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Milwaukee has an election coming up. Meet the people tasked with ensuring things go smoothly. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
February 2, 2022
Residents waited patiently to cast their vote at Gwen T. Jackson Elementary School on the city’s North Side during the 2020 fall election. (File photo by Sue Vliet)
There’s an election coming up this month for mayor.
And guiding the process, most of which happens behind the scenes, are three new members of the city’s Election Commission: Patricia Ruiz-Cantu, Terrell Martin and Douglas Haag.
The bipartisan group of appointees — Ruiz-Cantu and Martin are Democrats and Haag is a Republican —  replaced Carmen Cabrera, Stephanie Findley and Jess Ripp.
The commissioners were selected from lists provided by county political parties, with Democrats holding a majority due to Gov. Tony Evers holding office. They will serve a four-year term that expires in 2025 and their positions are unpaid.
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Patricia Ruiz-Cantu (Photo provided by Patricia Ruiz-Cantu)
The three begin their term at a time when elections are being scrutinized more than ever before. It’s a point not lost on Claire Woodall-Vogg, executive director of the City of Milwaukee Election Commission. Woodall-Vogg said conspiracy theories and false accusations have sowed doubts among voters. It’s the commission’s job to continue to ensure the integrity of the election.
“The commissioners provide oversight of me and our election administration,” Woodall-Vogg said. “They are who we report to make sure that we are held accountable. They are who the public can contact with concerns, and they review and certify our election results.”
On the ballot Feb. 15, the date of the spring primary, are seven candidates vying to finish former Mayor Tom Barrett’s term. The top two candidates will move on to the general election on April 5.
The new commissioners were recently tested after candidate Ieshuh Griffin argued that signatures on the nomination papers of candidates Cavalier Johnson and Lena Taylor should be voided because the forms were left unattended at a restaurant and that the signatures were not personally obtained, Woodall-Vogg said.
The commission ultimately decided there wasn’t enough evidence to warrant action, she said.
The commissioners also reviewed and approved a corrective affidavit from Griffin that put her back on the ballot. Griffin was originally removed after some addresses on her nomination papers were deemed invalid.
Terrell Martin (Photo provided by Terrell Martin)
With those tasks behind them, the commissioners are now focused on ensuring a smooth election, said Martin, the chairman of the city’s Election Commission.
“Our responsibility is making sure that the citizens of the City of Milwaukee have a fair, open election where every citizen has a right and opportunity to vote,” Martin said.
Martin said the commission will be able to draw on lessons learned during the first two years of the pandemic to help voters stay safe.
“We’ve learned a lot now about the precautions we can take,” he said. “We also encourage as many people as possible to vote early.”
Woodall-Vogg has worked for the Milwaukee Election Commission since 2013, although she left the commission briefly in 2019.  Before then,  she worked for Safe & Sound, an organization that works with residents and law enforcement to improve public safety.  She also worked as an adoptions and outreach manager for the Shelby Humane Society in Alabama.
Martin, who retired from his job as the deputy superintendent at the Milwaukee County Secure Juvenile Detention Center, has been active in elections since campaigning for then-presidential candidate Michael Dukakis in 1988. He also worked on both of Barack Obama’s campaigns and served as chairman for the 4th Congressional District for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin for eight years.
Ruiz-Campo works as a community outreach manager for the City of Milwaukee’s Department of Administration. She also serves as the vice chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Milwaukee County. Originally from Michoacan, Mexico, she previously worked at the Sojourner Family Peace Center and Southside Organizing Center.
Political veteran Haag said he registered to vote on his 18th birthday. He campaigned for Ronald Reagan, his inspiration, in the ‘70s and went on to become a Milwaukee County Elections Commissioner. Haag is a longtime soccer referee and instructor who is active in the community.
Click here for more information about the Feb. 15 election or call 414-286-VOTE (8683).

created: February 2, 2022

author: Edgar Mendez


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
February 1, 2022

source: news-milwaukeenns

created: February 1, 2022

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

author: Dwayne Burtin


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Post from Community: Habitat accepting applications for 2022 first-time homebuyers | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity
February 2, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity is now accepting applications for first-time homebuyers interested in building their own brand new home in 2022. Habitat will begin construction of these new, affordable homes in Milwaukee’s Harambee neighborhood beginning in March. First-time buyers can build a 3-4 bedroom home for an average mortgage payment of $600-$800 per month.
Milwaukee Habitat’s affordable homeownership program provides an alternative to the skyrocketing cost of housing in the city. While the average cost to rent in Milwaukee is more than $900 per month, the average cost to own is more than $1600 per month. Due to this high cost of housing, the majority of Milwaukee Habitat homeowners spend less on their mortgage for a brand new Habitat home than they had been paying to rent.
In the U.S. the most common barriers to homeownership are large down payments, the rising cost of housing, and the denial of affordable loans. In City of Milwaukee alone, 1 in 3 renters are spending half or more of their income on housing. This can make it extremely difficult for a family earning $35k per year ($16/hour) to save for a down payment or qualify for an affordable home loan.
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Through Milwaukee Habitat’s affordable homeownership program, little to no down payment is required, closing costs are low, and the home loan will not exceed 30% of a family’s income – widely recognized as the threshold for affordable housing.
Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers. Home maintenance and financial education courses are also included as part of the program to help first-time buyers transition from renting to ownership.
The first step towards owning one of Milwaukee Habitat’s new homes is to view a free, no-obligation virtual homeowner orientation. Register and watch the orientation online here. The orientation will cover the requirements, benefits and other details about Milwaukee Habitat’s affordable homeownership program. Following the orientation, interested applicants are encouraged to complete the application (available on the website) and send it back promptly with all required documents to be considered. Homes are sold on a first-come, first-served basis.

author: Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity


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Habitat-Homeownership-1.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Name *
February 2, 2022

author: Name *


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The spring primary election is Feb. 15: Here’s what you need to cast your vote. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
February 2, 2022
Voters will decide on Feb. 15 which two of seven mayoral candidates will move on to the general election in April. (File photo by Andrea Waxman)
Leer en español: Las elecciones primarias de primavera son el 15 de febrero: esto es lo que necesita para emitir su voto.
The spring primary election is right around the corner, and we want you to have the information you need to vote.
What’s on the line
The spring primary is on Feb. 15. The biggest race on the ballot is between seven candidates vying to finish former Mayor Tom Barrett’s term. Two candidates will move on to the general election on April 5.
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The mayoral candidates will appear on the ballot in this order: Former Ald. Bob Donovan, community activist Ieshuh Griffin, entrepreneur Michael Sampson, state Sen. Lena Taylor, Sheriff Earnell Lucas, Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic and Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson. The order was determined by a random draw by the Milwaukee Election Commission.
Other local races on the ballot include Milwaukee County Supervisory Districts 1, 3 and 12; and two aldermanic races in Wauwatosa. You can see what’s on your ballot by visiting Vote411.org or MyVoteWi.org.
Before you vote or voting early
To vote, you must be registered. Check your registration status here or call the city at 414-286-3491. You can also register to vote, change your voting address or vote early at a number of sites, including the Frank P. Zeidler Municipal Building, 841 N. Broadway, or at several public libraries. You can find all the sites and schedules here. Voter registration, including address changes, ends on Friday, Feb. 11 at all locations
If you’re voting early and in person, you will need a Wisconsin-issued driver’s license or another acceptable form of photo ID. Here’s a list of acceptable identification. If you need to update your address since the last time you voted and your ID doesn’t have a current address, you’ll also need proof of residence, said Claire Woodall-Vogg, executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission. Here is a list of acceptable proofs of residence. You have until Feb. 11 to register and vote early at most locations, but if you are registered to vote at your current address you can still vote early at some sites on Feb. 12.
Absentee voting
You still have time to request an absentee ballot, but not much. According to Woodall-Vogg, you should request an absentee ballot by mail at least 10 days before the election. She said those who received an absentee ballot for the presidential election in 2020 won’t automatically receive a ballot this time. Only those who are indefinitely confined will. If you are requesting an absentee ballot online again, you won’t need to verify your ID this time, she said.
Absentee ballots can be returned to any of the early voting sites, and absentee ballot drop boxes, which became common during the pandemic, will be allowed this election.
How to get your absentee ballot
Here are the different options you have.
Online: You can request a ballot online at MyVoteWisconsin.
By mail: Download this Application for Absentee Ballot, complete it and mail it with a copy of your photo ID (if not previously provided) to, Election Commission, 200 E Wells St., Room 501, Milwaukee, WI 53202.
By email: Send an email to absenteeballot@milwaukee.gov, with a copy of your photo ID (if not previously provided). If you can’t or don’t want to attach the Application for Absentee Ballot to your email, you can be sent a ballot by providing the following information in the text of your email: Your full name, voting address, a request for a spring election ballot, and by providing a mailing address if it’s different from your registered voting address.
Voting on Feb. 15
As always, you have the option to vote in-person on the day of the election. This year, 180 polling places will be open, some at local firehouses. Woodall-Vogg said that some ward numbers and polling locations have changed due to redistricting. To find out where your polling site is you can check on the City of Milwaukee portal by clicking MyVoteWi.gov. or call 414-286-VOTE (8683).
You can register to vote on site that day by bringing an acceptable photo ID and proof of residence. If you’re already registered to vote, make sure you have your ID and are at the correct polling site. Polling places will require masks and that voters maintain a safe social distance.
For more information on voting, you can call the City of Milwaukee Election Commission at 414-286-3491 or email voterinfo@milwaukee.gov.


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15400401768_f715e92ae6_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
February 1, 2022


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COVID-19 treatments no longer fully waived by private insurers | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
February 3, 2022
Enrollment specialists like Kimberly Turner, Covering Wisconsin’s navigator regional lead for Southeast Wisconsin, can help you figure out what COVID-19 treatments are covered. (Photo provided by Covering Wisconsin)
Leer en español: Las aseguradoras privadas ya no renuncian por completo a los tratamientos de COVID-19
Consumers could be in for a surprise when they see their coronavirus-related medical bills. Some insurers are no longer covering the full cost for treatment of COVID-19.
Early in the pandemic, cost-sharing, such as co-pays and payments for treatments not covered fully by insurance, were waived due to COVID-19. Now, with vaccination rates rising, private insurance companies are charging for services that were covered previously.
A report from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that nearly three quarters of the largest health plans in America were no longer waiving cost-sharing. This includes some insurers listed on the federal marketplace through the Affordable Care Act.
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Medicaid, BadgerCare and Children’s Health Insurance Plans, or CHIP, should be unaffected.
Sadie Tuescher, owner of Wisconsin Health Insurance Advocate LLC, said testing continues to be fully covered by insurance companies because of a federal mandate. COVID-19 vaccines remain free of charge to everyone as well.
The changes mostly concern treatment. For instance, people may need to pay a co-pay for a doctor’s visit or hospital stays. Some treatments, including monoclonal antibodies, may not be covered because they are considered “experimental,” Tuescher said, pending approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
Courtney Harris, outreach and partner development manager for Covering Wisconsin, a nonprofit program connecting Wisconsin residents to health insurance, said the changes will affect individual plans differently.
Harris said people trying to reach their insurance provider should check their insurance card for contact information.
Justin Rivas, manager for the Milwaukee Enrollment Network and director of community health initiatives for the Milwaukee Health Care Partnership, said there are many factors that could affect someone’s coverage, including its quality tier — the percentage an insurer covers in a plan — and in-network health locations, or providers specific to an insurance plan.
Rivas said any time is a good time to contact insurance navigators, especially since there are many new options during the pandemic.
Where to find help:
To contact a navigator from Covering Wisconsin, call 414-400-9489. Navigators can help you reach your insurance provider, find out what’s covered on your plan and assist with appeals if you are billed incorrectly.
For a list of educational sheets with information on insurance, including how to apply and affordability, visit the Covering Wisconsin website.
Covering Wisconsin also has a connector tool where people can find enrollment specialists in or around their ZIP code.
Open enrollment for Affordable Care Act health plans ended on Jan. 15, but you may still be able to enroll or change your plan during the Special Enrollment Period. This option is available for people who have had a qualifying change in life, including marriage, childbirth and a change in residence.
You might also qualify if you’ve recently lost your health insurance. You’ll need to apply within 60 days of the qualifying event to get coverage.
To find out if you qualify for Medicaid or CHIP coverage, visit the Healthcare.gov website.

created: February 3, 2022

author: Matt Martinez


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
February 2, 2022


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Inside the NNS newsroom: Veteran journalist O. Ricardo Pimentel joins NNS staff | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
February 3, 2022
The NNS newsroom
Veteran journalist O. Ricardo Pimentel has joined the staff of the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service as the newsroom’s first managing editor.
Pimentel, who started Jan. 31, will lead the award-winning nonprofit newsroom. With the addition of Pimentel, Editor Ron Smith will shift his focus to growing and sustaining NNS, which has covered Milwaukee’s communities of color for almost 11 years.
Oscar Ricardo Pimentel (Photo provided by Oscar Ricardo Pimentel)
Pimentel has served as the editorial page editor of the San Antonio Express-News and editorial page editor for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
He has held a variety of editing and reporting positions for newspapers in California and Arizona. He is the former executive editor of the San Bernardino County Sun, managing editor at the Tucson Citizen and Stockton Record and was either a reporter or held an editing position for the Sun, the Fresno Bee, the San Diego Union and the Sacramento Bee. He covered Congress and federal agencies for McClatchy newspapers in Washington D.C., and was a nationally syndicated columnist with the Arizona Republic in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Since returning to Wisconsin in 2019, Pimentel served as the adviser to the MATC Times at Milwaukee Area Technical College, was a contributor to the Wisconsin Examiner and worked as a COVID contact tracer for the state of Wisconsin and as a correspondence representative for a mortgage servicing firm.
He is the former president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, a former board member of the California Chicano News Media Association; the California Society of Newspaper Editors; and the Associated Press Managing Editors association. He was the UNITY Conference for Journalists of Color programming co-chairman in 2004. He also was on the faculty and directed the Minority Writers Workshop for the American Society of Newspaper Editors and has been a Pulitzer judge for journalism entries four times.

author: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service


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NNS Group cropped | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
February 2, 2022


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NNS on ‘Lake Effect’: 5 things to do this February in Milwaukee neighborhoods | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
February 3, 2022
America’s Black Holocaust Museum is reopening to the public on Feb. 25. (File photo by Sue Vliet)
NNS’s Adam Carr joined WUWM 89.7-FM, Milwaukee’s NPR and Joy Powers of “Lake Effect” for the February installment of our monthly “5 Things” feature.
Listen to the interview here.
This month includes the reopening of America’s Black Holocaust Museum, “Club Noir” book release party, Milwaukee mayoral candidate forum at Turner Hall, the annual “Phobruary” promotion in Silver City and a celebration of sake and Milwaukee’s parks with Tarik Moody.
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5 things to know and do the weekend of Feb. 4 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
February 4, 2022
Winterfest at Washington Park is back this weekend, s’mores and all. (NNS file photo by Andrea Waxman)
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here.
1. “The One and Only Dick Gregory”: A documentary: Saturday, Feb. 5
Black Lens MKE and Milwaukee Film host this feature-length documentary examining comedian and self-described “agitator”’ Dick Gregory. You can catch the documentary at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 5 at the Oriental Theatre, 2230 N. Farwell Ave. Click here for tickets.
2. Winterfest at Washington Park: Saturday, Feb. 5
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Winterfest is here at Washington Park, where families can ice skate on the lagoon, play outdoor yard games, join a scavenger hunt and more. The free family festival will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 5 at Washington Park, 1859 N. 40th St.
3. Ninth Annual Guitar Festival Concert: Saturday, Feb. 5
Latino Arts hosts the Ninth Annual Guitar Festival Concert, highlighting some of the world’s most talented guitarists, including Daniela Rossi and Ivan Resendiz, and winners of the Guitar Festival Competition. The festival begins at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 5 at Latino Arts, 1028 S. 9th St. Click here for tickets, which are $10.
4. Lunar New Year Variety Shows: Sunday, Feb. 6
Ring in the Lunar New Year with this variety show featuring jazz, Vietnamese folk and pop artists. The two shows begin at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 6 at the Northern Lights Theater at the Potawatomi Casino, 1721 W. Canal St.
5. Nominations for the 2022 Vel R. Phillips Trailblazer Award: Accepted now through Feb. 25
The Vel R. Phillips Trailblazer Award recognizes a female city resident who best exemplifies Vel R. Phillips’ legacy of selfless service and trailblazing work to improve the quality of life for residents in Milwaukee. Nominations for the award must be submitted by Friday, Feb. 25. More information about the award and submission requirements is available here. The nomination form is available here, which should be submitted along with a nomination letter.
BONUS: Black History Month events: All month
We published a list of events related to Black History Month, some of which are happening this week. Check them out here.

created: February 4, 2022

author: Sam Woods


text:
| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
February 3, 2022


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COVID-19 is transforming ministry and what it means to be a community of faith | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
February 4, 2022
The pandemic hasn’t quenched people’s desire for the community that worship offers. (File photo by Sue Vliet)
Things felt almost normal again.
In-person worship and Sunday activities were back on.
Then came another spike in COVID-19 – this one sparked by the Omicron variant.
This has caused faith communities to return to previous safety protocols. And it has become clear that the struggles present at the beginning of the pandemic remain for congregations throughout Milwaukee’s neighborhoods.
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One constant remains, however: The desire for the sense of community that faith often provides remains keen.  Milwaukee’s faith communities are striving to meet that need as the pandemic lingers.
“People want to go back to in-person worship,” said Pardeep Kaleka the executive director of the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee. “The community coming together is a part of the experience.”
He said many of his organization’s faith partners have a hybrid setup so that they can switch to virtual worship when and if they need to.
“It’s especially tough for people who are single,” said Chris Nussbaum, president of the Milwaukee North Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. “People who live with family can at least worship together, but single people get through it alone.”
The Rev. Steven Tipton of El Bethel Church of God in Christ said navigating the pandemic is a ministry of its own.
“As leaders, it’s our job to keep people encouraged,” says the Rev. Steven Tipton, shown with his wife, Dr. Marica Tipton, of the El Bethel Church of God in Christ. (Photo provided by El Bethel Church of God in Christ)
“As leaders, it’s our job to keep people encouraged,” he said. “Then, we’ve had to move areas of ministry that we didn’t before, like teaching our elderly members how to join us virtually or supporting members who are struggling in other ways.”
The pandemic has changed what membership looks like.
“When we went virtual, many people never returned,” said Nussbaum. “But we’ve had more new members join over the last year than we have in years.”
He said more people are looking for community and that his church welcomes visitors at any time to come worship.
Tipton said there is a new challenge every week.
“You never know who is going to show up and who won’t or who won’t show ever again,” he said. “This pandemic in some ways has taken religion a ways, and I advise people to seek community with people who allow and encourage a personal relationship with God because that’s all we’ve had in these times.
These faith leaders are continuing their good works.
For instance, El Bethel has continued to operate a food pantry for church members and community members in need.
But individual efforts will count for much as the pandemic continues. Nussbaum encourages doing what you can when you can.
“We’ve encouraged families to pick up service projects and volunteer as long as you feel safe,” he said.
Nussbaum said the combined burdens of solitude and negativity in the news require people to see goodness and love in the world.
“This is where faith and science meet,” said Tipton. “We are encouraging people to get vaccinated; keep with that (and) this will pass.”
In that regard, The Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee is working on COVID-19 education and vaccination advocacy.
“Being in 2022 reminds us of how sacred life is,” Kaleka said. “And how fragile it is, too. We will get through this as a community and come out healthier and stronger.”

author: PrincessSafiya Byers


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elbethel | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
February 3, 2022


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North Division Daddy Daughter Dance canceled for second year in a row | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
February 4, 2022
Eric Andrews and his daughter Amaya, 8, attend their first father daughter dance at North Division High School in 2015. (File photo by Teran Powell)
The Daddy Daughter Dance at North Division High School, a 17-year-long tradition in which hundreds of fathers and daughters dance the night away together, has been canceled for the second year in a row.
Milwaukee Recreation, a department of MPS that organizes the dance, canceled the dance in November due to health and safety concerns related to COVID-19.
In previous years the dance has been held around Valentine’s Day and has been lauded as a memorable opportunity for fathers and daughters to bond. In previous years, the event has drawn over 1,000 dancers.
Milwaukee Recreation spokesperson Claire McHugh said that this year the risk outweighs the reward.
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“It was determined that given our capacity limitations, we were unable to meet the demand for the event in a safe manner,” McHugh said. “This was a difficult decision given the popularity of the Daddy Daughter Dance.”
However, the back-to-back cancellations in 2021 and 2022 do not necessarily mean that the tradition is finished.
“We are already looking forward to 2023 and the return of this special evening for dads and daughters,” McHugh added.


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Post from Community: Marquette University releases “Paying it Forward” conversation series with Dr. Howard Fuller | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Marquette University
February 4, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Marquette University has released “Paying it Forward: Lessons for a new generation from Dr. Howard Fuller’s life on activism’s front lines,” a conversation series devoted to the issues that have driven Fuller’s activism and mission around education reform and social justice.
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The discussions capture some aspects of Fuller’s legacy, experiences, and impact as an advocate and activist working for educational opportunities and social justice in the Milwaukee community. The series is designed to foster conversations and inspire students and future generations of activists in our community.
The conversations were recorded in the Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education at Marquette Law School. All four videos are available on the Marquette Law School website.
Fuller was joined by Alan Borsuk and Mike Gousha, distinguished fellows in law and public policy at the Lubar Center, and students from Marquette University and area high schools. Topics include:
Fuller, distinguished professor emeritus of education, retired from Marquette in 2020. An outspoken advocate and activist for educational opportunities, he initially joined the university over 40 years earlier as associate director for the Educational Opportunity Program from 1979-83 and later founded the Institute for the Transformation of Learning in 1995 to provide quality educational options for students in low-income families.
Throughout his career, Fuller has been a staunch promoter of parent choice and a passionate champion for the equitable education of African American children. In addition to his positions at Marquette, he also served as superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, senior fellow in the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University, secretary of Wisconsin’s Department of Employment Relations, dean of General Education at Milwaukee Area Technical College, and director of the Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services.

author: Marquette University


text:
paying-it-forward | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
February 4, 2022


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5 things to know and do this week in Milwaukee: Feb. 7 to Feb. 11 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
February 7, 2022
Early voting is available now. You have until Feb. 11 to register and vote early at most locations. But if you are registered to vote at your current address, you can still vote early at some sites on Feb. 12. (NNS file photo by Andrea Waxman)
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here.
1. “State of the City” address: Monday, Feb. 7
Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson will deliver the “State of the City” address, an annual review of the city’s performance and goals for the upcoming year, starting at 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 7. You can watch the address live on the city government’s channel here.
2. MPS Community Conversation: Discussion on classroom conduct: Wednesday, Feb. 9
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MPS invites you to this virtual presentation on discipline trends and best practices along with an open discussion to look for solutions. The conversation runs from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9 virtually. Register here, or leave comments here.
3. Mayoral candidate forum: Wednesday, Feb. 9
Do you want to know more about the candidates for mayor and their positions? Find out more at this forum of all seven candidates. The forum runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at the Turner Hall Ballroom, 1040 N. Vel R. Phillips Ave. The forum, co-hosted by the Pabst Theater Group, the Milwaukee Press Club, WisPolitics.com, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and Listen MKE, [a collaboration among the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WUWM 89.7 and Milwaukee PBS] will be free and open to the public. Registration for in-person attendance is required and seating will be limited. Register to attend in person here. The forum will also be livestreamed here.
4. Victim’s rights forum: Thursday, Feb. 10
Learn more about what the recently enacted Marsy’s Law means for victims of crime and what resources are available. The forum runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 10 on the second floor of St. Anthony Church, located at 1730 S. 9th St.
5. Early voting is available now: You have until Feb. 11 to register and vote early at most locations. But if you are registered to vote at your current address, you can still vote early at some sites on Feb. 12.
Milwaukee is holding a primary election on Feb. 15, which will determine which two candidates for mayor move on to the general election. You can find a list of locations to vote early here. More information about voting and the election here.
In case you missed it:
The spring primary election is Feb. 15: Here’s what you need to cast your vote.
Milwaukee has an election coming up. Meet the people tasked with ensuring things go smoothly.
BONUS: Black History Month events: All month
We recently published a list of events related to Black History Month, some of which are happening this week. Check them out here.

created: February 7, 2022


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‘Every house is a classroom’: How Amani’s Block by Block program is creating change | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
February 7, 2022
Barbara Smith lives on the pilot block and has been helping with resident engagement. “It took a while to get this off the ground,” she says. “It’s exciting to be able to walk outside and see some of the repairs that have been done.”
(Photo by PrincessSafiya Byers)
Barbara Smith has been excited to get repairs done on her home and her neighbors’ homes through her work with the Amani Block by Block program.
The program is helping Amani residents get necessary repairs done on and in their homes. But the program is doing much more. It is rebuilding and empowering community.
Smith, a former president of Amani United, a group of neighborhood residents and community partners, lives on the pilot block and has been helping lead resident engagement, along with staff from the Dominican Center, a neighborhood organization that serves as an anchor in the Amani neighborhood.
“It took a while to get this off the ground,” said Smith. “It’s exciting to be able to walk outside and see some of the repairs that have been done.”
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The program is a product of the Amani Neighborhood Revitalization Plan, which seeks to help Amani residents form goals and take actions that will fuel future investment and development for the Amani neighborhood. The revitalization program was created by the Dominican Center and Amani United.
Block by Block was launched in 2019 as a strategic and resident-led way to improve housing conditions on one block in Amani, a neighborhood on the North Side of Milwaukee.
Residents have the option to participate and receive help navigating available programs from the City of Milwaukee and tapping other funds they may need to repair their homes. Members of the program go door to door and ask people if they want to sign up.
But for those implementing the program on the ground, it’s much more than that.
Smith said this process was about helping her neighbors feel safe and comfortable.
She got involved in neighborhood activities through a church friend a few years ago and quickly found herself immersed in neighborhood politics.
She said she would go to monthly meetings and complain about problems she was having on her block and quickly became the voice for her block.
“It doesn’t matter what it was, I would address it,” Smith said. “Then others started to bring their grievances to me so that I could address those as well.”
She said safety and issues with abandoned and unkept homes were a topic of discussion at every meeting, but once the program got up and running, resident hesitancy became an issue.
“So many people have come to Amani and made promises that were never kept,” said Smith. “People don’t just trust everyone now.”
Maricha Harris, the executive director of the Dominican Center, said she understands those sentiments. The Dominican Center helped lead the charge with resident engagement.
“It is our goal to build strong relationships,” Harris said. “We worked to hammer home that we’re here to help and our partners are too.”
For those at Ezekiel Community Development Corporation, which has been completing all the construction being done, the program is about restoring hope in Amani. It moved its office and training center onto the pilot block.
“It was a form of accountability for us,” said Jim Gaillard, the vice president and main trainer of Ezekiel Community Development Corporation. “We’re neighbors now so if we don’t do what we say we will do, we have to face you every day.”
As a part of this program, Gaillard has been training both Amani residents and formerly incarcerated people in electrical work, plumbing and carpentry.
“Every house is a classroom,” he said.
He provides training so that people can make a good living by getting hired by other construction companies
“It gives people a sense of pride in their neighborhood to have participated in building and restoring it,” Gaillard said. “I think doing this work restores some hope for people who have lost it.”
Now the program is wrapping up its work on the pilot block and moving on to two more blocks in Amani.  The goal is to take the lessons they learned on this block and do even better work on the next two.
A report on the project by the Wisconsin Policy Forum, noted that members of the project learned that strong relationships with residents are difficult to build but they were essential to creating the pilot block. Block leaders must be strategic about what pots of available money they use when working with residents and when, the report said.
For Denisha Tate-McAllister, the program has been and will continue to be about the people.
“This was about figuring how we come together alongside families to make sure we all have safe homes,” she said.
Tate-McAllister has been working with the neighborhood revitalization plan since its beginning. She said she’s seen many families struggle for different reasons.
She hopes this program will be implemented in other neighborhoods and will help close the housing gap Milwaukee faces.
“When I think of housing,” she said. “I think of security for children, I think of trauma prevention, I think of stability for residents.”
“This is not about housing, it’s about people,” Tate-McAllister said,
In case you missed it: How Amani’s newest ambassador Maricha Harris plans to serve community


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
February 6, 2022

created: February 6, 2022


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Post from Community: Digital Bridge to provide thousands of free and low-cost devices to K12 students in Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Digital Bridge
February 7, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Digital Bridge has been selected as part of a 10-city project led by AT&T and Digitunity to provide more than 2,000 refurbished computers and technology support over the next two years to students and families in Milwaukee.
This project aims to help bridge the digital divide in Milwaukee by providing underserved residents with digital resources and skills training needed for online learning success. Many students across the U.S.  are affected by the digital divide and struggle to participate in online learning opportunities because of unreliable internet access, lack of computers or poor digital literacy skills. This project will help students engage in today’s digital learning environment.
“We are proud to be working with AT&T and Digitunity to help tackle the digital divide head-on in Milwaukee,” said Jeff Hanson, founder and executive director, Digital Bridge. “Through our collaboration we will provide much needed computers and hands-on digital training to help make a difference in the lives of the most vulnerable in our community.”
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This project is part of AT&T’s $2 billion commitment to bridge the digital divide from 2021 to 2024 through efforts that promote broadband affordability, accessibility and safe adoption. Digitunity will create alliances among device refurbishing organizations, local nonprofits, and businesses to acquire previously used computers that will be refurbished into like-new devices and distributed to underserved students affected by the digital divide.
“Our commitment to narrowing the digital divide includes ensuring that learners have both the connectivity and the devices critical to success,” said Paul Weirtz, president, AT&T Wisconsin. “Through our work with Digitunity and Digital Bridge, we will be able to help thousands of underserved students and their families in Milwaukee get access to free computers and training resources that are vital for online learning success.”
“Device ownership is foundational to digital equity, and technology reuse is a direct and logical answer to the pervasive challenge of the technology gap,” stated Karisa Tashjian, director of programs,  Digitunity. “Nonprofit technology refurbishers are critical players in their communities for providing people-centered, integrated service delivery systems that equip students and their families with the digital tools and support they need, both today and in the future.”
Common Sense Media
About Digital Bridge
Digital Bridge is an organization certified in NAID AAA Computer Hard Drive and Solid State Drive Sanitization and Destruction, and Non-paper Media Destruction whose mission is to refurbish corporate tech donations and distribute them back out to those in need. Digital Bridge offers free electronics recycling and is the only company in the greater Milwaukee area certified to sanitize and reuse hard drives. To learn more, please visit http://digitalbridge.ngo.
About Digitunity
Digitunity, a national nonprofit organization, connects corporate and individual donors of technology to thousands of partner organizations serving people in need across North America. With a proven body of work spanning over 37 years and a national network of member organizations, Digitunity is working to ensure all barriers that limit equitable opportunity to participate in our digitally connected society are removed. Learn more at https://www.digitunity.org or contact Karisa Tashjian at https://links.digitunity.org/10-city-contact-us.
About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at AT&T
We’re committed to advancing education, creating opportunities, strengthening communities and improving lives. As part of our company-wide $2 billion commitment from 2021-2024 to address the digital divide, we launched AT&T Connected Learning to invest in connectivity, technology, digital literacy, and education solutions to help today’s learners succeed inside and outside of the classroom. Since 2008, we’ve committed more than $600 million to programs that help millions of students across all 50 states and around the world, particularly those in underserved communities.

author: Digital Bridge


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A partnership between a church and Ascension Wisconsin is feeding residents on Milwaukee’s North Side | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
February 8, 2022
Pastor Dan Czaplewski and Jenny Ovide stand in the greenhouse at All Saints Family Health Center. Patients at the health center are given direct access to the fresh foods. (Photo by Matt Martinez)
It started with an idea and some seeds.
Dan Czaplewski, the pastor at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, asked his neighbors about what change they wanted to see in the community. Those who lived near the church, located in Sherman Park at 2862 N. 53 St., said they were concerned about crime, jobs and kids having something to do.
Soon, that turned their mantra into reality: growing people by growing vegetables.
Czaplewski, who goes by “Pastor Dan,” started recruiting young people from the community to serve as “interns” for urban farming. The goal was to give kids an outlet for a brighter future.
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“We really want our interns to have some agency,” Czaplewksi said. “I ask the kids, ‘What’s your passion? What do you want to see better in your community?’”
Starting out modestly, the biggest challenge was finding space.
Then, in 2018, it all began to come together. Looking for community partners, Pastor Dan found a plot of land at 4900 W. Burleigh St., just in the shadow of Ascension St. Joseph hospital. He was able to lease the space for $10 a month.
Ascension would later become a partner for the program, lending space at Ascension All Saints Family Center, 2400 W. Villard Ave. The field is nicknamed St. Mike’s Farm, as it stands where St. Michael’s Hospital used to.
Volunteers and interns tend the fields, including doctors in medical residency and youths from around the area. (Photo provided by Jenny Ovide)
Ascension also provided funding for some projects, including a greenhouse at the health center finished in April, paid for by a $100,000 grant from the Ascension All Saints Foundation.
“It’s been a great partnership,” Czaplewski said. “You can’t farm without land.”
The farms provided 1,700 pounds of fresh produce in 2021, roughly double the amount from the previous year, as part of a program called Farm to Hospital and Community. Going to farmers markets, food pantries and local businesses, such as the Upstart Kitchen, the food produced by the farms is intentionally meant to provide fresh produce in areas affected by food insecurity.
In past years, it also provided food directly to the cafeteria at St. Joseph hospital.
Direct access
Patients at the health center are also given direct access to the fresh foods.
The health center “had a patient who came in with no food whatsoever in the house with a family, kids,” Czaplewski said. “They came out and said ‘Hey, can we pick some stuff?’ We said, ‘Of course, that’s what it’s there for.’ We fixed her up with a box of vegetables to take home to her family. Right place, right time.”
Jenny Ovide, community medicine clinical coordinator at Ascension All Saints Family Health Center, said the health center serves as a hub for the community. Improvements to it in recent years have included a running track, a test kitchen and a classroom. The kitchen and classroom function as places for patients to exercise, learn how to prepare meals and to get educated.
“In the summer, kids will be out riding their bikes and I’ll be in the garden,” Ovide said. “They’ll come over and I’ll say ‘you want to taste one of our tomatoes?’ That is a gift truly for the community.”
Ovide, who also goes by “Nurse Jenny,” said those participating in the health center’s medical residency program, which provides experience for new doctors, also take part in the program. In some cases, they go out and tend the fields themselves. In others, they sit down with a family in the center’s test kitchen at the end of a series of cooking classes.
“There is really nothing more spiritual than sharing a meal,” Ovide said. “It puts the doctors and nurses on the same level with the people. It takes them away from being the doctor in the coat to the community.”
Ben Juech, board secretary for the Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church Community Development Corporation, said kids get to see something grow from start to finish.
“These kids walk into a fallow field, so to speak, and see something grow over the summer and cultivate it – it’s really something special,” Juech said.
For Czaplewski, the farm work goes beyond just a few life lessons.
“There is dignity to the work. There is empowerment to a paycheck, but there is also something psychological, emotional and even spiritual about working the land,” Czaplewski said.
In case you missed it: A harvest of riches: Meet some of Milwaukee’s finest urban farmers

created: February 8, 2022


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
February 7, 2022


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How a Milwaukee nonprofit puts working mothers first — for clients and staff | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jenny Peek / WPR
February 8, 2022
Dalvery Blackwell says she worked for “the most family-friendly organization in Milwaukee County” as a young mother.
That atmosphere enticed her to stay for a decade at the Black Health Coalition of Wisconsin. The nonprofit, which seeks to boost the health of Black Wisconsinites, showed Blackwell how working parents thrive when given support like flexible hours and child care accommodations.
Blackwell now tries to replicate that culture at the Milwaukee-based African American Breastfeeding Network (AABN), where she serves as executive director after co-founding the organization in 2008. She lets her peer counselors and lactation consultants set their schedules and bring children to work, offering child care during network events.
The approach squares with AABN’s mission of improving the health of mothers of color and their children — by providing prenatal classes, breastfeeding support, doulas and other resources.
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As a small organization that relies on part-time contractors, Blackwell can’t offer paid leave, a benefit seen as crucial for keeping new parents in the workforce amid child care challenges. She hopes that the on-site accommodations limit parenting stresses and make her team feel supported.
“If you support working women and create a family-friendly environment, you’re going to have an employee who’s happy, who comes to work, who’s very productive, who’s enjoyable to work with — even if she took every Friday off to pick up her child from school,” Blackwell said.
Khola Cooksey is one of those moms. The peer counselor splits her time between AABN and Milwaukee’s Women, Infants, and Children program.
A mother of two, Cooksey returned to both workplaces about two months after giving birth to her second daughter last September, eased by the flexible schedule. She said the experience gives her perspective as she guides similarly positioned mothers — those trying to juggle work while caring for a newborn.
That includes helping mothers advocate for themselves at work, whether they need to stay home with a sick child or press for a clean, private space to pump breastmilk — support Cooksey has at both of her workplaces.
“I’m breastfeeding. So it actually just kind of works out, because I can tell moms about my experience while I’m on the phone pumping,” Cooksey said.
Such guidance is especially relevant to the women of color AABN serves. While economic pressures force many parents to return to work sooner than they would prefer after a birth, lower-income parents and moms of color have even less access to paid leave or paid sick and vacation time, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
Sometimes unpaid leave isn’t even an option.
While the federal Family and Medical Leave Act guarantees certain workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave following events such as a birth, workers of color are less likely to qualify, according to a study by UCLA’s WORLD Policy Analysis Center. The law exempts companies with fewer than 50 employees and requires workers to have worked a minimum number of hours, disproportionately locking out workers of color, the study found.
Cooksey said she has consulted with more than 100 moms at AABN since July 2020, forging connections that make her and others feel at home.
“When we’re on the Zooms and we’re talking with moms, they’re so happy to be on Zoom with other moms. They’re not afraid to ask stupid questions,” she said. “We just talk to them like our own sisters.”
Contact the African American Breastfeeding Network at 414-617-3441 or click here to view and register for its services.
This story was edited by Wisconsin Watch Deputy Managing Editor Jim Malewitz. The nonprofit Wisconsin Watch (wisconsinwatch.org) collaborates with WPR, PBS Wisconsin, other news media and the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Journalism and Mass Communication. All works created, published, posted or disseminated by the Center do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of UW-Madison or any of its affiliates.

author: Jenny Peek / WPR


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Family Leave | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
February 7, 2022


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MPS disproportionately suspending Black students at similar rates to 10 years ago, new MPS data reveals | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
February 8, 2022
Nearly 200 students demonstrated outside North Division High School for Black Lives Matter at School Week in 2019. Three years later, MPS reports that despite making up around 50% of students, Black students account for around 80% of suspensions. (NNS file photo by Allison Dikanovic)
Despite making up 50% of the MPS student body, Black students have received 81% of suspensions this school year, according to data MPS will present to the Milwaukee Board of School Directors on Tuesday night.
Latinx students accounted for 13% of suspensions while making up 28% of the student population. White students were 3% of suspensions and accounted for 10% of students. (Suspensions for Asian American, Native American and Pacific Islander students were either less than or 1%.)
In total, over 10,489 suspensions have been issued during the 2021-22 school year, according to monthly reports submitted to the Milwaukee Board of School Directors.
Fighting, disorderly conduct and “chronic disruption or violation of school rules” have accounted for 64% of the 8,857 total suspensions during the 2021-22 school year through Jan. 31, omitting September’s data, which did not include a breakdown by reason for suspension. The same three reasons accounted for about 65% of the 7,135 suspensions of Black students during the same timeframe, omitting September.
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Of the 1,504 reported suspensions for “chronic disruption or violation of school rules,” 1,227, or about 82%, were given to Black students.
Earl Arms, an MPS spokesman, said: “Overall our suspensions have gone down across the board for all behaviors and racial groups. As a total of all suspensions, it continues that 80% of all suspensions are written for Black students. That disproportionality can vary by school and behavior over that time period.”
Following an investigation by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights, or OCR, that found that the district had disproportionately suspended or expelled Black students over two school years, MPS has submitted annual reports on its disciplinary data to OCR.
MPS also began reporting on its monthly suspension data to the Milwaukee Board of School Directors following a resolution in September 2020.
The OCR investigation looked at data from the 2011-12 and 2013-14 school years and found that Black students made up about 55% of the student population and accounted for about 80% of suspension and expulsions, according to the report.
In January, the total number of suspensions districtwide, as well as the number of suspensions of Black students, was roughly half of the average of each of three months, from September through December.
In January, the number of suspensions for all races and Black students was 1,182 and 938, respectively, compared to 2,223 and 1,733, respectively on average for each month between September through December.
All MPS schools were learning virtually from Jan. 4 through Jan. 14, or roughly half of the month.
Arms explained that virtual learning is more accommodating of behaviors that are otherwise threatening to staff or other students. Those behaviors can be dealt with in other ways. Therefore, he said, they “do not result in suspensions at the rate as behaviors do while all students are learning in person.”
The district report also highlighted alternatives to suspension that were used, again broken down by race.
About 80% of the time, “administrative counsel” was the alternative to suspension used. During the 2021-’22 school year, about 81% of students who have been referred to administrative counsel were Black (5,726 out of 7,065 students).
MPS is required by the Milwaukee school board to report monthly on discipline following a resolution in September 2020, more than two years after an agreement with OCR to take specific steps to address racial disproportions in discipline, including providing staff with alternatives to suspension, holding informational sessions for parents and community members and establishing student committees to “allow students to discuss the implementation of discipline policies and procedures.”
Some schools appear to be making strides at reducing suspensions overall. At a presentation of discipline data to the school board’s Parent and Community Engagement Committee in January, MPS highlighted the work done by Audubon Middle and High School, also known as Audubon Technology and Communication Center.
This included the formation of a “Student Discipline Committee,” made up of middle and high school students, that helps staff craft disciplinary policy.
Audubon principal Leon Groce told the board last month that the inclusion of student voices led to change in the school’s cellphone policy, which resulted in an “almost 30%” reduction in referrals for suspension.
Through December, the majority-Latinx school (63.9%) tallied 309 suspensions overall, compared to 962 during the 2017-’18 school year through December. Groce said that student voices were essential to this reduction.
“When we invite (student voices) to the table, it does make a difference,” Groce said.
“We are proud to say that we are making strides in the right direction.”
MPS said that all 30 middle and high schools have a Student Discipline Committee that meets monthly.
MPS will present this data to the school board’s Parent and Community Engagement Committee on Tuesday night at 5:30 p.m.
If you are interested in giving testimony, email your first and last name to governance@milwaukee.k12.wi.us with “PACE committee board testimony” in the subject line before 3 p.m.
MPS is also hosting a community conversation about classroom conduct, which will touch on discipline practices and procedures.
You can register to attend online here.


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Post from Community: It is not too late to vote early in-person or by-mail in this historic primary | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
City of Milwaukee Election Commission
February 8, 2022
(File photo by Adam Carr)
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.
City of Milwaukee voters have multiple options to have their voices heard when choosing the next Mayor of Milwaukee.  The Election Commission is alerting all voters and news media that early in-person absentee voting expands to six new sites starting today, Tuesday, February 8.  The additional sites will be open Tuesday through Saturday, 12pm-5pm and are located at:
Zeidler Municipal Building, Midtown Center and Zablocki Library remain open this week, as well.  A full listing of all nine early voting sites and hours can be found at www.milwaukee.gov/election/voter-info/early-voting.
It is not too late to request an absentee ballot if you are planning to return using a drop box.  If sending through United States Postal Service mail, we suggest you mail your ballot no later than this Thursday, February 10.  Why mail when you can drop off? All drop boxes are open and will remain open through Election Day, February 15, at 5:00pm.  Only one-third of by mail voters have returned their ballot.  Voters who have received an absentee ballot by-mail have no time to waste!
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author: City of Milwaukee Election Commission


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50566985672_ddf012a379_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
February 8, 2022


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‘Healthy, healed and whole’: Findley Foundation Clinic seeks to serve more primary care patients in 2022 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
February 9, 2022
Dr. Ellen Sono is one of the practitioners at the Findley Foundation’s health clinic. (Photo by Matt Martinez)
The Findley Foundation Clinic is accepting new primary care patients in an effort to get more people from the community engaged in preventative care.
The clinic, located at 10721 W. Capitol Drive, Suite 110, has been distributing COVID-19 vaccines and tests since the pandemic began but wants to get more community members in for primary care appointments. The clinic is part of the Findley Foundation, an organization focused on health care and economic development.
Stephanie Findley, vice chairwoman of the board for the Findley Foundation, said the clinic can see about 20 patients at a time and has roughly half that number coming through its doors right now. The clinic is seeing walk-in patients at the moment as well.
The clinic strives to reach underserved patients. Findley said some patients who visit the clinic are seeing a doctor for the first time in five or six years.
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Access to primary care is often linked to better health outcomes, including a decrease in hospitalization and emergency room use.
Milwaukee had one primary care provider for every 1,355 residents in 2016, according to a study from the Medical College of Wisconsin. This ratio was lower than the state and national ratio at the time.
Areas with the highest levels of poverty in Milwaukee County contained 45% of its population, but only 27% of its primary care providers, the study said.
Some barriers to accessing primary care include inability to take time off work for appointments, the lack of transportation and a lack of insurance. The clinic offers a sliding scale for uninsured and underinsured patients.
Findley said appointments at the clinic are usually 30 minutes or longer, a bit longer than average. This is to get a complete medical history and make sure that any concerns that someone comes in with are addressed.
“We want to make sure everyone who comes through our doors are heard,” Findley said.
Ellen Sono, who has a doctorate in nursing practice and is part of the team at the Findley Foundation, said primary care is important for identifying and treating chronic diseases, especially for those with a family history.
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“We all want to live long,” Sono said. “If you don’t check yourself out, you might not know what you’re working with.”
People who receive primary care services at the clinic usually return for more visits and are able to get other problems addressed more quickly as they arise over time.
“After that, we can sit down and say: ‘It’s OK. You’re going to live with it, but you can control it,’” Sono said.
“We want to make sure that people leave here feeling healthy, healed and whole,” Findley said.
To reach the clinic, call 414-988-3079. Findley recommends calling ahead to ask about availability.
For more information, visit the Findley Foundation website.
The location is in Wauwatosa and can be accessed via the MCTS Red Line bus route.
The clinic has three staff members available: a physician and two nurse practitioners. It is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and provides urgent care from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The team offers services to those 6-weeks-old and older.

created: February 9, 2022


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
February 8, 2022


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OPINION: Communities of color must stand united to win fair representation for all | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Christine Neumann-Ortiz
February 9, 2022
(Photo by Wes Tank of TankThink)
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.
Originally published by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Christine Neumann-Ortiz writes a response to Janan Najeeb’s recent op-ed “OPINION: It’s not just a Latino thing when it comes to redistricting. Milwaukee’s Muslim community needs representation, too.”
(Photo provided by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)
This is a response to an opinion piece by Janan Najeeb that mistakenly characterized the Latinx struggle for fair maps and equal representation in Milwaukee as a threat to Muslim voting rights or representation.
The struggle for the freedom of communities of color to have a fair and equal voice in our city can never be won if we allow ourselves to be manipulated by politicians who use the tactic of divide and conquer to pit one oppressed group against another.
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On a personal level, I have deep respect for Janan and the Muslim organizations we have worked with, including the Islamic Society and Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition. Voces has been one of the most outspoken and steadfast allies of the Muslim community in opposing harassment and discrimination fanned by former President Donald Trump’s hateful anti-Muslim policies and actions and fueled by the rhetoric of right-wing politicians.
Under the far-right Trump Administration, Voces de la Frontera fought and won welcoming policies to protect refugees, immigrants, Muslims and others in Milwaukee Public Schools, and linked forces with the Muslim community and others to win “sanctuary” protections in Milwaukee County. We have marched together and broken bread together, and that deep commitment to alliances will never change.
So it is in that spirit that I want to clarify why the demand, by virtually the entire Latinx community, for aldermanic maps that reflect the dramatic growth of our population over the past 10 years be recognized as an opportunity to advance a progressive agenda against the forces of hatred and division.
As the Journal Sentinel has frequently reported, one out of five Milwaukeeans are now Latinx. And, as former Mayor Tom Barrett said when he vetoed the Council map, aldermanic districts and the Common Council itself should reflect that growth.
In a majority people of color city, famous for racial disparity, the purpose in uniting voters of a similar demographic or racial group into a district is to give them the freedom to choose who represents them and ensure that their votes are not canceled out by a white majority voting bloc. That is precisely what Voces and our Latinx allies are seeking to accomplish in creating a third Latinx aldermanic district that would be proportionate to Milwaukee’s 20% Latinx population.
One of the maps that Voces proposed consolidated Milwaukee’s growing Latinx community south and west of the city into one aldermanic district (District 13), easily creating a majority Latinx population district of 52%. Other maps we submitted were even higher. The 13th Aldermanic District would also become a majority people of color district. This would have been an opportunity to build a multi-racial, multi-ethnic alliance between white working class voters, immigrants, refugees, Muslims and people of color at a time when far right extremism is more emboldened.
Instead, the status quo map that Alderman Scott Spiker supported and that the Common Council passed actually splits the Latinx community into two aldermanic districts at about 25% Latinx population each, diluting Latinx voting power and maintaining a majority white and conservative district.
One justification for the suppression of Latinx voting power is the criteria used for redistricting and voting rights litigation. The census and the American Community Survey is what we currently have to measure people by ethnicity and citizenship. We know this data is imperfect, especially when it was collected during a pandemic and under a hostile administration that relentlessly targeted both of our communities. Both Latinx and Muslim communities are undercounted.
Still, based on the data we had and in our conversations with Muslim leaders and members of Voces’ Redistricting Commission to try to find common ground, there was an acknowledgment that there was no concentrated majority of Muslims in any one ward. And while Janan and other Muslim leaders argue that the presence of businesses and institutions should be the basis for creating the boundaries of political districts, that’s just not the case. Districts are drawn based on people as voters and where they live.
That said, if there were a concentrated majority of Muslims, as there currently is of Latinx people, we would be in solidarity with the Muslim community advocating for a majority district that elevated their voice in government and would seek to form an alliance with them. That is why the Milwaukee Chapter of the NAACP stood with Latinxs because they have fought for civil and voting rights for the Black community and understand the importance of this struggle for everyone.
When a certain population is not sufficient to create a majority but is growing, the strategy to advance civil rights and economic justice is to build influence districts, create coalitions and build more collective voting power with others to elect better representatives and advance a progressive agenda.
The “us versus them” point of view is short-sighted and unfortunate because it has resulted in diluted voting power for both Latinx and Muslim communities and plays into the hands of self-serving politicians. Spiker aggressively stoked this idea in order to keep his district majority white and conservative for the next 10 years, thereby increasing his chances of staying in office. His divide and conquer tactics are an effort to block progress and the creation of a new multiracial-multiethnic majority population in District 13. This is a shameful loss for the City of Milwaukee.
The redistricting process at the committee level was undemocratic, offensive and suspect. There is a pending request by South Side alderpersons for an independent legal opinion, as all Latinx-proposed maps introduced were blocked from consideration by the full Common Council.
Voces will continue to work towards fair representation for Latinx people, the majority of whom are working class, and build alliances with other oppressed peoples to advance a multiracial, multiethnic workers’ rights struggle that challenges all forms of discrimination. We look forward to working with the Muslim community in the next decennial census count to ensure maximum visibility and voice.
Christine Neumann-Ortiz is executive director of Voces de la Frontera.

author: Christine Neumann-Ortiz


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a469ea1c-96b9-47c6-8450-c5a16ac09c34-Christine_Neumann-Ortiz.JPG | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
February 8, 2022


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Post from Community: African American Environmental Pioneer Awards set for Feb. 21 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Karen Samelson
February 9, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Feb. 21 Program: African American Environmental Pioneer Awards Announces Keynote Speaker, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes
In recognition of Black History Month, the African American Environmental Pioneer Awards is in its third year recognizing those in Milwaukee’s African American community working for a better environment.
The organizing committee is proud to announce that Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes will deliver the keynote address honoring the awardees. Brenda Coley, Co-Director of Milwaukee Water Commons will provide a brief Milwaukee Environmental Justice update and Dr. Sylvia Wilson of Teens Grow Greens will present ideas for future collaboration.
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Due to COVID-19, this will be an online event starting at 6:30 pm, Monday, February 21. To attend the event, participants must register to get the link, at http://bit.ly/green-pioneers-2022.
This year’s event will begin with a virtual lobby, with music and slideshow at 6:15 p.m. At 6:30 p.m. Event Chair Yvonne McCaskill will make opening remarks. Drummer Jahmés Finlayson will perform the “Call to Ceremony” to begin the program which will be Emceed by Nearby Nature Program Director Steven Hunter. The program will be broadcast online from the Wisconsin Black History Society Museum. Speakers and awardees will have the option to attend in person.
Awards are being presented to 11 individuals. The honorees are:
Pioneer Awards
Rick Banks: Co-Founder, MKE Black
Antoine Carter: Imagine MKE
Lamont Smith: The Nature Conservancy
Rafael Smith: Climate Equity Director, Citizen Action
Reverend Michelle Townsend De Lopez Pastor, Cross Lutheran Church
Rising Star Awards
Milton L. Byers III: Wild Indigo Coordinator – Milwaukee, Audubon Great Lakes
Jalen Greenlee: Founder of FLORA
Detaya Johnson: Urban Agriculturist, Educator
Danitra Jones: Northwest Side CDC
Nateya Taylor: Founder, Naesthetycs LLC, Urban Studies MS Student
Danielle Washington: HN-Development, UWM – Public Health grad
The group has adopted the Ashanti Adinkra symbol “Asase Ye Duru” meaning “The Earth has Weight”, symbolizing the providence and divinity of Mother Earth.
This event is free and open to the public. Participants must register in advance at bit.ly/green-pioneers-2022.
At the inaugural event in 2020, the celebration was just weeks before the Covid-19 lockdown and was held at the Wisconsin Black History Society/Museum. It featured a call to ceremony by drummers from Ko-Thi African Dance Company. Brenda Coley of Milwaukee Water Commons was the featured speaker and addressed the need for society to be more inclusive in what is known as “the commons,” public spaces and resources that belong to all of us. Spoken word artist Kevon Cortez Jones and a hip-hop music video celebrating clean water by students at True Skool provided more cultural entertainment. 11 community environmental pioneers were recognized for their work.
A news story on the inaugural 2020 event can be found at this link:
https://www.sierraclub.org/wisconsin/great-waters/blog/2020/02/black-history-month-event-honors-pioneers
In 2021, the event was forced to go virtual but was no less moving and inspirational. 13 awardees spoke of their diverse work, from community gardening, to fighting the lead crisis and climate change. The 2020 featured speaker was pioneering Harlem poet Dahveed Nelson, a member of the Last Poets, credited for work that led to the emergence of hip-hop.
A news story on the second annual 2021 event can be read at this link:
https://nearbynaturemke.org/2021-african-american-environmental-pioneer-awards/
David Thomas, Nearby Nature Milwaukee (contact)
Terry Evans, Urban Ecology Center – Washington Park
Cassandra Flagg, Green & Healthy Communities LLC
Steven Hunter, Nearby Nature Milwaukee
Yvonne McCaskill, Triangle Neighborhood Association
Supporting Sponsors:
Sierra Club Great Waters Group
Teens Grow Greens

author: Karen Samelson


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AAP-logo-small.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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February 9, 2022


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Post from Community: MALA IN ASL! | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Chamber Theatre
February 9, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
closes Saturday, February 13th at 2pm. Tickets can be purchased via the MCT website, milwaukeechambertheatre.org/tickets or by calling 414-291-7800.
Melinda Lopez’s play, MALA, is a darkly funny and unsentimentally poetic solo-performer tour de force . In MALA, an adult daughter strives to live up to the unpredictable demands of caregiving for her aging mother while navigating this new stage of their lives and relationship. Maddening and moving, hard and hopeful, trying and triumphant—it’s only in letting go of trying to be the perfect child that Mala becomes a good one.
“MALA is an Emotional Evening Full of Love and Loss… It is also a beautiful collection of experiences, prayers, and unflinching revelations about what it is to take care of your parents at the end of their lives” says Gwendolyn Rice.
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Harry Cherkinian of The Shepherd Express says, “In this beautifully acted and directed production, Rána Roman inhabits several characters, but mainly the daughter who keeps trying but feels she has failed, especially given her mother’s increasingly volatile and erratic behavior.”
The creative team includes Stage Management by Emily Wright, Scenic Design by Lisa Schlenker, Costume Design by Jazmin Aurora Medina, Sound Design by Josh Schmidt, Lighting Design by Colin Gawronski, Associate Scenic and Properties Design by Simone Tegge, Dramaturgy byNicole Acosta, Scenic Construction by Ron Scot Fry, and ASM/COVID Safety Management by Matthew Lewis.
Rána’s previous collaborations with MCT include VANYA AND SONYA AND MASHA AND SPIKE (Cassandra) and LEND ME A TENOR (Maria). Most recently she was seen reprising her role as Mrs. Cratchit in A CHRISTMAS CAROL at the Milwaukee Rep. In the world that was before, Rána had the pleasure of performing in KISS ME KATE (Lily/Kate) at Skylight Music Theatre, ON THE WINGS OF A MARIPOSA (Mámi) at First Stage Theatre, and in LIFE SUCKS (Ella) at Forward Theater of Madison, where she is also a member of the Advisory Company.
MALA runs until February 13th. Tickets can be purchased by calling 414-291-7800 or ordering online at www.milwaukeechambertheatre.org/tickets. More information about MCT, it’s 21/22 season, how to purchase tickets, and how to donate can be found at www.milwaukeechambertheatre.org. For Talk Theatre, ViewPoints and TalkBack dates visithttps://www.milwaukeechambertheatre.org/continuing-the-conversation.
The health and safety of our artists, staff, and patrons is extremely important to us. That is why we have joined dozens of other local cultural organizations in requiring all audience members ages 12 and older be either fully vaccinated or provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of your performance date. Proof of vaccination or negative test must be presented with a matching photo ID.Additionally, masks are required inside the Broadway Theatre Center at all times. For full details of our health and safety plan, go tohttps://www.milwaukeechambertheatre.org/safety
Founded in 1975 by Montgomery Davis and Ruth Schudson, guided until 2020 by Michael Wright and Kirsten Finn, and now led by Brent Hazelton and Amy A. Salat, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre (MCT) partners with other arts organizations, community-based organizations, and universities to produce thought-provoking productions and innovative outreach programs on an intimate, human scale. As a leader in developing Milwaukee and Wisconsin’s theater community, MCT provides regular employment and a stable artistic home to local theatre professionals through a five-play subscription season, the Young Playwrights Festival (YPF), and the Montgomery Davis Play Development Series (MDPDS). MCT performs at the Broadway Theatre Center in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward and is a proud Member Group of the United Performing Arts Fund. For more information, to purchase tickets, or to make a donation please visit milwaukeechambertheatre.org.

author: Milwaukee Chamber Theatre


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Post from Community: Milwaukee County Transit System to modernize fare collection system | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee County Transit System
February 9, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) announced today that it has chosen the Umo Mobility Platform by Cubic Transportation Systems as its new fare collection system following a competitive process that began last May. Umo (pronounced YOU-mo) is a national fare collection system that will connect MCTS riders to not only its bus services but to other forms of transit across the region as well. The new fare collection system is expected to launch in fall of 2022.
The communities MCTS serves will benefit from improved transportation equity. The new fare collection system is made to fit the needs of all transit riders, including those without smartphones or who don’t have a bank account. Riders can choose to pay for their transit trips whichever way they prefer, including via contactless credit cards, mobile phones using the new app, a new smart card reloadable online or at retail outlets, or cash on board the buses. More plentiful retail locations based in a larger number of neighborhoods, multi-lingual capabilities, and options for the visually impaired further boost access to transit. With fare capping, riders will pay the lowest price, no matter how many times they ride.
“Making public transit more accessible is key to achieving racial equity in Milwaukee County. To create more connected communities, we must reduce the barriers that keep our neighborhoods, and their residents, separated today,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “MCTS is working to reduce barriers to accessing public transit by introducing flexibility in transit fare collection to accommodate the needs of all potential riders.”
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MCTS Managing Director Dan Boehm said, “The ability to fare cap means riders can purchase as much or as little as they can afford, and still get the discount of a weekly or monthly pass. The new system recognizes when riders reach the equivalent of a pass, and automatically rewards them with free rides for the remainder of the period. Now, everyone can access a faster, more convenient way to pay and travel to jobs, education, entertainment and other destinations.”
New System Connects Riders to Other Modes of Transportation Across the Region
The fare collection system has the potential to support seamless regional connectivity for commuters traveling to and from Milwaukee County and eventually throughout the southeastern Wisconsin region.
“We are excited to partner with Milwaukee Country Transit System,” said Bonnie Crawford, VP and General Manager, Umo. “MCTS sees the future of transit and the potential to connect its community to all mobility options using one app, whether they are riding the bus, grabbing a scooter or booking a ride-share, just like other major cities.”
Because the platform is cloud-based, it works faster than the current fare collection system, offering immediate on-board payment validation via mobile app or smart card. The mobile app will also provide real-time bus tracking and trip planning. To use Umo, passengers create an account via the app and then add funds to their account using their credit or debit card or with cash at more than 200 retail locations.
Community Education to Begin in Spring
In the coming months, MCTS will begin educating its rider base how the account-based system works and introduce them to the comprehensive features and benefits found on the Umo mobile app and fare card. On-bus validators are expected to be installed later this fall. This new system will eventually replace the current M-Card and mobile app. The education campaign will include a timeline of when the old system will be phased out and the new one begins. There will be an introductory period allowing riders time to transition to the new system.
For more information about the Milwaukee County Transit System, visit RideMCTS.com.
About Cubic Corporation
Cubic is a technology-driven, market-leading provider of integrated solutions that increase situational understanding for transportation, defense C4ISR, and training customers worldwide to decrease urban congestion and improve the militaries’ effectiveness and operational readiness. Our teams innovate to make a positive difference in people’s lives. We simplify their daily journeys. We promote mission success and safety for those who serve their nation. For more information about Cubic, please visit www.cubic.com or on Twitter @CubicCorp.

author: Milwaukee County Transit System


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Post from Community: Save the Date: Equal Opportunity Day | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Greater Milwaukee Urban League
February 9, 2022

author: Greater Milwaukee Urban League


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2022 MUL EOD Evite FINAL 3 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
February 9, 2022


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Post from Community: SHARP Literacy reading programs with Marquette and Carroll Universities | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
SHARP Literacy
February 9, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
SHARP Literacy announced details of 2021/2022 student athlete reading programs in partnership with the Marquette Golden Eagles men’s basketball and lacrosse teams, and women’s soccer team, and Carroll University Pioneers men’s basketball team. This is the seventh and fifth consecutive year, respectively, of SHARP’s partnership with Marquette and Carroll University on the reading program. This year’s Reading with the Golden Eagles and Reading with the Pioneers sessions began in October and will continue through May.
The partnership provides elementary students participating in SHARP Literacy’s educational program in Milwaukee- and Waukesha-area schools the opportunity to meet and read with student athletes.  As part of the program, athletes spend time reading with K4 – 5 grade students (in-person with Carroll University Pios and virtually with Marquette Golden Eagles) and discuss the importance of reading in all aspects of their education. Athletes also share their special childhood reading experiences with students and answer their questions. This is a unique educational opportunity for SHARP’s young students, according to Lynda Kohler, president/CEO of SHARP Literacy. “These kids light up when the athletes walk into their classroom or appear on their computer screens. As athletes share their personal stories, children see what a difference reading has made in their lives. It’s an inspirational experience for students, and for athletes, too, as they are provided the opportunity to serve as mentors and give back to their community.”
During the 2021/2022 academic year, the reading partnership program with both universities will include the participation of approximately 30 student athletes andfive Milwaukee-area schools including Blessed Sacrament, Browning Elementary School, Granville Lutheran School, Kluge Elementary School, and St. Martini Lutheran School, and two Waukesha-area schools including Whittier Elementary School and La Casa de Esperanza.
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Both university partnership programs are based in community service. “I am very proud of our partnership with SHARP Literacy and their mission to inspire children to become lifelong learners,” said Shaka Smart, head coach of Marquette University men’s basketball program. “Marquette student athletes enjoy being a part of the ‘Reading with the Golden Eagles’ program and making a positive impact in the Milwaukee community.”  Carroll University’s partnership with SHARP provides athletes with opportunities to inspire young students, according to Paul Combs, head men’s basketball coach at Carroll University. “This program provides our student-athletes the unique opportunity to share their love of learning and reading with the youngest of learners. Service to community is an important part of what it means to be a Pioneer and our partnership with SHARP Literacy helps us put that tradition into action.”
SHARP Literacy, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Milwaukee nonprofit educational program whose mission is to partner with educators to foster a love of learning and advance children’s futures through innovative STEAM-based experiences and programs. The primary goal of SHARP Literacy is to provide elementary school students with an imaginative learning experience that builds confidence, self-esteem, and a greater awareness of the world. This year SHARP Literacy, Inc. will impart foundational literacy skills to thousands of urban elementary school students and educators in 49 schools across Milwaukee, Racine and Waukesha. For more information, visit www.sharpliteracy.org.

author: SHARP Literacy


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Journeys: How a toothache led dentist Bruce Hamilton to his calling | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
February 10, 2022
Dr. Bruce Hamilton wants to change the way people view dental care by focusing on preventative measures and looking at how dental care relates to one’s systemic health. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
“Journeys” is a new feature that looks at the career paths taken by our community entrepreneurs. Know of someone we should feature? Please send your suggestions to amartinez-ortiz@milwaukeenns.org.
At 7-years-old, Dr. Bruce Hamilton found his calling, and it started with a terrible toothache.
The pain young Hamilton experienced was unbelievable, and his father took him to the dentist to get the tooth treated. Beyond getting the much-needed relief, the appointment opened his eyes to the world of dentistry.
“It was just amazing,” he said. “The initiation of the anesthetic that made the pain go away and then also the removal of the tooth. It was just so fascinating where they kind of linked the science – which I was always a science type of child – with the compassion the dentist had to help someone.”
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These days, Hamilton is not only a dentist but a business owner. After graduating from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry in 1997, he opened his own dental practice, The Centre for Exceptional Dentistry, 1825 N. Martin Luther King Drive, in 2004.
The journey to his dream job included eight years of school, a long commute, additional school, and more. But Hamilton’s desire to provide dental care to those in need has kept him motivated.
Before even applying to dental school, Hamilton knew he wanted to return to Milwaukee.
“There was a need for dental care for the underserved and underrepresented within the city,” he said. “And with my travels throughout the city, there wasn’t really any dentists that looked like me. I made a point to say I wanted to be a part of my community … to serve them with the gifts that I had.”
When filling out applications for dental school, he included that in his statement.
“I always tell people that Bruce is one of the most genuinely caring passionate people that I’ve ever met,” Brigid Jacobs, Hamilton’s wife, said. “He meets people where they’re at, and he engages them in a way that I’m not sure many of us do. He wants everybody to be their best, and he often times brings that out in other people.”
Jacobs is also the office manager for The Centre of Exceptional Dentistry. They met at Rufus King High School and married in 1998.
Although Hamilton returned to Milwaukee after graduation, he didn’t immediately work in the city.
Before he graduated, he was recruited by Midwest Dental, which at the time was a dental service organization. The group had locations throughout the state and for a year-and-a-half, Hamilton worked in the Sheboygan offices and lived in Milwaukee.
Despite the long commute, Hamilton considered the opportunity a blessing. It gave him the chance to practice and expand his skills, he said. After leaving Midwest Dental, Hamilton worked for Smileage Dental before taking a dental position at Quad Graphics.
While his time at Smileage Dental was brief, Hamilton learned that he preferred taking a comprehensive and preventive approach to dental care. To him, it’s important to educate patients and help them understand how dental care impacts their systemic health.
“I think we can change the mindset of how patients truly think about dental,” he said, adding that dental care should be preventative-based, not problem-based.
His time at Quad Graphics taught him about the businesses of dentistry and the value of relationships. Although he found the work fulfilling, Hamilton knew he wanted to do more to serve the community.
In 2003, he went to Las Vegas and received additional training. On the plane ride back, he decided this was something he could do, and in June 2004, the Centre for Exceptional Dentistry officially opened.
When choosing a location for his dental practice, The Centre for Exceptional Dentistry, Dr. Bruce Hamilton purposefully chose Dr. Martin Luther King Drive for its proximity to the central city and downtown. (Photo by Sue Vliet)
When it came to choosing a location, Hamilton purposely chose Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. He noticed that quality dental care often existed beyond the city, and he wanted to offer that same level of care within the community.
It is important that people in the community see people who look like them and can relate to not only their dental needs, but their social and physical needs too, Jacobs said. Responding to the community’s needs means listening to the community, she said, and Hamilton has always put customer-care first.
Hamilton got to work creating a business plan and applying for business loans. While he initially tried to buy an established office, none fit his vision, so he created one.
Today the practice has eight employees, including Hamilton and Jacobs. It is currently looking to hire another dental hygienist and potentially another associate.
Lennie Mosley has been a patient of Hamilton’s since he opened. Mosley, who had recently opened a flower shop called Perfect Petal after closing her nail salon, brought a bouquet to the practice to meet the new business owners.
She left with a contract to provide them with flowers twice a month – and a new dentist.
Every aspect of his business is exceptional, Mosley said, from the customer service to the cleanliness of the office to the dentist himself.
“What stands out most about him is that he knows his clients by their name,” she said. “He doesn’t try to pass through and not say anything … it makes a difference. He’s a good doctor and a caring human being.”
The fact that the waiting room is always full says something about his business, she said. He respects people and treats them the way they deserve to be treated, Mosley said.
“They’re very conscious about the place and the business there,” she said. “That’s why I keep going back and recommending other people to go. It’s amazing.”
For Hamilton, the biggest challenge is helping patients understand insurance and the psychology of dental care. Through educational efforts, Hamilton and his team empower their patients to take control of their health. Dental care is not a commodity, it is health driven, Hamilton said.
“We spend a lot of time educating our patients across the full spectrum,” he said.
“When we talk about exceptional dentistry, we’re not just talking about the actual physicality of the dentistry that we do but exceptional in terms of helping patients navigate through all pieces of their care.”
On their first visit, new patients sit in the VIP room and speak with Hamilton one-on-one, Jacobs said. It’s an opportunity for the patient to explain why they’re there, what they’re looking for and share past experiences and expectations.
“He’s really looking for those answers so that he can be the best dentist and partner in their health that he can be,” Jacobs said.
There isn’t any other dental office like this, she said, at least within walking distance.
“We saw the need, we filled the need, and we continue to do the work,” she said. “We still do the work to ensure that the practice is sound; that people know who we are; and that we are giving them special treatment. That’s my proudest moment.”
She added, “We started with zero patients when we opened the door, now we lost count.”
Hamilton believes that building relationships with patients has been the key to the practice’s success and has made it a fixture in the community.
“For me, going into the office is not going into the work,” he said. “Going to the office is going to hang out with my team and hanging out with patients that I’ve have had for many years. It’s not even work for us. It just feels like we are visionaries for the community, and we just happen to do dentistry.”
In case you missed it: Journeys: From the corporate world to baking entrepreneur: Alan Goodman’s story

created: February 10, 2022

author: Ana Martinez-Ortiz


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
February 9, 2022

author: Dwayne Burtin


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51845333101_84d5d3aaff_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
February 9, 2022