p.m. The program runs from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Foundation, 101 W. Pleasant St., Suite 210, Milwaukee, and will include appetizers and a book signing. Seats are limited. RSVP by Tuesday, Nov. 6, by emailing your name to info@greatermilwaukeefoundation.org and including “Divided City” in the subject line.
In The Divided City, urban practitioner and scholar Mallach describes what has happened over the past 15 to 20 years in industrial cities like Pittsburgh, Detroit, Cleveland and Baltimore as they have undergone unprecedented, unexpected revival. He draws from his decades of experience working in America’s cities and pulls in insightful research and data to spotlight these changes while placing them in their larger economic, social and political context.
Mallach explores the pervasive significance of race in American cities and looks closely at the successes and failures of city governments, nonprofit entities and citizens as they have tried to address the challenges of change. He makes the compelling case that these strategies must be local in addition to being concrete and focusing on people’s needs—education, jobs, housing and quality of life.
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About the Greater Milwaukee Foundation
The Greater Milwaukee Foundation is the region’s largest community foundation and was among the first established in the world. For more than a century, the Foundation has inspired philanthropy by connecting generous people to community needs that align with their interests. The Foundation was founded on the premise that generosity can unlock an individual’s potential and strengthen the community as a whole for everyone who lives here. We work in partnership with those who are committed to ensuring greater Milwaukee is a vibrant, economically thriving region that comprises welcoming and inclusive communities providing opportunity, prosperity and a high quality of life for all.

created: November 2, 2018

author: Greater Milwaukee Foundation


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Name *
November 2, 2018

author: Name *


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UMedics trainers teach urban first aid for gunshot victims | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Analise Pruni
November 2, 2018
Martine Caverl, co-founder of UMedics, demonstrates urban first aid on workshop participant Lawton Merritt. (Photo by Analise Pruni)
Martine Caverl, registered nurse and co-founder of Ujimaa Medics, asked participants at a recent workshop to step forward if any of the following statements were true for them.
“I have been shot.”
“I am afraid someone I love will be shot.”
“I am nervous about helping a person who has been shot.”
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One after the other, people stepped forward.
Caverl and Amika Tendaji, co-founders of the Chicago-based UMedics, brought their workshop to Milwaukee, attended by 13 people from organizations such as Black Nurses Rock and Walnut Way Conservation Corp.
UMedics is an urban first-response program that teaches community members how to keep a gunshot victim alive until help arrives.
The workshop, which was held recently at the UWM Zilber School of Public Health, combined classroom first aid with hands-on emergency role-playing scenarios.
“The first major rule of all this training is; don’t get shot as well,” Tendaji said. “It’s really hard to treat somebody who has been shot, if you too, have been shot.”
Participants were asked to “take cover” behind objects in the room before they attended to a gunshot victim. They were told to identify themselves and ask for consent before treating someone. The instructors said that it is important to be able to identify which wounds need treatment first; for example, prioritizing treatment of “bright-red blood” and head wounds over “dark-red blood” and extremity injuries.
Workshop participants learn the basics of urban first aid before practicing their new skills. (Photo by Analise Pruni)
Reggie Moore, director of the Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention, who helped organize a similar “Stop the Bleed” workshop in September, said UMedics goes hand in hand with other Milwaukee gun violence initiatives.
“People are rarely shot alone,” Moore said. “We want to make sure as many people in our community have the basic training to be able to stabilize someone until paramedics can arrive as a means of saving lives.”
Part of the emergency training relies on using whatever is available to stop the bleeding. Caverl and Tendaji had an array of scarves, T-shirts, credit cards and even a Doritos bag as potential tools for treating different wounds. Other important topics covered were “scene safety” and crowd-management strategies.
Caverl and Tendaji talked about how to handle peoples’ very different reactions to a shooting.
Tendaji said that whether people are aggressive, hysterical or trying to stream the incident on Facebook Live, the key is to assert authority and remain calm. She also said to avoid language that appears to justify violence.
“Stay away from anything that can sum things up in a sentence: ‘live by the sword, die by the sword’; ‘everything happens for a reason.’”
Participants formed groups of three to practice what they had learned about active-shooter situations and were then critiqued by Caverl, Tendaji and their peers.
Community activist and author Lawton Merritt, who lives on the northwest side, said he has dedicated much of his life to empowering young men of color. He said this kind of training can really make a difference in the community.
“These violent situations do occur and they can be contained,” Merritt said. “I feel a lot more confident [after the training] in the event of something happening.”
Former Marine Ray Mendoza, who stepped forward when Caverl asked earlier who had been shot, said gun violence has always been present in his life. He represents a budding group called Team Havoc that organizes walks primarily on the South Side to raise awareness of the opioid epidemic and also the gun violence that surrounds it.
“My partner and I were running the streets years ago, so we had a change of heart in how we wanted to live our lives,” Mendoza said. Workshops like these, he said, arm him with information and important skills to give back to the community he wants to protect.
The strength of the collective is an important foundation of UMedics.
“Because you care, because it’s your community, you may be the best person to do something about it,” Tendaji said. “Maybe even better than someone who is trained.”
The idea for UMedics came after 18-year-old community activist Damian Turner was shot and killed in Chicago in 2010 before he could reach a hospital with a trauma center. This strongly affected Caverl and Tendaji, who decided enough was enough.
They began to develop a grassroots network of black people around Chicago who were prepared in emergency situations. The “U” in UMedics stands for Ujimaa, which is Kiswahili for “collective work and responsibility.”
At the end of the workshop, Tendaji again asked participants to step forward if the following statements were true for them.
“I know how to help if I see someone get shot.”
“I know how to support someone who is helping a person who has been shot.”
The entire group stepped forward in unison.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 1, 2018


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House of Peace mural untouched for 25 years until recent revitalization | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sarah Lipo
November 3, 2018
Gist paints in the words Faith + Freedom = Future at the bottom of the mural in white paint. (Photo by Sarah Lipo)
George Gist sits in a metal chair, leaning over his art as he paints in the letters of Faith + Freedom = Future at the bottom of a colorful mural being refurbished on the west side of the House of Peace building in the Johnsons Park neighborhood.
The vibrant mural includes small and large figures of important historical individuals including Barack Obama, Nelson Mandela and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to name a few. Final touches on the mural were completed on Nov. 1.
Gist, a native of Detroit who now resides in Pittsburgh, said this may be the 300th mural he’s completed, with 20 of those murals in Milwaukee.
After 25 years, the original mural was chipped and faded, an “eyesore of the neighborhood,” according to Brother Rob Roemer, the executive director at the House of Peace, 1702 W. Walnut St.
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Brenda Brown, chairperson of the Johnsons Park Neighborhood Association, said the “vibrancy of the other murals in the neighborhoods inspired me to be a part of revitalizing the murals on the perimeter of the House of Peace.”
Three other murals at the House of Peace will also be refurbished. The two larger murals on the front corner of the building were created by Brad Bernard, a mentee of Gist’s who now teaches at Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, and Brad Pruitt. The two corner murals were completed under the name Collaborative Effect, a group of artists funded by Gist in 1994.
“When Mr. Gist relocated to Pittsburgh in 1995, I and fellow Collaborative Effect artist Brad Pruitt continued the artist group and submitted the mural proposal under the group name to the House of Peace in an effort to continue George’s vision,” Bernard said.
Brad Bernard admires the near-finished mural. (Photo by Sarah Lipo)
Sheriff Richard Artisan, U.S. Gwen Moore, the Rev. Booker Ashe and founder of Carter Child Development Lorraine Carter are some of the individuals depicted on the two corner murals. “The individuals depicted were selected by Brad Pruitt and me and served as examples of those we felt had committed their life work to the cause of public service or community activism,” Bernard said.
The smaller panel on the 17th side of the street was created by Gist.
“What I executed on the murals on the front of the building was a culmination of what I had learned from George,” Bernard said.
Bernard is also helping Gist repair the mural on the west side of the House of Peace. “As fate would have it, this was the first time George and I would have collaborated on a mural piece together in the 25 years of knowing each other,” Bernard said.
Work on the three remaining murals at the House of Peace is tentatively scheduled for spring 2019, said Kerry Wiedemann, a JPNA board member. An estimated $20,000 is needed to fix those murals.
This year also marks the 50th anniversary of the House of Peace. Bernard said this benchmark was a great opportunity to fix the murals. “That became the fuel behind the fire,” he said, adding, “I think it’s been well received by the community because of the visibility from the street.”
Roemer said the House of Peace originally was intended as a place for individuals to form community with others. Today, it also provides food and clothing. The clothing is distributed free, and the emergency food pantry and Holiday Food Boxes serve many individuals and families in the area, according to its website.
House of Peace leaders have wanted to refurbish the murals for years, according to Roemer. “It’s a real blessing that the JPNA stepped up and did this for us,” he said.
Gist said he repainted some of the faces on the mural, but also added new individuals, including Obama. He said he included individuals who “bend over backwards to keep us happy, keep us safe, keep us eating well and have spiritual values.”
Wiedemann helped contact Gist and Bernard to work on the mural. “I think it’s great for the kids in the neighborhood to see this,” she said. “I think it’s a great inspiration.”
Brown said JPNA received a $4,000 grant from the Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation for the mural Gist is currently working on. NIDC works with agencies, developers, local foundations and residents to improve Milwaukee neighborhoods. The grant was matched by Bader Philanthropies, the Brewers Community Foundation and the Milwaukee Rotary Club.
According to Gist, individuals can receive subliminal messages from murals. “Anytime we can understand where we came from, and what it takes to get us through, I believe this is a positive message,” he said.

created: November 3, 2018


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Adam Carr
November 2, 2018