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5 things to know this week in Milwaukee: Aug. 30 to Sept. 4 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
August 29, 2021
MATC is hosting a free COVID-19 vaccine clinic at its Education Center, 816 W. National Ave., Room 488, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 31. The clinic is open to the public and walk-ins are welcome. (File photo by Sue Vliet)
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about as we head into a new week. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please email info@milwaukeenns.org and put “5 things” in the subject line by noon Thursday.
1. Free COVID-19 vaccine clinics at MATC: Tuesday, Aug. 31
MATC is hosting a free COVID-19 vaccine clinic at its Education Center, 816 W. National Ave., Room 488, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 31. The clinic is open to the public and walk-ins are welcome. The clinic will be offering the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines.
A second clinic will be offered at the downtown campus, 1015 N. 6th St., Room M605, from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 7. Click here to register.
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2. Community conversation: The power of sickle cell advocates: Wednesday, Sept. 1
Versiti Blood Center of Wisconsin is hosting a community conversation, “The Power of Sickle Cell Advocates.” Panelists will discuss the different types of sickle cell disease, how it impacts people’s lives, how to be an advocate and more. The conversation will take place online from 11:30 a.m. to noon on Wednesday, Sept. 1. Click here to register.
3. Jewish Community Pantry mural celebration: Tuesday, Aug. 31
For the past year, the Jewish Community Pantry, Artists Working in Education, Imagine MKE and Metcalfe Park Community Bridges have been working together. The partnership has yielded a mural. The mural will be celebrated at the Jewish Community Pantry, 2900 W. Center St., from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 31.
4. Latino Arts “Poly-wave: Seeds of Color and Shape”: Thursday, Sept. 2
Latino Arts, 1028 S. 9th St., presents “Poly-wave: Seeds of Color and Shape.” The exhibition features work by Mauricio Ramirez, a renowned muralist. The gallery will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 1. It will remain on display until Friday, Oct. 1. Gallery hours are open to the public and a $1 donation is requested.
5. Meet and greet: Milwaukee’s Educational Equity Coalition: Thursday, Sept. 2
MICAH, the Black Educators Caucus and Leaders Igniting Transformation first partnered in 2019 to combat issues of inequality and inequity in Milwaukee Public Schools. The partnership is now known as Milwaukee’s Educational Equity Coalition. The group is hosting a meet-and-greet at CORE El Centro, 130 W. Bruce St., from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 2. Registration is required.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
August 28, 2021

source: news-milwaukeenns

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

author: Dwayne Burtin


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
August 29, 2021


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OPINION: Why watching the evacuation in Afghanistan reminds me of the struggles and triumphs of my refugee family | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
May yer Thao
August 29, 2021
May yer Thao’s mother, Blia Yang (center-right in pink dress), gathers with all of her children and grandchildren. (Photo provided by May yer Thao)
Editor’s note: Have something on your mind? “Community Voices” is the place to let Milwaukee hear what you have to say. To be considered, we need your name, email address and phone number for verification. Please email your submissions to info@milwaukeenns.org.
(Photo provided by May yer Thao)
I was the first in my refugee family to be born in the United States. My parents and four older siblings were refugees from the Vietnam War, during which time, the Hmong in Laos were recruited to assist the CIA in what we call “The Secret War.” When the CIA abruptly pulled out of Laos in 1975, tens of thousands of Hmong were forced to flee.
My mom called me the night of Aug. 16, 2021, as disturbing scenes unfolded during the chaotic evacuation of Americans and Afghan allies out of Afghanistan.
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She told me to watch the news.
My mom wanted us to watch because it reminded her of the Hmong fleeing Laos after the U.S. pulled out of the Vietnam War. What she saw in Long Cheng was exactly what she saw in Afghanistan — only what happened in Afghanistan was even worse.
She was transported back to the moment she made the heartbreaking decision not to fight her way onto the first planes. She would not jeopardize leaving any of my siblings behind, nor having her family killed in the commotion. So she moved away from the planes and watched in tears as masses of people fought, children getting stamped on, people pulling guns out so their family members might get a spot.
She returned back to Long Cheng the following days, praying to get our family on a plane — but the situation was still the same. Each time, she went back home in tears, especially heartbroken when the last of the planes departed without our family on it.
She cried in disappointment and fear, reflecting on how her parents got her this far in life. Now, she felt forever stranded, forced to live in a communist country where the Hmong would be persecuted for their alliance with the U.S.
By the grace of God, through the help of our uncle Yang See and Jerry “Hog” Daniels, my family was able to escape via boat crossing the Mekong River to seek refuge in Thailand. There in Thailand, my family lived in a refugee camp, Ban Vinai, until they were sponsored by a Lutheran church to Webster, South Dakota. My parents and siblings arrived in the U.S. in August of 1976 with nothing but the clothes on their backs, a few personal items in plastic bags and no English language skills.
Fortunately, however, my mom had received some elementary school education and had a limited knowledge of the French language. Through speaking French to some church members, my family was able to communicate their needs and began to learn about life in this new country. My mother also fondly remembers the only other Asian family in this community, a Vietnamese family, also refugees from the Vietnam War who had arrived the year earlier. This family would come and visit my family, a source of familiarity despite the ethnic and cultural differences.
Shortly thereafter, my mom was able to find her sister who had been relocated to Merced, California. Half a year after arriving in the U.S., my parents moved the family to reunite with my aunt, uncle and cousins. In July of 1977, I was born in Merced — the first on both sides of the families to be born in this country. My parents and aunt and uncle worked the fields for a farmer while our families lived in shacks on the farm.
Several years later, my dad packed up the family in our red Buick station wagon and moved us again, this time to St. Paul, Minnesota, to reunite with my dad’s clan who had just arrived in the U.S.
I was raised in Minnesota and watched as our Hmong community there grew larger and larger, with second and third migrations. I watched the Hmong community unite, start nonprofits to provide social services to our community, to preserve culture and language through events such as Hmong New Year celebrations and summer sports festivals. I watched as my community learned how to use our voices to stand against racism toward the Hmong community. I watched as we learned to enter politics with our first ever in the country, Hmong American State Sen. Mee Moua.
It was a journey of evolution and transformation, not just for a young Hmong American girl born to refugee parents, but for an entire refugee community who came from an agrarian background.
In 2006, I “married” into Milwaukee, where my husband lived and was raised. Here in Milwaukee for the last 15 years, I now have a family of my own and a community that I love. A community that is rich with diversity and amazing grit. My love of our Milwaukee drives me to action in small and big ways, whether it is through city/community/board engagement or through reading books to young Milwaukee children via video recording, or through supporting our local small businesses – these are the ways in which I invest in my community here.
It is my hope that we welcome our Afghan brothers and sisters with open arms, in the simple spirit of humanity. And in the belief that, just like all refugee and immigrant communities that call Milwaukee, Wisconsin and America “home,” our Afghan brothers and sisters will also contribute so much value to our greater communities.
My last hope is that many of us, especially those of us who come from refugee experiences, extend a hand to lift this community up just as we had those who extended their hands to lift us up.
May yer Thao is a longtime resident, passionate about anything and everything Milwaukee. She is assistant deputy director of the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority.

author: May yer Thao


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May yer-crossed arms (1) | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
August 28, 2021


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May yer Family | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
August 28, 2021


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Post from Community: Cavalier Johnson to headline Newsmaker Luncheon | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Press Club
August 30, 2021
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Cavalier Johnson, president of the Milwaukee Common Council, will be the featured speaker at a Newsmaker Luncheon, hosted jointly by the Milwaukee Press Club and WisPolitics.com on Wednesday, September 22.
Johnson will give his perspective on the future of Milwaukee and share his thoughts about becoming the acting mayor when Tom Barrett receives confirmation from the U.S. Senate to become the new United States Ambassador to Luxembourg.
Johnson was elected to the Milwaukee Common Council in 2016 and re-elected in 2020. He has served as Common Council president since last year. He plans to run for mayor when a special election is held.
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Johnson will take questions from a panel of journalists and from the audience at the luncheon, set for 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Newsroom Pub, 137 E. Wells St.
The media panel:
Alison Dirr, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Jason Fechner, Spectrum News 1
Edgar Mendez, Neighborhood News Service
The Milwaukee Press Club’s Newsmaker Lunch Hour series is underwritten by presenting sponsor Spectrum News 1.
WisPolitics.com partners with the press club as part of its ongoing event series in Milwaukee, sponsored by UW-Milwaukee, Wisconsin Academy of Global Education and Training, ELEVEN25 at Pabst, Milwaukee Police Association, The Firm Consulting, Medical College of Wisconsin and Spectrum.
The press club’s Newsmaker Luncheons are held to inform the public about the people and issues that affect individuals and communities in Milwaukee and Wisconsin. The cost to attend is $20 for MPC members, $25 for non-members and $15 for students. Lunch is included. Seating is limited. Advanced registration and payment are required and may be done online at www.milwaukeepressclub.org. Checks may be mailed to the MPC at PO Box 176, North Prairie, WI  53153-0176. Cancellations will be accepted up to 48 hours in advance for a full refund.
Please note, that in adherence with the CDC guidance, masks are recommended indoors.
Questions? Please contact Joette Richards at the Milwaukee Press Club at joette@milwaukeepressclub.org or call 262-894-2224.
Special thanks to the Safe House/Newsroom Pub, home of the Milwaukee Press Club, for hosting the Newsmaker Luncheon Series. Think of the Newsroom Pub for your next private party! MPC members can book a room at no charge. The Newsroom Pub has FREE wireless internet service compliments of the Safe House.

author: Milwaukee Press Club


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Post from Community: LaVarnway Boys & Girls Club to sunset | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee
August 30, 2021
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee (BGCGM) today announced it will sunset the Augusta M. LaVarnway Boys & Girls Club at 2739 N 15th Street in Milwaukee. BGCGM has been leasing the building where the LaVarnway Boys & Girls Club is located from Milwaukee Rescue Mission (MRM) for almost five years with the understanding that BGCGM would shutter the space at the end of the lease in March of 2022. BGCGM requested an early evolution process whereby the LaVarnway location will close at the end of December 2021 to minimize any service interruptions for Club members. December provides a clean stopping point for members, while March would have affected students in the middle of the spring semester.
The LaVarnway Club transition plan dates back to the spring of 2017 when BGCGM’s Board of Trustees made the strategic decision to shift the organization away from property management and ownership. BGCGM sold the building to MRM in spring of 2017 and agreed to rent the facility from MRM for the next five years. This was communicated with BGCGM’s staff, members, and their families at the time to make them aware of this forthcoming transition. MRM owns the entire building and occupies a separate portion of the building where they house their school and community programs. MRM will be finalizing their plans in the coming weeks, to determine how they will expand and continue to serve the community.
The 14 staff members currently working at LaVarnway Boys & Girls Club are guaranteed positions at another BGCGM location and all 88 children and teens enrolled at the LaVarnway Club will be invited to continue their memberships at another BGCGM Club location. There are 44 Club locations in Milwaukee and 8 are near the LaVarnway Club:
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North Division: .4 miles
LaFollette: 1 mile
Clarke: 1.1 miles
Siefert: 1.2 miles
Riverwest: 1.7 miles
Fitzsimonds: 1.8 miles
Pieper-Hillside: 1.8 miles
Carver: 1.8 miles
BGCGM will be coordinating field trips for members and their families to visit these nearby Clubs for “open house days” beginning in September. The field trips will provide LaVarnway Club members and their families the opportunity to meet other Boys & Girls Club members and be introduced to Club staff at each location.
“This was not a quick or easy decision,” said BGCGM president and CEO, Kathy Thornton-Bias. “It’s a move though that we are prepared for and reminds us that the heart of our mission lies within our amazing people.”
Starting immediately and through December, BGCGM will continue to communicate and work with parents, members, and staff to ensure smooth transitions.
“Though this is a transition for our Club members and our LaVarnway staff, we are confident everyone involved will continue to benefit from and enjoy the opportunities the Clubs provide,” said Thornton-Bias. “Though the purpose of the bricks and mortar is evolving, the impact of those who brought the building to life will not be diminished.”

author: Boys & Girls Club of Greater Milwaukee


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Post from Community: Ayanna O’Kimosh will keynote third annual State of Wisconsin Girls Summit | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Alverno College
August 31, 2021
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Alverno College will host the third annual State of Wisconsin Girls Summit on October 9, which will feature keynote speaker Ayanna O’Kimosh, a 13-year-old three-time national boxing champion from Keshena, Wis.
The State of Wisconsin Girls Summit is an opportunity for girls, community leaders, agencies that serve girls and the general public to have thoughtful, productive conversations and celebrate the contributions of girls to our community
O’Kimosh is a member of the Oneida Nation and a descendant of the Menominee and Arikara nations who seeks to raise awareness of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls and teach self-defense to girls on the reservation. Her motivation is personal. In June 2020, a relative of O’Kimosh was reported missing from the Menominee reservation.
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“Ayanna not only embodies physical strength,” said Lindsey Harness, Ph.D., director of the Alverno College Research Center for Women and Girls. “She represents mental, emotional and spiritual strength as well. We are thrilled to have her keynote as she truly demonstrates multi-dimensional wellness, self-empowerment and peer-to-peer empowerment.”
This year’s event will be virtual, with wellness as the theme. There will be several breakout sessions encouraging girls to take care of themselves physically, mentally, emotionally and financially, as well as a panel of girls discussing virtual learning. O’Kimosh’s keynote address begins at 10 a.m.
For more information and to register for the Girls Summit, visit alverno.edu/research/girlssummit.
Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast are partners of the event, and sponsors include Catalyst Construction.
About Alverno College
Founded in 1887 by the School Sisters of St. Francis, Alverno College promotes the academic, personal and professional development of its students in a collaborative and inclusive environment. Undergraduate programs for women are offered in more than 60 areas of study, and graduate programs in education, nursing, community psychology, school psychology, music therapy, music and liturgy, and business are open to women and men.
A leader in higher education innovation, Alverno has earned international accolades for its highly effective ability-based, assessment-as-learning approach to education, which emphasizes hands-on experience and develops in-demand skills. The college, Wisconsin’s first Hispanic-Serving Institution, ranks among the top schools in the Midwest for its commitment to undergraduate teaching and innovation by U.S. News & World Report. For two years, The Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education named Alverno the country’s most inspiring college.
Based in Milwaukee, Wis., Alverno College is a four-year independent, Catholic, liberal arts college.

author: Alverno College


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Ayanna-1200px.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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August 31, 2021

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Post from Community: Band Shell season extends performances into September | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care
August 31, 2021
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Entertainment at St. Ann Center’s north side band shell will continue into September, making up for earlier cancelations due to weather. Indaba Nights is set for 6:30-8:30 p.m., the first three Wednesdays of the month at the center’s Bucyrus Campus, 2450 W. North Ave.
The band shell, located at St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care-Bucyrus Campus, offers a covered, wheelchair-accessible audience space, plus lawn seating. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Food trucks will also be at the venue.
The September entertainment lineup includes:
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September 1:
6:30 p.m. The Festival City Symphony String Trio—violinists Ellen Willman and JoAnn Haasler and cellist Marti Kriefall—will play a mix of music, including classical, pop, ragtime and show tunes.
7:30 p.m. Sorry, We’re Open, an acoustic-based rock group influenced by the likes of Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and the Rolling Stones, takes pride in their unique arrangements of classic songs that invite audience participation.
Sorry, We’re Open
September 8:
6:30-8:30 p.m. Nite N’ Day Band offers an evening of soulful, swinging music—from Aretha Franklin to Billy Holiday and Lionel Richie to The Temptations. Sit back and enjoy the R&B and Motown sounds of Bobby Jiles, playing sax and piano and vocalizing with Julie Thompson on bass and JC on guitar.
Nite N’ Day Band
September 15:
6:30 p.m. Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra spotlights talented students who are the future of jazz in Milwaukee and the world. Buckle up for jazz favorites, performed on trumpet, keyboard, bass and drums.
7:30 p.m. To be Announced
To get regular updates on the summer performance season, visit StAnnCenter.org/Indaba; or Facebook.com/IndabaBandShell. For more information, contact Gloria Miller at 414-210-2428.


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Post from Community: “Seating” expanded for ‘The Epidemic and The Game’ trauma treatment seminar on Sept. 11 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Convergence Resource Center
August 31, 2021
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Additional accommodations have been made after more people than expected registered for a free training on Saturday, Sept. 11 to assist people who have survived traumatic events. Several hundred people ranging from social workers to first responders, lawyers, law enforcement officers and mental health therapists are expected to attend the virtual training, which was originally scheduled to be held at Cardinal Stritch University’s campus in Glendale.
“A very generous donor stepped forward to cover the additional costs to expand attendance for our eighth annual The Epidemic and The Game  training,” said  Debbie Lassiter, D. Div., CEO and co-founder of Convergence Resource Center (CRC). “Because of this, more people will be better informed in providing support to victims of intense trauma like sexual assaults, being sex trafficked or other experiences.”
The half-day The Epidemic and The Game seminar will focus on Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), a mental health disorder formerly called multiple personality disorder that the American Psychiatric Association estimates affects 3.5 million people in the U.S.
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“I think the number is at least 9 million and probably much higher,” said Olga Trujillo of Star Prairie, Wis.
Trujillo is an internationally sought speaker and author helping advocates, first responders and others better understand the impact of trauma on survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse and human trafficking. She has spent the past 20 year helping people living with DID after learning she had the disorder that manifested itself years after being abused by her father as a child.
“DID is not an illness, it’s a disorder,” said Michele Cohen, Ph.D., a psychotherapist from Milwaukee who has worked for decades with people living with DID. “Unfortunately, many first responders like police officers, paramedics and emergency room personnel do not even believe it’s a disorder, let alone understand it.
“As helpers, we seek to help others in distress to put things into an order that can help a person to manage their lives and life stressors so they feel they have control and a sense of satisfaction with their life,” Cohen said. “We need to listen carefully to the stories of survivors, build trust with them and then we can learn how they did survive and help to transfer those amazing survival skills into skills to help them live safe lives full of hope and possibility.”
Cohen and Trujillo will join Lassiter in leading The Epidemic and The Game half-day seminar on September 11. Each will share their perspective while offering tools and techniques to help people with this disorder. People interested in the training should register on CRC’s website (https://www.convergenceresource.org/events/the-epidemic-and-the-game-2021).
Cohen explained that dissociative disorder is a coping mechanism allowing a person to escape from reality in order to survive traumatic experiences that typically occur beginning in early childhood. DID is marked by the presence of two or more distinct personality states within one individual. Each of these personality states (sometimes known as “alters”) may have a unique name and characteristics, including a different voice, gender, and set of mannerisms.
“DID is a really creative survival process that our highly developed brains create to survive unrelenting trauma,” added Trujillo. “That’s why it is so important to diagnose it, begin treatment and start the healing process so that the person can move through the world safely.”
“Many human trafficking survivors struggle with DID,” said Lassiter. “Police officers or first responders often will take a statement from a victim, not knowing that person has DID. A minute later, that victim may have involuntarily changed alters and literally, that officer or first responder is speaking to a completely different person, leading to the victim’s statements not being accepted or being dismissed.”
“DID is real. It is common in survivors of human trafficking but very few in law enforcement recognize or believe it is a real condition,” said Trujillo. “It’s problematic for law enforcement – police officers, prosecutors and judges – because you can’t address the crime (of sex trafficking) and not believe the victim. If you don’t know what you’re seeing (with DID), you can’t investigate. And that’s advantageous to traffickers.”
“Unfortunately, medical personnel, first responders and the media irreverently interchange schizophrenia and DID and they are not in the same diagnostic category,” said Cohen. “This training is a good first step for first responders, medical personnel or anyone think about working with people who live with complex post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), like victims of sex trafficking and other crimes.”
Attendance is free, but space is limited. The Epidemic and The Game Is on Saturday, September 11 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Registration is open on CRC’s website (https://www.convergenceresource.org/events/the-epidemic-and-the-game-2021).
For more information about DID or help to find treatment, you can visit the International Society for the Study of Trauma and Dissociation (ISSTD) website (https://www.isst-d.org/resources/dissociation-faqs). For further support, you can call The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Help Line at 1-800-950-6264 or email at info@nami.org.
About Convergence Resource Center
Convergence Resource Center (CRC) is a faith-based nonprofit community service organization providing support for men and women rebuilding their lives after trauma with an emphasis on justice involved women and female survivors of human trafficking. It collaborates with more than 50 community service organizations locally and nationally through partnerships and membership in several human trafficking task forces. To learn more, call (414) 979-0591 or visit www.convergenceresource.org.

author: Convergence Resource Center


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What renters and landlords need to know now that the latest ban on evictions has been lifted | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
August 31, 2021
There are resources for struggling tenants and their landlords. (File photo by Adam Carr)
You may have heard that the U.S. Supreme Court on late Thursday overturned the federal ban on eviction, making it easier for landlords to kick out tenants behind in rent.
Confused? You’re not the only one.
But we have your back. Here are some things you should know:
What happened last week?
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The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, originally enacted the halt on evictions to stem the spread of COVID–19, seasonal influenza and the increased risk of homeless shelters becoming overcrowded in fall and winter. It was set to expire June 30, with Congress approving nearly $50 billion in rental assistance to fill the gap. Then a new moratorium, set to end Oct. 30, was put in place.
But on Thursday, the Supreme Court rejected the Biden administration’s latest moratorium, saying the CDC does not have authority to impose an eviction ban.
“It would be one thing if Congress had specifically authorized the action that the CDC has taken. But that has not happened,” the eight-page ruling states. “Instead, the CDC has imposed a nationwide moratorium on evictions in reliance on a decades-old statute that authorizes it to implement measures like fumigation and pest extermination.”
What happens now?
Local housing experts are concerned. “Our expectation here at Legal Aid is that we will see an uptick in requests for services and eviction filings,” said Colleen Foley, the executive director of the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, which provides free legal services to vulnerable residents.
But landlords represented by the Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin encouraged members to be patient with tenants.
“Little should change with or without the CDC moratorium,” the association’s leaders said in a news release. “It remains in the owners’ and renters’ best interest to work together to get the Emergency Rental Assistance funding. The only reason to evict for nonpayment at this time is if the renter refuses to apply for ERAP or does not qualify due to no loss of income.”
What did the moratorium do anyway?
Tenants who have missed monthly rent payments were protected from being forced out of their homes if they declared financial hardship. It slowed but did not completely halt eviction filings. Milwaukee is still seeing hundreds of eviction filings each month but far fewer than in typical years, according to Eviction Lab at Princeton University, which tracks evictions across the country.
What should I do now?
Resources to consult if you’re worried about eviction

author: PrincessSafiya Byers


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
August 30, 2021


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‘And now he’s gone’: Event remembers those who lost their battle with opioid addiction | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
September 1, 2021
Visitors hung notes on a display at the International Overdose Awareness Day memorial event at Zeidler Union Square in downtown Milwaukee. (Photo by Edgar Mendez)
UW-Milwaukee student Zachary Jones, 26, still remembers the call he got from his friend, Nate, last spring.
“He said: ‘I’m gonna make this time different. I’m gonna get clean,’ ” recalled Jones, who said Nate tried but struggled for several years to kick his opioid addiction.
Nate lost his battle in August 2020, Jones said, succumbing to a fatal dose of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that can kill in trace amounts and has fueled a local and national surge in drug overdoses.
Jones joined others Tuesday at Zeidler Union Square in downtown Milwaukee to pay tribute to Nate and others during a memorial event marking International Overdose Awareness Day.
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The event, hosted by the Milwaukee County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, helped put faces behind the grim tally of drug overdose victims, said Jeremy Triblett, prevention coordinator for Community Access to Recovery Services, or CARS. In his role, Triblett works on strategies to prevent suicide, gun violence and opioid abuse in Milwaukee County.
“Sometimes we lose the humanity when we see the numbers,” Triblett said.  “This is a way to remember and honor those individuals who passed.”
The event featured grief counselors, speakers providing information on Narcan, a medicine used to reverse the effects of drug overdoses, and others.
Serita Valmond, a chronic pain coach, was there to provide information on using wellness techniques to overcome addiction to pain medicine. Valmond said her car was rear-ended by a drunk driver in 2016, and, as a result, she took 15 different prescriptions to manage her symptoms.
“People begin to think that there are no alternatives other than pills to manage pain,” she said.
She used a holistic approach based on nutrition, stress management and other healing approaches to treat her pain and now works to help others do the same.
Also at the event was Captain Gregory Miller, a community paramedic program manager for the Milwaukee Fire Department. Miller shared information about the Milwaukee Overdose Response Initiative, or MORI program. MORI, a partnership between the fire department, Milwaukee Health Department and a number of community partners, involves deploying a rapid-response team to homes or hospitals in hopes that people who survived drug overdoses are ready to try to change.
“Sometimes we’re visiting people who have attempted treatment many times and suffered several near fatal overdoses,” Miller said. “It’s not easy, but we will keep getting out there and keep trying to get people into treatment.”
This year, there have been 197 confirmed drug overdose deaths in the county from January through Aug. 27, with 102 cases pending, according to data provided by Karen Domagalski, operations manager for the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office. Through the same time period last year, there were 378 drug overdose deaths.
Whites (53 percent) and African Americans (38 percent) make up the largest group of victims, while 6 percent were Hispanic. Three Native Americans and multi-race individuals, and two East Indian and East Pacific Islanders also died of drug overdoses this year. Three-fourths of all victims were men. The youngest victim was just 1-year-old, while the oldest was 77.
The 53204 ZIP code area on the South Side continues to be the city’s hotspot, losing 31 residents to drug overdoses this year. Also hit hard were neighborhoods in 53208, 53209 and 53212, which lost 21, 18 and 18 residents, respectively.
As the number of deaths continues to rise, the challenge remains in creating effective strategies to treat substance abuse disorders, Triblett said.
“We need to look at folks who may be experiencing poverty, homelessness, illness and all of these other things that become factors for drug misuse,” he said. “We need to take a public health approach to deal with this issue.”
It’s an issue Jones will never forget.
Sitting near a display that featured handwritten notes to loved ones who died of drug overdoses, Jones reminisced about the friend he lost.
“Nate was charismatic, a fun guy who just kind of went with it and was someone you wanted to be around,” he said. “But addiction is hard to escape when the end game is to escape from your reality. And now he’s gone.”
Drug treatment services in the Milwaukee area are available at the Gateway to Change, 10th Street Comprehensive Treatment Center, Rogers Behavioral Health, West Milwaukee Comprehensive Treatment Center, First Step Community Recovery Center, Meta House, West Allis Community Medical Services, United Community Center and other locations.

created: September 1, 2021

author: Edgar Mendez


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Dwayne Burtin
August 31, 2021


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OPINION: The ‘starving artist’ was all too normal before the pandemic. Let’s not repeat that toxic trope. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Kennita Hickman
September 1, 2021

author: Kennita Hickman


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
August 31, 2021


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Post from Community: Convening aims for needed change in early childhood education system | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Greater Milwaukee Foundation
September 2, 2021
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Quality early childhood care and education is essential for the long-term success of young people in our region and for today’s workforce to effectively function, but the sector is in crisis. Lack of access to quality, affordable services for children 0-3 has chronically plagued Milwaukee – especially Black and Brown families – and the pandemic has compounded inequities and pushed the system to a breaking point.
The Greater Milwaukee Foundation is inviting everyone who cares about our littlest learners, the economic prosperity of our communities and the future of our region to participate in part two of its virtual A Milwaukee for All series on Sept. 17. National experts will join local changemakers and people throughout the community to learn and take action on solutions to transform the early care and education system so it works for everyone.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN
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9 – 10:30 a.m.
Friday, Sept. 17
Cost = FREE
“Quality, affordable early childhood education is one of the Foundation’s top priorities. Its positive impact on a child’s development lasts a lifetime, and it also allows parents to work, creating economic benefit that spans two generations,” said Foundation president and CEO Ellen Gilligan. “That’s why everyone should care that half of Milwaukee children are without access to the quality early care and education they need. In the last two years, the Foundation has accelerated investment in efforts to stabilize and strengthen the sector alongside our Milwaukee Succeeds education partners and civic collaborators across the region. Our upcoming convening gives us an opportunity to learn more, invest more and do more together to remake the system into the one we need for families and providers to thrive.”
Dialogue with national experts
At the heart of the virtual convening, Gilligan will lead a vital dialogue about the state of the sector and the steps we need to take together now to enact meaningful change. Her special guests are two women whose leadership and contributions are shaping the latest approaches to workforce challenges and equity-focused solutions in early care and education:
Interact with On the Table MKE
Immediately following the central dialogue, all attendees will be able to join the discussion through a selection of participatory On the Table MKE conversations, the Foundation’s unique platform for community connection and collective action. Local leaders will team up to facilitate discussions on a range of topics designed to advance community solutions in early childhood education. Guests can choose from one of eight breakout rooms:
Participants will leave their sessions with ideas for individual and collective action.
A long-term commitment to children, families and community
The Foundation’s work and investments in the early childhood education space are informed by deep community relationships and through local research, including a seminal study of the sector commissioned by the Foundation called A Seat at the Table, which detailed the gaps in access in Milwaukee and why they are occurring. The Sept. 17 convening will build on this knowledge base.
This special event series overall is an extension of the Foundation’s strategic vision of A Milwaukee for All and presents an opportunity to work collectively toward a thriving, inclusive region. With racial equity and inclusion as its North Star, the Foundation is playing a catalytic role by bringing community and philanthropy together, particularly around early childhood education, matters of equitable economic opportunity and the collective work of the ThriveOn Collaboration.
The first event in the series – focused on equitable economic opportunity – took place June 25 and featured Dr. Andre Perry, senior fellow with the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program and author of “Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities.” View the full Community Summary Report for videos, key take-aways and resources for change.
About the Greater Milwaukee Foundation
The Greater Milwaukee Foundation is Wisconsin’s largest community foundation and was among the first established in the world. For more than a century, the Foundation has been at the heart of the civic community, helping donors achieve the greatest philanthropic impact, elevating the work of changemakers across neighborhoods, and bringing people and organizations together to help our region thrive. Racial equity is the Foundation’s North Star, guiding its investments and strategies for social and economic change. Leveraging generations of community knowledge, cross-sector partnerships and more than $1 billion in financial assets, the Foundation is committed to reimagining philanthropy, recentering communities and remaking systems to transform our region into a Milwaukee for all.

created: September 2, 2021

author: Greater Milwaukee Foundation


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September 2, 2021


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Post from Community: HOW TO ACTUALLY GRADUATE IN A VIRTUAL WORLD kicks off Amplify series this fall | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
First Stage
September 2, 2021
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
The second season of Amplify – First Stage’s BIPOC Short Play Series begins today with the world premiere production of HOW TO ACTUALLY GRADUATE IN A VIRTUAL WORLD by award-winning playwright/actor Nikkole Salter and a collaboration with Milwaukee Black Theater Festival’s Youth Night. This timely play explores the experience of a group of high school students as they confront the reality that their high school graduation will be virtual during their pandemic school year. Tune in to find out how this group of friends – with a little imagination and a hefty amount of teamwork – finds a creative way to celebrate this year’s graduation. The Amplify series is sponsored by Children’s Wisconsin. This project is also supported in part by a grant from the Milwaukee Arts Boardand the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin. Suggested for families with young people ages 12+.
Director/Artistic Inclusion and Community Engagement Director Samantha D. Montgomery shared her thoughts on the production: “This play shines light on the challenges that our youth are facing during this pandemic. It encourages them to let their light shine with determination during this difficult time, and not give up. It helps them realize that we see them and their efforts will bring them the promotion and visibility that they deserve.”
HOW TO ACTUALLY GRADUATE IN A VIRTUAL WORLD is free to stream on demand on First Stage’s YouTube channel and premieres at on Wednesday, September 1 at 7 p.m. It will stream September 1through December 5, 2021. For more information, please go to:
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firststage.org/events-tickets/2021-22-season/amplify-bipoc-short-play-series/
The Amplify series first launched in the spring of 2021 and begins its second season this fall. In this new series, three short plays have been created by Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) playwrights that center on the young person’s point of view, amplifying the voices of these artists and young people throughout the Milwaukee community.
First Stage has had a long history of age-appropriate casting and of centering its work on the young person’s point of view. Understanding the power of connection that young people feel when they see themselves and their stories on stage, the organization is excited to continue this series featuring newly commissioned work from noted BIPOC playwrights and directors. First Stage’s commitment to commissioning work by Black, Indigenous and People of Color whose voices offer the organization an opportunity to expand its artistic horizons and develop its audience’s perspective.
Artistic Director Jeff Frank commented on the next installment of the Amplify series: “I am thrilled that First Stage is able to offer the second season of our Amplify series. Each of these productions features the work of a national playwright using their voice to lift those of the young people of Milwaukee. Connecting these remarkable writers with our amazing young people and witnessing them all working together to create powerful plays that speak with authenticity has been an amazing experience. We can’t wait to share their work with First Stage audiences.”
BIOGRAPHIES
Nikkole Salter (Playwright) is an OBIE Award-winning actress and dramatist. Her plays include IN THE CONTINUUM (NY Outer Critics Circle’s John Gassner Award for Best New American Play, 2006; Helen Hayes Award, 2007), REPAIRING A NATION, OF GREAT MERIT, CARNAVAL, LINES IN THE DUST and FREEDOM RIDERS. Ms. Salter is a 2014 MAP Fund Grant recipient, a Theatre Hall of Fame Seldes-Kanin Fellowship awardee and a recipient of the Global Tolerance Award from the Friends of the United Nations. Ms. Salter is also co-founder of The Continuum Project, Inc., a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that creates innovative artistic programming for community empowerment and enrichment. Its primary endeavor, The Legacy Program: Residency – a youth development initiative that uses the arts to reconnect descendants of the TransAtlantic Slave Trade to the specificity of their African ancestry – was featured on the PBS series, Finding Your Roots, hosted by Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Ms. Salter is an active member of the Actors’ Equity Association, the Screen Actors Guild/American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Dramatists Guild. She received her BFA in theatre from Howard University and her MFA from New York University’s Graduate Acting Program under the tutelage of Zelda Fichandler and Ron Van Lieu. nikkolesalter.com/about
Samantha D. Montgomery (Director/Artistic Inclusion and Community Engagement Director) is a performance artist who is committed to the process of learning. She has worked in both traditional and non-traditional educational settings. Teaching is her passion, connectivity is her goal and working collaboratively in unity to nurture trust, acceptance, inclusion and community is her commitment. She has enjoyed working at First Stage as a Teaching Artist and is grateful for the opportunity to work as the Artistic Inclusion and Community Engagement Director. Samantha is a member of Actors’ Equity Association. She holds a BA from Alverno College in Professional Communication, a MS from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Administrative Leadership and Supervision in Adult Education and a MA from Alverno College in Education.
Jeff Frank (Artistic Director) is recognized as one of the top directors in the field with an expertise in developing new work for theater for young audiences. He holds a BFA in Theater from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and an MFA in Child Drama from the University of Utah. Having served as First Stage’s Education and Academy Director from 1996 – 2003 and as First Stage’s Artistic Director since February 2003, Jeff remains committed to the power of theater to transform lives and is forever thankful to call First Stage home.
CAST
HOW TO ACTUALLY GRADUATE IN A VIRTUAL WORLD features First Stage Young Performers: Maya O’Day Biddle (Greenfield) as TT; Jonae Thomas (Sussex) as Jordan; Christian Hughes (Milwaukee) as Kenya; Abby Wallace (Milwaukee) as Shannon; Nahjee Robinson (Milwaukee) as Raynell and Daisha Lafford (Milwaukee) as TT/Workshop Alternate.
The Artistic Staff for HOW TO ACTUALLY GRADUATE IN A VIRTUAL WORLD includes: Samantha D. Montgomery (Director/Artistic Inclusion and Community Engagement Director); Natalie Mayo (Stage Manager and Sound Designer); Nikki Kulas (Properties Master); Emily Adams (Technical Director); Steven Siegel (Lead Carpenter); Jacob Mitchell (Location Audio Capture and Engineer) and Traveling Lemur Productions, Inc. (Film and Editing).
HOW TO ACTUALLY GRADUATE IN A VIRTUAL WORLD
By Nikkole Salter
Directed by Samantha Montgomery
Streaming September 1 – December 5, 2021
When Milwaukee High announces that graduation will be virtual, TT gathers friends to come up with a way to make the ceremony special. As they weigh their options – and battle invisibility, hopelessness and indifference – we learn how the pandemic affected them all. Is an achievement an achievement if it goes unacknowledged? Tune in and consider this question in this provocative short play. Suggested for families with young people ages 12+.
Additional productions in the 2021/22 Amplify – BIPOC Short Play Series are:
STEP KIDS
A one-act musical by Tyrone L. Robinson and Postell Pringle
Directed by Christopher Gilbert
Limited capacity live performances at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center:
Saturday, October 2 at 4 p.m. & 7 p.m. and Sunday, October 3 at 1 p.m. & 4 p.m.
Streaming October 11 – December 5, 2021
A group of seemingly unconnected high school students find common ground in the most unlikely of places – the audition for their school’s competitive step dance team. As the students become unified through the power of rhythm and dance, experience the joy of finding your tribe in this energetic performance. Suggested for families with young people ages 10+.
THE TALE OF LA LLRONA AS TOLD BY CONSUELO CHAVEZ
By José Casas
Directed by David Flores
Limited capacity live performances at the Marcus Center’s Todd Wehr Theater:
Saturday, October 23 at 4 p.m. & 7 p.m. and Sunday, October 24 at 1 p.m. & 4 p.m.
Streaming October 30 – December 5, 2021
Disappointed that a thunderstorm has stopped them from their traditional trick or treating, six middle-schoolers huddle together in a basement on what might be the last time they are together to celebrate All Hallow’s Eve. To pass the time, they share some of their favorite ghost stories . . . but are they just stories? Suggested for families with young people ages 12+. Warning – the performance includes blackouts, loud noises and scary moments.
To reserve tickets for in-person performances or for additional information, please go to:firststage.org/events-tickets/2021-22-season/amplify-bipoc-short-play-series/ or call (414) 267-2961.

author: First Stage


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September 1, 2021


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Where to find mental health resources in Milwaukee as students return to in-person classes | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
September 2, 2021
It’s a new school year, and kids might need access to mental health professionals as the pandemic has created more challenges for some. (Stock photo)
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of the last name of Charlie Bauernfeind, school coordinator for the School Community Partnership for Mental Health.
As students return to in-person instruction after enduring a pandemic school year, they might need help from mental health professionals to navigate the next chapter of COVID-19.
Here are some resources:
Mental Health America of Wisconsin has a searchable resource directory for Milwaukee organizations. Results can be filtered for children’s services and insurance status.
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Resources can also be found by calling or texting Impact 2-1-1. To text, send your ZIP code to 898-211.
Shine Through, an initiative from the Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, has online resources for parents in three age ranges. Parents of kids aged birth to 5 years old, from 6 to 12 years old or from 13 to adulthood can find tips for the specific needs of their children.
Community clinics, including Milwaukee Health Services, Progressive Community Health Centers and Outreach Community Health Centers, can offer or refer mental health services as well.
For crisis needs, such as risk of self-harm, you can call the Milwaukee County Psychiatric Crisis Line at 414-257-7222. You can also call 911 or take your child to an emergency room if needed. For non-crisis needs, the Milwaukee County Warmline can be reached at 414-777-4729.
Students at Milwaukee Public Schools can receive services at their schools at least twice a week through the School Community Partnership for Mental Health. Kids are able to see clinicians for a wide range of needs, including anxiety and depression.
The program gets clinicians from six community providers: Mental Health America of Wisconsin, Sebastian Family Psychology Practice, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, Lutheran Social Services of Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, AMRI Counseling Services and Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers.
Charlie Bauernfeind, school coordinator for the School Community Partnership for Mental Health, said the program was expanding this year to cover 37 schools.
Bauernfiend said all students have to do to get involved with the program is speak with support staff at their schools. Students will be able to access the services regardless of their ability to pay for them, Bauernfiend said.
Students at the following schools can participate in the partnership*:
*The expansion schools on this list are expected to get full approval from the Board of School Directors in September. Services are already being offered at schools that were previously in the program, which can be found here.
Did we miss a resource? E-mail reporter Matt Martinez at matthew.martinez@marquette.edu.

author: Matt Martinez


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 1, 2021


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5 things to do and know the weekend of Sept. 3 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
September 3, 2021
Milwaukee County Healthy Start is hosting a prenatal resource fair at COA Goldin Center, 2320 W. Burleigh St., on Friday, Sept. 3. (File photo by Andrea Waxman)
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about as we head into the weekend.
If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please email info@milwaukeenns.org and put “5 things” in the subject line by noon Thursday.
1. Milwaukee County prenatal resource fair: Friday, Sept. 3
Milwaukee County Healthy Start is hosting a prenatal resource fair. The event will take place at COA Goldin Center, 2320 W. Burleigh St., from noon to 4 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 3. The event is free. Individuals are encouraged to register.
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2. Public invited to offer input to Independent Redistricting Committee: Friday, Sept. 3
The Milwaukee County Independent Redistricting Committee is inviting the public to attend this week’s meeting. Residents interested in offering their input can sign up here. The meeting will take place virtually at 1 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 3. The maps must be drawn in 13 weeks to prepare for the start of the spring election process.
3. “Taste of Metcalfe Park” rummage sale: Saturday, Sept. 4
Metcalfe Park Community Bridges is hosting a rummage sale called “Taste of Metcalfe Park.” Community members, entrepreneurs and vendors will be selling various goods. The event will take place at Metcalfe Park Rising, 3401 W. Center St., from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4.
4. First Stage launches “Amplify” season two: Ongoing
Earlier this week, First Stage launched the second season of “Amplify,” its short play series featuring BIPOC, or Black, Indigenous and People of Color, playwrights. The newest show is “How to Actually Graduate in A Virtual World” by Nikkole Salter. The plot follows a group of friends and their attempts to make their graduation day a special one. The show is free to stream from now until Sunday, Dec. 5. Read: First Stage’s ‘Amplify’ series raises the voices of people of color.
5. “Fiesta Selena MKE”: Saturday, Sept. 4 and Sunday, Sept. 5
The Farmhouse Paint Bar & Banquet Hall, 4511 S. 6th St., is celebrating the musician Selena with “Fiesta Selena.” The two-day art festival will take place from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 4 and from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 5. There will be live music, artisan vendors, crafts, food and more.

created: September 3, 2021

author: Ana Martinez-Ortiz


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 2, 2021


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NNS Spotlight: Group gives single moms a helping hand | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
September 3, 2021
Gail Grenier Sweet (right) prepares a quilt for an upcoming online auction. She is the founder of the HOPE Single Mothers Network. (Photo by Matt Martinez)
Once in a while, when Gail Grenier Sweet walks around Milwaukee, she gets approached by women who look familiar.
It happened just a few weeks ago. With tears in her eyes, a woman walked up to Sweet and said: “You gave me a crib when I had nothing.”
For nearly 40 years, Sweet’s organization, the HOPE Network for Single Mothers, has supported women raising children on their own in the city.
Babette Honoré, executive director of HOPE Network for Single Mothers, said the organization’s $5 membership is the only fee moms pay. The rest is free, including the “baby starter kits,” also known as layette bags, that the organization distributes.
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Honoré said the layette bags have about $125 worth of supplies, including clothes, diapers, towels and wet wipes. The bags also include a pacifier, a toy and books for the baby as well. These are available to anyone who signs up.
The HOPE Network’s layette bags contain about $125 worth of baby supplies. (Photo by Matt Martinez)
Despite being based in Menomonee Falls, the majority of mothers in the program come from the North Side, Honoré said.
Gracie Marchese, office manager at HOPE Network for Single Mothers, handles deliveries into the city. She also provides assistance in getting mothers connected with resources during visits and from the office. Marchese said she delivers anywhere from seven to 10 layette bags a month.
One of the goals of the program is to help participants stand on their own two feet, whether it’s by finding them secure employment or getting them back to school. The organization gave out $25,500 in scholarships last year to 10 recipients, which they could use for tuition payment or child care while attending school.
Since she founded the organization in 1982, Sweet said she’s been inspired by the thousands of women she’s met.
“You’d be amazed at their great sense of humor and their great resourcefulness,” Sweet said. “If you want something done, ask a single mom. They get it done.”
Babette Honoré is the executive director of the HOPE Network for Single Mothers. (Photo by Matt Martinez)
To join the HOPE Network for Single Mothers, you can fill out this application online or call (262) 251-7333 for assistance.


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Dwayne Burtin
September 2, 2021


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Dwayne Burtin
September 2, 2021


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Post from Community: 10th Annual Silver City InterNational Festival | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Via CDC
September 3, 2021
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
VIA CDC and Presenting Event Sponsor Komatsu Mining Corp. Group invite you to the 10th Annual Silver City InterNational Festival on Saturday, September 11th from 12:00pm – 5:00pm. Join us in celebrating the Cultural Diversity of Silver City. This is a free event that brings Milwaukee residents together to celebrate the cultural diversity of the Silver City neighborhood through food, arts, and music!
This year’s festival will be held at Arlington Heights Park located on 3429 W Pierce St. Milwaukee, WI. The festival will include live music performances, a variety of ethnic food vendors, children’s and art activities, and a community “passport” activity guide. Complete the passport activity to enter to win the following prizes: Urban Ecology Center membership, Summerfest tickets or Brewer Game tickets.
Highlights include musical and dance performances from Donna Re’nee, Javier Escamilla y Espectáculo Charro, Rising Dragon Martial Arts Demonstration, Salsabrositas Dance Company, Filipino Tinikling Dance, and Traditional + Modern Hmong Dance.
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Bring the whole family to this FREE one-of-a kind, exciting festival!
For more information please visit: https://viacdc.org/event/silvercityfest/
Silver City InterNational Festival is made possible in partnership with our sponsors, including Presenting Sponsor Komatsu and Sound Sponsors 88NINE Radio Milwaukee, BMO Harris Bank and PNC Bank.

author: Via CDC


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Post from Community: MATC to host public COVID-19 vaccine clinic at Downtown Milwaukee campus Sept. 7 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Area Technical College
September 3, 2021
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Milwaukee Area Technical College will a host free, public COVID-19 vaccine clinic from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 7, at the Downtown Milwaukee Campus. The clinic will be held in Room M605, of the Main Building, 1015 N. 6th St..The Pfizer vaccine will be administered.
Free vouchers for the parking structure at North 8th and West State Streets will be available, and snacks and wellness kits will be offered.
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Walk-ins are welcome, but you may pre-register at https://tinyurl.com/4wk7nbdv.
The Pfizer vaccine may be administered to anyone 12 years of age and up with parental approval. Vaccines are free, but please bring your insurance card.
“MATC wants to encourage members of the community, students and staff to get the vaccine to keep everyone safe and healthy,” said Dr. Josie Veal, MATC’s public health officer. “This is especially important as the more contagious Delta variant has caused a surge in Wisconsin.”
For more information on both clinics, call Dr. Veal at  414-297-8095.
Wisconsin’s largest technical college and one of the most diverse two-year institutions in the Midwest, Milwaukee Area Technical College is a key driver of southeastern Wisconsin’s economy and has provided innovative education in the region since 1912. More than 30,000 students per year attend the college’s four campuses and community-based sites or learn online. MATC offers affordable and accessible education and training opportunities that empower and transform lives in the community. The college offers more than 170 academic programs; and transfer options leading to bachelor’s degrees with more than 40 four-year colleges and universities. Overwhelmingly, MATC graduates build careers and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin. The college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

author: Milwaukee Area Technical College


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Post from Community: Rock Da Block Concert and Bookbag Giveaway | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
African American Roundtable
September 3, 2021

author: African American Roundtable


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Image-11 (1) | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 3, 2021

author: Dwayne Burtin


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NNS on ‘Lake Effect’: 5 things to do this September in Milwaukee neighborhoods | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
September 4, 2021
NNS will be at the Silver City International Festival along with a photographer, our couch and much of our staff. (NNS file photo by Sue Vliet)
NNS’s Adam Carr joins WUWM 89.7-FM, Milwaukee’s NPR and Joy Powers of “Lake Effect” for the September installment of our monthly “5 Things” feature.
Listen to the interview here.
This month includes a culinary-themed StorySlam from Ex Fabula; Silver City International Festival 2021(which will feature the return of our couch and community photo shoot); a cultural plant walk with herbalist Angela Kingsawan; a creative entrepreneur market from CirculateMKE at Alice’s Garden; and Doors Open 2021, which will include “Neighborhood Gems,” our collaborative event with Historic Milwaukee.
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created: September 4, 2021

author: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service


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48706623553_03bef46095_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 4, 2021


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5 things to know this week in Milwaukee: Sept. 6 to Sept. 11 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
September 6, 2021
Come to the Silver City International Festival on Saturday and get your photo taken on our infamous orange couch. (File photo by Sue Vliet)
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please email info@milwaukeenns.org and put “5 things” in the subject line by noon Thursday.
1. Deer District Market: Wednesday, Sept. 8
The Deer District Market, 1134 Vel R. Phillips Ave., will be open from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 8. The market features minority-owned businesses including Tatay’s Truck, Soul Brew Kombucha, Emmanuels Mix and more. The market is scheduled to occur weekly on Wednesdays through September.
2. Milwaukee Recreation “Fitness in the Park”: Wednesday, Sept. 8 and Saturday, Sept. 11
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Milwaukee Recreation is offering free outdoor yoga classes this fall. This week, there will be a class at Hawthorn Glen, 1130 N. 60th St., from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 8 and at Wick Playfield, 4929 W. Vliet St., from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11. Click here to register.
3. Bike rides with Red Bike and Green: Thursday, Sept. 9
Red Bike and Green-Milwaukee hosts monthly bike rides through Harambee. The group leads cyclists on a casual pace tour through the neighborhood. Interested individuals can meet at 5 Points Gallery & Studios, 3514 N. Port Washington Ave., at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 9.
4. Café con Arte: Mauricio Ramirez exhibit: Friday, Sept. 10
Latino Arts is hosting Café con Arte featuring its new exhibit, “Mauricio Ramirez: Poly Wave – Seeds of Color and Shape.” The event will take place at Latino Arts, 1028 S. 9th St., from 8:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 10. It costs $5 to attend and comes with fresh churros and coffee.
5. Silver City International Festival: Saturday, Sept. 11
VIA’s Silver City International Festival is back. The festival will take place at Arlington Heights Park, 3439 W. Pierce St., from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11. The festival celebrates the cultural diversity of the Silver City neighborhood. There will be music, arts, food and more. Team NNS will also be making an appearance with our vintage orange couch to take more family-style photos.
BONUS: NNS on ‘Lake Effect’: 5 things to do this September in Milwaukee neighborhoods

created: September 6, 2021


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 5, 2021

created: September 5, 2021


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A national debt: Should government compensate for slavery and racism? | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Molly Carmichael (Wisconsin Watch) and Martha Daniels (Wisconsin Watch)
September 6, 2021
Reggie Jackson, a writer for the Milwaukee Independent and the former head griot, or oral historian, at America’s Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee, has a long history of military service in his family stretching back to the Civil War.
But when two of his uncles who served in World War II returned to their home state of Mississippi, they found their veteran status wasn’t enough to reap the benefits of the GI Bill passed in 1944.
This is because Jackson’s uncles were Black.
The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act provided veterans with financial aid to reduce the possibility of a post-World War II depression. But Jackson said that two components of the GI Bill — receiving free college tuition and attaining home loans under the VA Guarantee Home Loan Program — were not available to his uncles at the time.
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“It just didn’t work out that way, because the federal government allowed the states to control the allocation of both programs,” Jackson said. “It’s just unfortunate.”
In many southern states like Mississippi, Black soldiers were denied access to these wealth-building programs. And when it came to college, many were denied the opportunity to attend southern state schools because of segregation.
Jackson said those two uncles never went to college. When they bought houses, they did so without government help.
These barriers continue to exact a toll on the wealth of Black Americans, who own and earn just a fraction of their white counterparts.
Today, there are increasing calls for government reparations — especially among Black Americans — for the up to 40 million U.S. residents whose ancestors endured generations of state-sanctioned slavery, and for the legal and de facto discrimination that continued after that repugnant institution officially ended in 1865.
Evanston, Illinois recently enacted a reparations program that gives $25,000 in housing assistance to certain African-American residents or their descendants harmed by discriminatory housing policies abolished in 1969.
The making of the racial wealth gap starts with slavery, but University of Wisconsin-Madison history professor Steve Kantrowitz said after the institution was formally abolished, it manifested in other ways.
Many Black Americans could not qualify for Social Security, as jobs typically held by Black workers, such as agricultural and domestic positions, were excluded from the program. Black residents also were blocked from getting some home loans and from living in the types of neighborhoods where home values were steady or rising. Such barriers made it nearly  impossible for Black people to acquire and accumulate wealth at the rate of white Americans, Kantrowitz said.
“So the end of slavery didn’t mean that, that Black and white people were suddenly on an equal economic, political, civil footing,” Kantrowitz said. “It meant instead that the institution of slavery had been formally abolished, and disabilities that followed from slavery were supposed to be abolished.”
Jackson said this wasn’t just a hindrance for his uncles.
“What it ends up doing is it takes longer for you to be able to begin to build that generational wealth in your family,” Jackson said. “As a result, you lose years, and in some cases, well over a decade of being able to build equity by being a homeowner and the benefits of that — you can use that equity to send your children to college without them having debt and things of that nature.”
That idea of compensating for lost years of wealth is where reparations come into play.
Leading the way on reparations
There is no consensus on what reparations would look like — or whether such a program is even warranted or feasible. Would it be federal or local? Would it be a check with no strings? Or indirect, like investing in schools and Black community programs? Should it go to all Black Americans or just those whose ancestors were enslaved? What would be done about the racial tensions and jealousies that such a program could spark?
Evanston — home of Northwestern University — approved a plan to use tax money from legal cannabis sales toward housing assistance for Black Evanston residents. The city chose a “restorative housing program” as their first initiative because of targeted acts of redlining, segregation and refusing loans to Black residents, which Evanston engaged in from 1919 to 1969.
Spearheaded by then-Ald. Robin Rue Simmons, the $400,000 program aims to increase Black homeownership and build intergenerational wealth. Qualified residents receive $25,000 toward buying or improving a home or mortgage assistance. Simmons left city government and now runs a nonprofit, FirstRepair, that encourages local reparations programs.
In an Aug. 10 Washington Post guest column, Simmons said 16 people have received compensation so far.
Meleika Gardner, Evanston resident and founder of Evanston Live TV, said the program has  opened the country up to a conversation about reparations — something she never thought was possible for Black Americans while growing up. However, what Evanston is doing is not actually reparations, Gardner argued, but an affordable housing program, which she supports.
Gardner believes that the housing program alone is insufficient to be called reparations, and that Black residents should also be receiving cash payments.
“That’s like someone murdering your family, destroying your house, destroying your car, and then walking up to you, tossing you a quarter, and saying, ‘Well, here, this is a start,’ ” Gardner said.
Simmons agreed this is just a first step.
“But we all know the road to repair injustice in the Black community is going to be a generation of work,” Simmons said during the March 22 council meeting at which the program was approved. “It’s going to be many more initiatives, programs and more funding. What I am excited about is the new engagement, the new interest in what we’re doing.”
National conversation restarts
While Evanston is thought to be the first U.S. city to pass a reparations program, the conversation regarding reparations for Black Americans is not new.
In 1989, Democratic U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. of Michigan introduced HR 40, a bill to establish a reparations commission that would study the lasting effects of slavery, public and private discriminatory practices and “lingering negative effects” on present African-American residents.
In early 2021, Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas reintroduced HR 40, taking over as the bill’s sponsor from Conyers, who died in 2019. Lee explained during a 2019 hearing that one of the goals of a reparations process is to show Americans “the many kinds of injuries sustained from chattel slavery and its continuing vestiges.”
On April 14, the House Judiciary Committee voted to move forward with HR 40, which would establish a commission to study the effects of slavery and recommend “appropriate remedies” to the Congress. It concluded with a 25-17 first-ever vote on reparations in Congress. It is unclear when the bill would move to a full House vote.
The recent COVID-19 stimulus programs could serve as a template for how the United States could compensate the descendants of enslaved people, said William Darity Jr., Duke University economics professor, and folklorist A. Kirsten Mullen, married authors of the pro-reparations book, From Here to Equality, during a recent webinar.
The type of plan advocated by Darity and Mullen would require the federal government to allocate about $800,000 to an eligible Black household, for a total cost upwards of $10 trillion. Though this is a significant amount of money, the two argue that it is warranted given the drastic inequality that persists today, as Black families have an estimated one-tenth of the wealth on average as white families.
Milwaukee epicenter of inequality
That inequality is especially pronounced in Wisconsin’s largest city.
Milwaukee has among the worst gaps in standard of living between white and Black residents, according to a 2020 study by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Center for Economic Development.
On a variety of measures ranging from income and health to homeownership and educational attainment, Milwaukee is the fourth-worst major city for Black people in the nation, but the 18th best for white people, center director Marc Levine told Wisconsin Watch.
Ald. Khalif Rainey, who represents Milwaukee’s 7th District, said he believes something needs to be done. But he warned that anything akin to reparations would likely face stiff resistance in Milwaukee.
“This is one of the more racist cities in the country, one of the more segregated cities in the country, and definitely a community where African Americans are suffering more than other communities across the country,” Rainey said.
Passing a reparations program would be a political challenge, but the United States has done it before. The Civil Liberties Act of 1988 gave residents of Japanese descent held in internment camps during World War II and their descendants individual $20,000 payments.
Views on reparations mixed
But the sheer cost of compensating African-American residents damaged by hundreds of years of slavery and discrimination is sure to spark opposition.
From 2019 to 2020, the number of Black Americans supporting reparations increased from 65% to 84%, according to a survey by Democracy in Color, an organization focused on race and politics. Support among white Americans is rising but still far below half, the poll found. In 2019, 23% of white residents polled said they favored reparations, rising to 39% in 2020, the poll found.
Reparations also face a steep climb in Congress. Then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell flatly rejected the idea in 2019, saying, “I don’t think reparations for something that happened 150 years ago for whom none of us currently living are responsible is a good idea.”
For Reggie Jackson, who can trace his ancestry back to 1792, reparations to individuals and Black communities would put right a longstanding wrong.
Said Jackson: “I say (to white people), ‘You’re not far ahead because of your Protestant work ethic or because you’re smarter and you make better decisions. You’re further ahead because the federal government is hooking you up time and time and time again, giving you access to these things that help to build generational wealth, and denying those same opportunities for Black people consistently, over a very, very, very long period of time.’ ”
This story was produced as part of an investigative reporting class at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication under the direction of Dee J. Hall, Wisconsin Watch’s managing editor. The nonprofit Wisconsin Watch (www.WisconsinWatch.org) collaborates with WPR, PBS Wisconsin, other news media and the UW-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by Wisconsin Watch do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.


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Downtown_Evanston | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 3, 2021


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Ed-and-Sallie-DIltz | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 3, 2021


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Evanston_archival | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 3, 2021


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ReggieJackson-5 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 3, 2021


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Let us take your photo at the Silver City International Festival on Saturday | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
September 6, 2021
Have your photo taken on our orange couch at the Silver City International Festival. (File photo by Sue Vliet)
Most people encourage you to get off the couch and to be active.
But your friends at NNS are telling you to get on the couch—and to get your picture taken. For free even.
We’re excited to announce that The Orange Couch is coming out of storage.
Our vintage couch, which we used as a prop a couple of summers ago to take family-style portraits, is making an appearance at Silver City International Festival.
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This year, the festival will take place at Arlington Heights Park, 3429 W. Pierce St., from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 11. Members of the NNS team will be there to take your photo and get to know you from noon to 2 p.m.
Don’t miss your chance to sit on THE couch and don’t forget to bring your family, friends, pets and, of course, yourself.
See you there!


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48707115742_c910898fdc_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 5, 2021


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Geraud Blanks’ latest role: Making sure films reflect underrepresented voices in the community | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Damia S. Causey
September 7, 2021
Geraud Blanks’ love affair with movies began at age 6. Since then, he has built a career on ensuring those who come from underrepresented communities see themselves in the films he picks. (Photo provided by Milwaukee Film)
At age 6, Geraud Blanks would go see movies weekly with his mother.
It became “their thing.”
“My mother and I went to the movies all the time. If I was really good, we’d go to the record shop, Audio Vibes, and I could get a cassette tape or maybe two,” Blanks said, referring to the now-closed independent record store located on North 23 Street and West Capitol Drive that specialized in hip-hop and underground artists.
The weekly ritual would ignite his lifelong love for film — and music.
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Now 43, Blanks’ appreciation for all things cinema has come full circle in his role as chief innovation officer for Milwaukee Film, the nonprofit arts organization and operator of the Oriental Theatre and the force behind the Milwaukee Film Festival.
This week, Banks will be focused on ensuring the Cultures & Communities Festival goes on without a hitch. The hybrid event, formerly known as the Minority Health Film Festival, began Monday and goes through Sunday, Sept. 12. It spotlights underrepresented communities and features 20 films, several workshops, panels and in-person events at venues around the city.
While film is at its core, the festival addresses topics that include love, trauma and the family.
“The community informs everything we do,” Blanks said.
Among the highlights of this year’s festival will be Grammy-award winning singer Michelle Williams, who will speak in person Wednesday about her battle with depression, and a resource fair and panel discussion focused on Black maternal health.
‘A work in progress’
Along with the pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement has also taken center stage, and Blanks is careful when considering what types of film to showcase.
This year’s lineup has social justice themes but also shows the lives of other underrepresented communities, including LGBTQ+, Asian American and Indigenous groups.
“One of the things this year I really worked on was saying we have to have a better balance to make sure we’re capturing all of these experiences,” Blanks said. “I have to be careful because as a Black man, my perspective is innately about the African American experience. In particularly, the male African American experience.”
“We’re really striving to find that balance. It’s a work in progress,” Blanks added.
To improve, MKE film hosts focus groups and listening sessions with community members throughout the year to gain understanding on what is important to show. Some topics like social justice or violence against women are tough, and Blanks considers the optics when showing heavy subject matter.
“We are sensitive to it. We want to have films that get into deep and important topics, but we want to balance that with love, sexuality and celebration,” Blanks said.
Blanks said he looks for movies with strong characters and important messages because he understands the role films can play in a person’s life.
“Geraud and I have reinforced the importance that the communities that you are trying to reach out to throughout MKE film, there isn’t just a program component but an outreach component,” said Donte McFadden, who along with Banks co-founded Black Lens, an arm of Milwaukee Film, in 2014. Black Lens showcases African American filmmakers.
The two met as undergraduates at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the late ’90s and have collaborated on multiple projects.
As Black Lens took off, Blanks juggled grad school at UWM while working full time. He would watch up to 60 movies every few weeks before selecting which films to show.
In 2018, he was offered his current position at Milwaukee Film while working on his doctorate at Northwestern University. He plans to finish his program in 2022. Blanks also is married to his wife, Element, and the couple have three children: daughter Karma, 10; and 3-year-old twin boys Nazir and Kairo.
And somehow, he manages it all.
Lights. Camera. Action. Pandemic.
Putting on a film festival during a pandemic created its own set of challenges, Blanks said.
Every theater across the country was shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. And the film industry had to find new ways to put movies in front of people.
Film festivals, in turn, had to adjust to moving to an online format.
Unlike other film festivals around the country, which started in early 2020, Milwaukee benefited from having a September 2020 start date.
That timing allowed Blanks to see what worked and what didn’t. He said MKE Film was successful because, by September, people realized that theaters would not be opening any time soon and watching first-run movies at home or on a laptop would become the norm.
“Now a year and a half later, our theaters are open, but we’re still doing virtual,” Banks said. “That will probably always be part of what we do now because people are used to movies at home. There’s a balance between welcoming people back and offering access through a virtual platform. “
The changes “made us more nimble,” he said.
A love is born
Born in Champaign, Illinois, Blanks and his mom, Deborah Blanks, moved to Milwaukee when he was 3. His mother worked for Cigna but wanted to relocate to strike out on her own and gain a sense of independence.
“When I was growing up, I thought of what I could do with my life based on the movies I saw,” he recalled.
Blanks said he came of age in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s with the movies of Spike Lee and John Singleton. “It was just seeing myself on screen. It was a magical feeling.”
One of the early movies he remembers having an emotional connection with was “Karate Kid,” which he would watch over and over again when it came out on video.
The character in the movie was raised by a single mother, and Blanks said he grew up facing similar challenges, including sometimes feeling like an outsider and wanting to fit in.
“I saw myself in that character. His mother was my mother,” he said.
Just like the movie’s character, Mr. Miyagi, served as a mentor to the Karate Kid and played an important role in his development, Blanks’ Uncle Tony became a strong male figure in his life and upbringing.
Although he knows his father and they speak often, he didn’t grow up with him in the home.
Mentors help fill the gaps for Blanks.
“I don’t know anybody that thinks of themselves as successful that can’t point to at least one, if not several mentors,” Banks said.
His daughter, Karma, appears to have caught the film bug from her dad. She is a content creator with her own channel on Zigazoo, a social platform for kids, and she even made an appearance on ABC News this summer.
Meanwhile, Blanks and his mom still go to the movies together, usually on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“My wife knows, and after we do the holiday, she says: ‘All right, go do your movie thing,’” Blanks said, chuckling.
How to attend Culture & Communities Festival
For virtual passes and in person ticket information on this year’s film festival click here.

created: September 7, 2021

author: Damia S. Causey


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Geraud | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 6, 2021


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OPINION: Efforts to suppress voting are on the rise. Here’s how we got here. And here’s how we can stop them. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Paru Shah
September 7, 2021
Alex Coleman and Rhonda Oliver were at Washington High School, a neighborhood polling place in the Sherman Park neighborhood, on Election Day 2020. (Photo by Adam Carr)
Editor’s note: Have something on your mind? “Community Voices” is the place to let Milwaukee hear what you have to say. To be considered, we need your name, email address and phone number for verification. Please email your submissions to info@milwaukeenns.org.
(Photo provided by Paru Shah)
Last month marked the 58 anniversary of the March on Washington, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Thousands gathered to protest the wave of legislation that many have argued suppress voter rights, particularly for Black and brown voters.
In 2021 alone, over 400 voter suppression bills have been proposed in state legislatures, most often Republican-led.
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How do we find ourselves here again?
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is considered one of the most successful pieces of federal legislation in the history of the country. And at the center of the Voting Rights Act’s success were Sections 4 and 5, which required jurisdictions to “preclear” changes with the Department of Justice before implementing them based on their history of race-based voter discrimination. Preclearance was massively successful at improving voting access in these “covered” jurisdictions.
In 2013, however, the Supreme Court struck down the coverage formula in Shelby County v. Holder. In a 5-4 decision, the court reasoned that the coverage formula was out of date – despite Congress’s determination that it was still needed. The ruling rendered the Section 5 preclearance system effectively inoperable. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts argued that systemic racism and discrimination in voting practices were “based on 40-year-old facts” with “no logical relation to the present day.” Local officials could now close polls, purge voters or change voting laws/dates without the permission of the federal government.
The decision in Shelby County v. Holder opened the floodgates to laws restricting voting throughout the United States. And the effects were immediate. Within 24 hours of the ruling, Texas announced that it would implement a strict photo ID law. Two other states, Mississippi and Alabama, also began to enforce photo ID laws that had previously been barred because of federal preclearance. After nearly 50 years of growth in minority voter turnout, 2013 saw a dip in Black and brown voters.
Fueled by Donald Trump’s big lie that the 2020 election was stolen and retaliating against Democratic victories in November, Republicans intensified their campaign to restrict access to the ballot.
According to the Brennan Center: “In a backlash to 2020’s historic voter turnout, and under the pretense of responding to baseless and racist allegations of voter fraud and election irregularities, state lawmakers have introduced a startling number of bills to curb the vote.”
The new onslaught of voter suppression tactics can be grouped into three types:
1. Restricting voting options
A long line of research by political scientists has documented how increasing voting options would increase turnout, but until 2019, many of those suggestions were implemented in a limited fashion. As a result of COVID-19 and concerns about in-person voting and social-distancing requirements, pandemic-related changes to voting options included expanded absentee-voting, vote-by-mail, additional polling locations and longer early-voting periods.
And these worked — voter turnout hit a historic high in 2020.
The current restrictive proposals are efforts to restrict these expanded voting option, and almost half target vote-by-mail. In addition, a number of states are adding ID or witness requirements to obtain an absentee ballot (Arizona, George and Pennsylvania, for example). Florida wants to limit the use of ballot boxes, in addition to making it harder to vote absentee. And Georgia legislators have suggested restricting Sunday early voting, the traditional day that African American churches mobilize voters with “souls to the polls” events.
2. Restricting voter eligibility
Central to the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 was concerns about how poll taxes and literacy tests were used to restrict the eligibility of racial minority voters. In 2020, these poll taxes come in the form of voter ID and new requirements for “proof of citizenship” (Texas). Additionally, legislators in several states, including Georgia and Arizona, want to eliminate or prohibit automatic voter registration, and several legislatures are considering eliminating same-day voter registration.
3. State legislative control over election outcomes
The most insidious suppression tactics include those in which state legislatures attempt to usurp sovereignty straight from their constituents. Republican-held state legislatures have passed bills that give lawmakers more power over the vote by stripping secretaries of state of their power, asserting control over election boards and creating easier methods to overturn election results.
While we have seen many of these tactics deployed since Shelby v Holder, the sharp rise in their use suggests that we have reached a turning point in our democracy. If these laws are enacted, state legislatures dominated by partisans could effectively determine which party controls Congress every 10 years via gerrymandering, and effectively nullify voter preferences.
After the 2016 election, registered voters in Milwaukee County and Madison’s Dane County were surveyed about why they didn’t cast a ballot. Eleven percent cited the voter ID law and said they didn’t have an acceptable ID; of those, more than half said the law was the “main reason” they didn’t vote. That finding implies that from 12,000 to 23,000 registered voters in Madison and Milwaukee—and as many as 45,000 statewide—were deterred from voting by the ID law.
According to this study: “It is very probable that between the photo ID law and the changes to voter registration, enough people were prevented from voting to have changed the outcome of the presidential election in Wisconsin.”
The run-up to the 2020 election was also fraught with voter restrictions, such as reduced early-voting periods, often days before voting would start. Judge Frank Easterbrook of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago wrote that the voting restrictions were acceptable because Republicans who controlled the legislature were not discriminating against voters based on race, but based on their political affiliation. He relied on a 2019 U.S. Supreme Court ruling concluding that partisan manipulation of electoral districts was acceptable.
President Joe Biden’s narrow win in Wisconsin then ushered in a new flurry of voting restrictions, including altering the absentee voting process, limiting the location of drop-boxes and imposing greater burdens on clerks.
Two weeks ago, Gov. Tony Evers vetoed six Republican-backed bills that would change election laws in Wisconsin, stating the bills would add “unnecessary and damaging hurdles for Wisconsinites to participate in our democracy.”
The fight continues!
The House of Representatives passed HR 1 (known as the For the People Act) in July. The Brennan Center has analyzed each of the restrictive voting bills pending in the states and concludes HR1would block many of them.
The  would modernize the Voting Rights Act and restore the requirement that certain states and localities with a history of voting discrimination get prior federal approval — or “preclearance” — of any changes to their voting rules and practices to make sure that they are not discriminatory. It would also require all jurisdictions in the country to submit for preclearance any “covered practices,” meaning those practices, such as strict voter ID laws and polling place closures in communities of color, that have typically been implemented for a discriminatory purpose or have had discriminatory effects.
And many states are expanding voting options, automating voter registration and minimizing obstacles to vote.
VOTE! In EVERY election!
Talk to others about voting, and help dispel misunderstanding.
Support your local nonpartisan organizations working to protect your voter rights like the League of Women Voters and ACLU of Wisconsin.
And VOTE!
Paru Shah is an associate professor in the department of political science at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

author: Paru Shah


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 6, 2021


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ps300 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
September 6, 2021