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Post From Community: Milwaukee and the Nation’s Largest Minority-owned Agency Announces new Integrated Communications VP | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Josephine McNeal
December 15, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
CMRignite, the nation’s largest minority-owned cause marketing and social impact agency, announced today that Nepherterra Estrada Best has been named Vice President of Integrated Communications.
An award-winning public relations executive, she serves on the agency’s executive leadership team and leads the company’s integrated communications efforts, bringing more than 20 years of PR experience working with government, corporate and nonprofit clients.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to build a top-notch team of strategic communicators that reflect the diversity and values of the communities our clients serve,” she said. “When it comes to communicating with communities of color, CMRignite is the go-to agency for creative services, paid media and research. I’m excited to establish our brand in the public relations space as we continue to plan and execute PR campaigns that are authentic, impactful, and effective.”
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The newly created role of vice president of integrated communications, coupled with the agency’s growing PR division, uniquely positions CMRignite to expand its strategic communications and multicultural PR service offerings for government, corporate and nonprofit clients.
CMRignite has 60 full-time staff, 75% of whom are Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQ+ and/or people with disabilities. The Milwaukee-based company recently earned a spot on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in the United States. CMRignite’s client list includes organizations like General Electric Healthcare, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National WIC Association and University of Wisconsin.
“We noticed an undeniable void for truly diverse, multicultural voices in the public relations space,” said David Bowles, President of CMRignite. “As our agency continues to grow, Nepherterra will play a vital role, using her experience and strong relationships in the community to expand our strategic public relations capabilities.”
Before joining CMRignite, Estrada Best co-founded public relations firms in Milwaukee, WI and Charlotte, NC. She was recently awarded the 2022 Marketing 2.0 Outstanding Leadership Award. Her work has been recognized by the Public Relations Society of America and she is the recipient of the Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 Award.
“When I founded the firm we were heavily focused on PR, so public relations is naturally in our agency’s DNA,” said Jacque Moore, Chairman and CEO of CMRignite. “I am confident Nepherterra will be a tremendous partner in our continued growth as an agency, especially in the public relations space.”
To learn more about CMRignite, visit cmrignite.com.
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author: Josephine McNeal


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December 13, 2022

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created: December 13, 2022

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

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Post From Community: PEARLS For Teen Girls selected by Stand Together Foundation to become catalyst impact partner | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Alaina Landi
December 15, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
PEARLS for Teen Girls, is proud to announce it has been selected to participate in Stand Together Foundation’s new Catalyst Impact Grant Program, an initiative cultivating a group of the country’s most transformative nonprofits that demonstrate a better way to transform individual lives and create lasting change.
The Catalyst Impact Grant Program awards each incoming Impact Partner with Principle Based Management coaching and consulting, access to a new customer-first measurement approach created by Stand Together Foundation to understand and differentiate their impact, and grants up to $300,000 over three years. By 2025, Stand Together Foundation’s goal is to invest in up to 100 Catalyst partners who have successfully completed the Catalyst Program, committing up to $30 million to accelerate nonprofit impact and transform how society thinks about addressing poverty and social barriers.
PEARLS For Teen Girls is one of the first 25 Catalysts to have been selected to join the new Catalyst Impact Grant Program, which officially kicks off January, 2023. Nonprofits selected have the key ingredients to break the cycle of poverty. They put people at the forefront, see the unique potential in every individual, and are changing the way the country thinks about, talks about, and tackles poverty. The grant program is designed to provide resources for increased effectiveness, including management training and customer feedback tools to help nonprofits grow, scale, and replicate their success. Click here to view a full list of the first 25 Catalyst Impact Partners.
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“As PEARLS embarks on its thirtieth year, the Catalyst Impact Grant Program offers us an amazing opportunity to continue to strengthen our own impact in empowering Milwaukee’s girls to be their best selves. We are proud to be part of this first cohort of Catalysts and look forward to our collective work in breaking the cycle of poverty,” Beth Myers, PEARLS Board Chair.
Stand Together Foundation partners with the highest impact nonprofits around the nation, all committed to empowering the individuals they serve through a principled approach. This means that instead of treating people as problems to be managed with sweeping, top-down plans, these organizations help people realize their full potential through bottom-up empowerment and solutions that help individuals transform themselves and the world around them. Today, Stand Together Foundation partners with almost 300 nonprofits, across all 50 states.
PEARLS For Teen Girls provides small-group, leadership and empowerment programming to support girls in developing life skills that are crucial for their well-being in adolescence and for their ability to thrive, flourish, and contribute to the community as adults. PEARLS currently serves over 1,000 girls across Milwaukee through small groups, college and career events, goal setting, and 1-on-1 mentorship via their Coach Program.
PEARLS For Teen Girls was selected through an extensive vetting process and accepted into the program after a rigorous evaluation focused on impact, customer surveying, reach, and principle alignment. Stand Together Foundation’s Catalyst Impact Partner Initiative represents an investment in the diversity of nonprofits, audiences, and solutions as the way to end poverty. The 25 Impact Partners have diverse program models across the nation and are uniquely suited for rapid iteration and experimentation based on data collection and customer feedback. Each of these organizations focus on relationships with their customers and prioritize individual transformation rather than transactional services.
“Our Catalyst partners take a unique approach to helping people overcome barriers that is anchored in a strong belief in people,” said Evan Feinberg, executive director at Stand Together Foundation. “This initiative is about deepening our partnership so that Catalysts can scale their reach, better understand their impact, and ultimately transform the way society thinks about addressing social barriers. If these organizations continue to grow in their effectiveness, and everyone in the country hears about what they are doing, we can transform the entire social sector in America.”
Catalyst Impact Partners will be expected to:
Click here to learn more about Catalyst Impact Partners.
About PEARLS for Teen Girls
PEARLS for Teen Girls was founded as a volunteer effort in 1993 by a local entrepreneur and grew into a nonprofit in 2002, with the mission to improve the quality of life and strengthen the community through the empowerment and support of young women. PEARLS girls are provided with self-development tools, guidance, and support to strive for better, brighter futures by living out the PEARLS values: Personal Responsibility, Empathy, Awareness, Respect, Leadership, and Support. Our research-based curriculum helps girls break through generational and systemic challenges and live to their fullest potential. To learn more visit: PEARLSforTeenGirls.com.
About Stand Together Foundation
Stand Together Foundation is committed to breaking the cycle of poverty in America by driving change from within communities. We are building a community of social entrepreneurs who believe in people, work from the bottom up, and unite with anyone to do right. Since 2016, we have committed over $120 million and counting to fuel the innovation of nonprofits throughout the country to build stronger, safer communities where all people can learn, contribute, and realize their full potential. Our goal is to help nonprofit leaders maximize their impact to transform more lives out of poverty. Learn more at www.StandTogetherFoundation.org.

created: December 15, 2022

author: Alaina Landi


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December 14, 2022

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Post From Community: Shining a light on antisemitism this Hanukkah season | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jeff Jones
December 15, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
In response to the sharp rise in antisemitism in the U.S., the Milwaukee Jewish Federation has joined forces with the national Shine a Light initiative to raise awareness about modern antisemitism.
The Federation will shine a light on antisemitism during Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, with Hanukkah on the Hoan. Each night of the holiday, the Federation will share video messages of support from local civic and faith leaders and will light the Daniel W. Hoan Memorial Bridge to represent the eight candles of the Hanukkah menorah.
Antisemitism neither began nor ended with the Holocaust. Today, its legacy of hatred and prejudice against Jewish people is still a reality across the nation, and it undermines both individuals’ physical safety and expression of their culture and religion.
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Antisemitic incidents in the U.S. increased 34% over the previous year, reaching the highest number on record since the ADL began tracking this in 1979. One in four American Jews report that they experienced hatred in the last year. In 2020, 57.5% of all religiously-motivated hate crimes were against Jews, who make up just 2% of the U.S. population.
In Wisconsin, reported antisemitic incidents are up 459% from 2015-2021. Antisemitic incidents at Wisconsin high schools and middle schools increased 80% from 2020 to 2021, while incidents on social media went up 30%.
The preliminary list of local civic and faith leaders who will share daily messages of support over the eight days of Hanukkah include: Corey Joe Biddle, Vice President of Community Affairs at MMAC; County Executive David Crowley; philanthropist and entrepreneur Moshe Katz; Erik Kennedy, co-founder of ElevAsian; Joan Lubar, board chair of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation; Congresswoman Gwen Moore; Darryl Morin, president and chairman of Forward Latino; Ahmed J. Quereshi, interim executive director of the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee and former president of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee; Reverend David Simmons of the Episcopal Diocese of Milwaukee and St. Matthias Episcopal Church; Ramona Tenorio, board member of the Jewish Community Relations Council; and Bruce Varick, Associate Superintendent of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
“Antisemitism is sometimes called the canary in the coal mine because increases in antisemitism often are a sign that other forms of hate are on the rise,” said Milwaukee Jewish Federation President and CEO Miryam Rosenzweig. “By lighting Milwaukee’s most iconic bridge, we are shining a light on antisemitism and inviting our city to stand up against all forms of hatred.”
Federation’s corporate partner for Shine a Light on Antisemitism is Commissioner Emeritus Allan H. “Bud” and Sue Selig.
Confidentially report antisemitism at MilwaukeeJewish.org/ReportAntisemitism.
Logistics
The lighting will occur at the Hoan on the hour from the evening of Dec. 18 through the evening of Dec. 25. Each night an additional pillar will be “lit.” View Light the Hoan’s livestream of the lighting and daily video messages from civic leaders: MilwaukeeJewish.org/HanukkahOnTheHoan.
About Shine a Light
Shine a Light is a comprehensive initiative to spotlight the dangers of antisemitism through education, community partnerships, workplace engagement and community advocacy. Fueled by an unprecedented coalition of over 90 North American Jewish and non-Jewish organizations from across the United States and Canada, Shine a Light draws inspiration from Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, to encourage Jews and allies to speak up and send a message that antisemitism, in all its modern forms, won’t be tolerated in our communities.
Visit ShineALightOn.com.
Instagram: @ShineALight_On | Twitter: @ShineALight_On | TikTok: @shinealighton
Facebook: @ShineALightOnAntisemitism  | Hashtag: #shinealight
About the Milwaukee Jewish Federation
For more than 100 years, the Milwaukee Jewish Federation has been dedicated to building a strong Jewish community. We distributed $19 million last year to Jewish and non-Jewish organizations locally and around the world, and manage philanthropy through our over $200 million Jewish Community Foundation. Visit MilwaukeeJewish.org.
Facebook: Facebook.com/JewishMilwaukee | Instagram: Instagram.com/JewishMilwaukee
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author: Jeff Jones


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December 13, 2022


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The Department of Health Services has moved out of the Coggs Center to a new location. But the news hasn’t reached some residents. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
December 15, 2022
More than a month after Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services moved its North Side location for providing support for services such as FoodShare and BadgerCare Plus, some residents are still returning to the old location for support.
On Nov. 1, the Department of Health Services, or DHS, relocated to a new location at 6055 N. 64th St. Up until then, residents looking for help navigating the FoodShare and BadgerCare Plus systems could find it at the Marcia P. Coggs Human Services Center, or Coggs Center, at 1220 W. Vliet St.
In addition to service at the new location on North 64th Street, residents can also receive help with DHS services at UMOS, located at 2701 S. Chase Ave.
DHS officials said they have provided outreach to residents affected by the move by posting signs at the Coggs Center in English, Spanish and Hmong; emailing almost 130,000 people receiving services about the move in multiple languages; and notifying community partners about the move in the hope that they would pass along the information.
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Nevertheless, some residents are still not aware of the move and are learning about it after visiting the Coggs Center and discovering they are in the wrong spot.
In the first two weeks after the move, the Hunger Task Force said it helped 1,386 people who had come to the old location and were unaware of the move. During this time, the Hunger Task Force established a presence outside of the old location to help provide in-person support to those unaware of the move so that they did not have to travel to the new location.
Danni Bell was one of those who visited the Coggs Center expecting to file for emergency renewal of her FoodShare benefits after they were cut off. She said she wanted in-person support because she is currently receiving cancer treatment and was unsure how that would affect her application.
“I wanted to get in-person services because then they have to help you,” Bell said, comparing her experience with in-person service versus over the phone or online. “You get better service that way.”
Other residents like Cynthia Cook said that although she was inconvenienced by making a trip to the Coggs Center that she didn’t need to, she’s taking it in stride.
“I wish I would’ve known; the new location is much closer to where I live,” Cook said.
Proximity to North Side residents like Cook who use its services is part of the reasoning DHS gave for the move to the new location.
DHS officials said they also made the move because the new site has free parking, a stop on a Milwaukee County Transit System bus line and greater accessibility for visitors who are blind or have other disabilities.
DHS officials also said the new building has more natural light and includes a meditation room and lactation station for working parents to nurse their newborns. They believe this will help with employee retention and ultimately reduce wait times and increase the quality of service people receive.
The Hunger Task Force criticized the old location’s accessibility as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act . It filed a civil rights complaint against the DHS in August 2021 that alleged that DHS’ services in Milwaukee County were not of the same quality of in-person services elsewhere in the state. That complaint is still active.
However, at the outset of the move to North 64th Street, Hunger Task Force Executive Director Sherrie Tussler raised concerns about the new location having only one bus line. The Coggs Center is on the 12 and 33 bus lines.
Tussler said it is important for those frustrated with the process of FoodShare or BadgerCare Plus to know that they are entitled to receive help, and that “entitlement” should not carry a negative connotation.
“FoodShare is a federal entitlement, which is not a dirty word,” Tussler said. “You have the right to apply, you have the right to in-person assistance, you have the right to complain and a fair hearing if you feel you have not been treated justly.”
DHS Secretary Karen Timberlake said her department will continue to work with community partners, including but not limited to the Hunger Task Force, to ensure that those looking for in-person help with DHS services are informed of the move.
“We serve several hundred thousand people, so it is going to take some time for that message to reach everyone. That said, we are leaning on our robust network of partners … we really do need them to help get the word out,” Timberlake said at an event last month about the new location.

author: Sam Woods


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52551907080_75764a16d4_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
December 14, 2022

author: Ron Smith


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5 things to know and do the weekend of Dec. 16 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
December 16, 2022
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news byclicking here at least two weeks in advance.
An opening reception for Walker’s Point Center of the Arts’ new exhibition “Aquí / Alla” takes place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 16 at 839 S. 5th St.  A bomba performance by Joan Luciano will begin at 7 p.m. The exhibition “gathers contemporary artists practicing in diverse disciplines, themes, and methods from around the nation and Puerto Rico.”
Learn about the findings of a recent traffic study at the corner of North 25th Street and West Locust Avenue, and hear about solutions for calming traffic and pedestrian safety. The meeting takes place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 17 at the Moody Park Pavilion, located at 2201 W. Auer Ave.
Make Christmas or Kwanzaa decorations or gifts and take part in an African dance workshop. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 17 at Wisconsin Black Historical Society Museum, 2620 W. Center St. Admission is $15 for adults, $5 for kids.
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Dream Team United MKE and partners will be giving away winter coats and toys from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 18 at St. Paul C.O.G.I.C., located at 2661 N. 53rd St. Donations are accepted through Friday, Dec. 16.
Shop unique gifts from Native American art and food vendors from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 18 at Black Husky Brewing, located at 909 E. Locust Ave.
From now through Saturday, Dec. 17, 20% of all sales at CupKate, a local vegan cupcake business, will be donated to the RBG GiftMust toy drive, a Program the Parks initiative.
For 11 years, the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has used professional journalism to paint a complete portrait of Milwaukee’s communities of color — residents who usually make the news in other outlets only when there is trauma, drama, chaos, and confusion.
As a nonprofit newsroom, we don’t publish for profit. We publish to inform and to help transform our readers and our city.
While our work is provided free, our staff of dedicated reporters and editors –your neighbors—have to be paid. Through Dec. 31, NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 12 times or double your one-time gift, all up to $1,000. Learn more here.

created: December 16, 2022


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Ron Smith
December 15, 2022


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Ron Smith
December 15, 2022


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5 things to know and do this week in Milwaukee: Dec. 19 to Dec. 23 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
December 19, 2022
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Art Start creative sessions are where young people ages 14 to 24 years old can create and share with their peers and industry mentors. This is a monthly event. This month’s session takes place from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 19 at  Nō Studios, located at 1037 W. McKinley Ave.
Drop off healthy food and/or work the phone bank to support the Hunger Task Force. Food can be dropped off from noon to 7 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 19 at TMJ4 Studios, located at 720 E. Capitol Ave.
A weekly poetry open mic night continues at The Q from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 20 and every Tuesday after. Sign up begins at 7 p.m.; poetry begins at 8 p.m. The Q is located at 2730 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive.
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UpStart Kitchen is holding its monthly members meeting at its new location from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at The Embassy Center Kitchen, 3725 N. Sherman Blvd. More about UpStart Kitchen and its membership here.
Heal Black Man has been cultivating a weekly space for Black men to do yoga and seek healing and greater understanding of themselves. This week’s session is from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 20 at Capitol Drive Lutheran Church, located at 5305 W. Capitol Drive. Sign up for free here.
For 11 years, the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has used professional journalism to paint a complete portrait of Milwaukee’s communities of color — residents who usually make the news in other outlets only when there is trauma, drama, chaos, and confusion.
As a nonprofit newsroom, we don’t publish for profit. We publish to inform and to help transform our readers and our city.
While our work is provided free, our staff of dedicated reporters and editors –your neighbors—have to be paid. Through Dec. 31, NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 12 times or double your one-time gift, all up to $1,000. Learn more here.

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Ron Smith
December 18, 2022

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NNS Spotlight: Retired MPS teacher Thomas Wild stays connected with his Riverside University High School students | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
December 20, 2022
Forty years ago, spending his days in a classroom was the last thing Thomas Wild wanted to do.
In fact, he hated high school.
But a trip to Austria and a bunch of high-spirited students convinced Wild to spend the last 30 years of his life doing exactly what he thought he never wanted to do.
He retired two years ago from Riverside University High School, where he spent most of his career and left a lasting impression on those he met. Wild taught psychology and African American literature.
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“When I first started at Riverside, I was drawn to him because of how students reacted to him and his class,” said Alvis Moorer Jr., who taught with Wild at the school. “It only took one conversation for me to learn that’s they liked him so much because he genuinely cared. He really wanted the best for each student that came his way.”
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse in 1992, with a degree in German, Wild, now 61, spent two years in Salzburg, Austria, where he worked in a preparatory school. He enjoyed it. So when he came home and didn’t have a job, he started substitute teaching and fell in love with the work.
“It became my passion to be able to see the best in people and lift them up,” he said. “Making connections is the best part of the job.”
Wild didn’t grow up in Milwaukee, so working at Riverside was initially a culture shock for him.
“I was born in Waukegan and raised in Brookfield. I didn’t even learn anything about multicultural history until I got to college and then it was just talking about slavery,” he said. “That first year, I was like a sponge trying to soak up information.”
Wild prioritized connections with students over content.
“Some teachers would say that the number one thing is content, content, content,” he said. “My number one thing is relationships.”
And it shows.
“Wild had and continues to have an asset-based approach when he interacts with people. He always sees the best in you even when you don’t see it in yourself,” said Victor Amaya, a former student of Wild’s and the president of Data You Can Use, a Milwaukee nonprofit that tries to connect Milwaukeeans with data they can use to advance progress.
Amaya recalled his first day in Wild’s class.
“I clearly remember the first day in his psychology class where he took the opportunity to ask me if I was interested in being part of student leadership. I had never considered myself as a leader, and I can’t say that I ever thought about being involved in such an opportunity,” Amaya said.
“That conversation during my first day in his class changed my whole trajectory as a student and now in my career where I am leading an organization as the president and executive director.”
On top of being a teacher, Wild was a club adviser and he sits on the board for Milwaukee’s Finest Scholarship Foundation, which helps graduating high school seniors from disadvantaged backgrounds.
“I had no academic confidence when I got to Mr. Wild’s class,” said Milwaukee Ald. Khalif Rainey. “But he believed that I had potential that I didn’t tap into, and he encouraged me to apply for a scholarship, which I fortunately received. Him believing in me changed the entire trajectory of my life.”
Rainey said it’s a shame that Wild has retired.
“I know everyone has to retire at some point, but I wish he was still in the classroom,” Rainey said. “His belief and encouragement produced a different type of student.”
Recently, Wild sat in a packed Colectivo coffee shop in Riverwest and smiled at the memories he’s shared with students.
“I don’t think there was a day I didn’t smile or laugh because of a child,” he said. “Being able to return that and make students smile makes you feel good in a way that you couldn’t get anywhere else.”
Though Wild never married or had children, he said he feels complete because the students he taught have become his family.
“Some of my students I’ve taken on family vacation so that they can bond with my parents,” he said. “Because they are my family. Some of them are like my own children.”
He said there is nothing in life he would do differently.
“People have searched their entire lives to figure out why they’re put on this earth, and I know why,” Wild said. “It feels good to know I’ve done something important with my life.”
Wild keeps up with most of his students on social media and said he is always extremely proud.
“I just want all my students to remember that your dreams can come true. Just reach for the stars,” he said.

created: December 20, 2022

author: PrincessSafiya Byers


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Ron Smith
December 19, 2022


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Inside the NNS Newsroom: We asked you why NNS matters. Here’s what you said. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
December 21, 2022
You never have to guess our mission.
It’s all in our name: Milwaukee. Neighborhood. News. And service.
In short: It’s all about you.
Recently, the NNS staff told you why we do the work.
Do you have feedback on Milwaukee NNS's reporting? Take our survey to let us know how we're doing!
And today, several readers tell us what NNS means to them.
It’s never too late to share your story with NNS.

created: December 21, 2022

author: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service


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Dwayne Burtin
December 20, 2022

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Post From Community: Area nonprofits get help using data to improve programs and services | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dr. Victor Amaya, Executive Director, Data You Can Use
December 22, 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, WI, December 21, 2022) –  Today, Data You Can Use (DYCU), a Milwaukee-based nonprofit research group, announced four winners of their annual Data Dream Awards. The Data Dream Award provides pro-bono services to help charitable organizations gather and interpret data to improve the effectiveness of their programs and services.
Winners of the 2022 Data Dream Awards include the Center for Urban Teaching, the Dominican Center, Peace Learning Center of Milwaukee, and UniteWI. Each award is sponsored by an area foundation who underwrites the cost of services. The 2022 Data Dream Awards were underwritten by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Northwestern Mutual Foundation, Siebert Lutheran Foundation and the Greater Milwaukee Foundation.
Data You Can Use will fulfill the Data Dreams in partnership with colleagues at the Northwestern Mutual Data Science Institute. Winners were selected through a competitive process and vetted by a panel of expert judges in data sciences, nonprofits, and philanthropy.
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“Having the right data and understanding available data, can help nonprofits take their work from transactional to transformational.  Data You Can Use is honored to help these exceptional organizations explore and learn in ways that help them better improve the quality of life for people in the Milwaukee area.” said Victor Amaya, Executive Director of Data You Can Use.
Winners of the 2022 Data Dream Awards include the following organizations and projects.
Finalists for the Data Dream Awards presented their projects at Data Day on October 19, an annual conference for leaders, from neighborhoods to universities, who want to better understand the implications of data on community revitalization, and to increase connections between research and practice. The event was held at Northwestern Mutual’s Cream City Labs in partnership with the Data Science Institute. More information on Data Day 2022 can be found on the Data You Can Use website at https://www.datadaymke.org.
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About Data You Can Use: Data You Can Use is a Milwaukee-based nonprofit organization. We help people access data and make it useful in improving community conditions. We help connect people who need data to people who have data and assist in accessing, analyzing, translating, interpreting, and presenting data. We can help you ask the right questions to get the right data, put it into a local context, present it visually and put it to work in addressing issues important to you. We subscribe to the principles of the Urban Institute’s National Neighborhood Indicators Partnership and work to democratize data by building local capacity, sharing best practices, and helping users sort through the data to surface, explain and address issues of concern. We know this requires technical expertise, knowledge of local context, the ability to convene and collaborate with multiple stakeholders and trust.

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Closure of the only labor and delivery unit on the South Side raises questions of timing and impact | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Devin Blake
December 22, 2022
The closure of Ascension St. Francis Hospital Birthing Center – the only labor and delivery unit on the South Side of the city – has garnered opposition, but not just because it is closing.
The timing and an alleged assurance earlier that the unit would not close have also raised ire. There are also concerns that the unit closure foretells an uncertain future for the hospital.
The announcement by Ascension on Friday occurs one week before the scheduled closure.
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And there is also the matter of the population disproportionately affected. The South Side is heavily Latino.
On Tuesday, despite below-freezing temperatures, dozens of people gathered in front of Milwaukee City Hall to protest the closure.
“We are here because we all deserve better than this,” said Tracey Schwerdtfeger, a steward of the Wisconsin Federation of Nurses & Health Professionals (WFNHP) Local 5000, the chapter representing St. Francis employees.
“Shame on you, Ascension,” she yelled into the mic.
“Shame,” the crowd yelled back.
WFNHP organized the protest after St. Francis administrators informed staff of the closing.
“The last day for admission to Ascension St. Francis labor and delivery unit will be December 21, 2022, and the last planned discharge will be December 23, 2022,” said an Ascension Wisconsin spokesperson. “Labor and Delivery Unit associates will provide additional maternal and fetal expertise in the Ascension St. Francis Emergency Room through January 7 … .”
According to the spokesperson, “birthing services leaders will work hand-in-hand with obstetricians and parents-to-be to ensure a seamless transition of care.”
The reaction of one expectant mother, currently a patient at St. Francis, reflects the frustration.
Crystal Vallance, a 33-year-old South Side resident, said she learned about the closure incidentally on Monday.
“This is a big part of the problem,” Jamie Lucas, executive director of WFNHP, said after the rally. “This whole thing is disorganized and inconsistent. We were told as recently as last week that the unit was not closing.”
During her first prenatal appointment in September, Vallance said staff told her that St. Francis was closing the labor and delivery unit, but only during weekends. Vallance said her care team expected a full reopening by December as the hospital hired more staff.
“Instead, I find out that they’re permanently closing labor and delivery,” she said. “It was obviously a surprise to my care team as well as to me. I’m sure there’s plenty of women who are closer to giving birth than I am. So, Merry Christmas, I guess.”
Lucas said giving birth is such a “deeply personal and intimate experience” and because “so little is in our control about childbirth and our health, we have to get these things right. Where you are going to deliver; having a consistent provider – these are things we can’t afford to screw up.”
A community organization with ties to the South Side also expressed serious concerns.
“I think the biggest thing is – our surprise. That there wasn’t an effort to contact … patients themselves to forewarn about this closure, right during the holidays,” said Christine Neumann-Ortiz, executive director of Voces de la Frontera, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the rights of immigrants and low-wage workers.
“The concern, of course, is that this is going to affect many of our members – largely Latina members – and their ability to quickly access a maternity ward … ,” she said.
If the closure does proceed, Vallance, and patients like her, must pick a new hospital and a new doctor.
The doctor Vallance most trusts lacks admitting privileges to other hospitals, she was told.
Additionally, she lives about a five minute drive from St. Francis but must now map out a new route from her house to the hospital she ultimately chooses.
Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital is about 15 minutes away, she said, and the Ascension SE Wisconsin Hospital, St. Joseph Campus is about 20 minutes away.
Aurora West Allis Medical Center is another option, said Lucas, but traveling there presents similar barriers that would not have otherwise existed.
Vallance has reliable transportation access, but she sympathizes with those who face steeper barriers and are closer to their due dates.
“I think it’s very interesting that a nonprofit — a Christian-affiliated hospital — is continuously trying to pull away from people who need the most,” Vallance said.
In addition to transportation, there are barriers around language, affordability, and – sometimes –immigration status, which “make it harder to be able to access health care … and which contribute to the existing inequality around public health … ,” said Neumann-Ortiz.
The Ascension spokesperson said the closure is a “consolidation” of services that gives patients “access to the most comprehensive labor, delivery and postpartum services to all Ascension Wisconsin moms and babies.”
Hospital administrators have not provided an explicit reason for the decision, Lucas said, but staff described what they believe has been an incremental dismantling of labor and delivery services at St. Francis.
As providers left or retired, “Ascension has chosen not to replace or fill” these open positions, said Connie Smith, president of WFNHP.
Recent reporting by The New York Times revealed staffing shortages at other Ascension hospitals in the country, sometimes resulting in what health professionals said were unsafe conditions.
Ascension leaders declined to respond to a request for further comment on specific allegations about staffing, timing and impact.
Smith made comparisons to other cuts at different Milwaukee-area hospitals within the Ascension system.
“I’ve lived this,” said Smith. “I started at St. Michael’s Hospital within the (Ascension) system. And they closed my labor and delivery unit. Prior to them closing my labor and delivery unit … they reduced services.”
The St. Michael campus was closed in 2006, and Smith and her colleagues are “scared this is going to happen at our facility at St. Francis.”
More recently, residents and community members in the North Side expressed concern about the cutting of services at the St. Joseph campus in 2019.
In attendance at the protest was Alderman Scott Spiker, who represents the 13 District, who said after the rally that this decision “doesn’t do anybody any good.”
“People should have a right to give birth in their home, in their communities,” he said.
Because of Ascension’s nonprofit status, Spiker said there is potential for public officials to influence the decision.
“We have partnerships here. We have relationships we can leverage,” he said. “But in the end, we ultimately need folks to do the right thing. And we can lead them to that. But we can’t make them do that.”
“I’m confident we can at least get voices heard that maybe you wouldn’t hear otherwise,” he added.
“We have a vision for our labor and delivery unit, and we have a vision for our hospital at St. Francis,” said Smith. “That vision is to have our labor and delivery staffed with the appropriate physicians and appropriate nurses and technical workers to make sure babies on the South Side of Milwaukee can be born there.”
Jim Malewitz of Wisconsin Watch, an NNS partner, contributed to this report.
For those who also need to contact potential providers, St. Mary’s unit is located at 2323 N. Lake Drive. The number is 414-585-1000
The unit at the St. Joseph campus is located at 5000 W. Chambers St. The number is 414-447-2000.
The Aurora Women’s Pavilion at Aurora West Allis Medical Center is located at 8905 W Lincoln Ave. The number is 414-328-6000.
The CARE Network of Wisconsin, an organization that provides childbearing education and resources relating to doulas, labor assistants and midwives, can be contacted via its website or Facebook page.

author: Devin Blake


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Ron Smith
December 21, 2022


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Happy holidays: Residents share memorable moments | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
December 22, 2022
We asked fellow Milwaukeeans for their cherished holiday memories and what the holidays mean to them. Here’s what they said.
Celebrating diversity with Christian friends
As a child I remember spending Christmas with my Christian friends, going to their homes and celebrating traditions with them – including eating delicious cakes people would make to celebrate the occasion.
But since coming to America as an adult, Christmas is very different.
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Now, it’s all about fellowship with friends who have become like family since ours is so far away and learning and adjusting to customs.
So, we try to incorporate as much as we can because our daughter goes to school, and she teaches us all about all these things.
My favorite part is doing all the things that make my daughter believe in the holiday magic: So writing a letter to Santa and then seeing her receive the gifts she wanted; and allowing her and other children to teach us the holiday carols they’ve learned at school.
As a community of people who are so far away from home, we celebrate for our children and because of that, we get to spend every day creating our new community and learning to cherish and appreciate the diversity of this country.
—Prachi Kumar, Riverwest
One year while we were cooking, Alex (baby girl) brought a gift her oldest brother (Keshaw) brought her into the kitchen, and I let her open it.
It was a life-sized doll. She took the doll out, hugged it, laid her to the side and got inside the box the doll came out of! It was so cute!
We all just laughed and took pictures! But she loved the box and played with it for weeks before it was destroyed.
For my family that’s what the holidays are all about: getting together to cook and fellowship over food. It is always a fun time to bond (and for) song, dance and (to) talk junk to each other in love.
—Adrian Spencer-Good, Midtown
My favorite Hanukkah tradition has always been lighting the Menorah.
Growing up, I was an only child, so my family only lit one Menorah every day of the celebration, and I remembered how happy that made me.
So when I had children, I allowed everyone to have their own Menorah. I have four children so there were six of us in total and each of us would light our own Menorah every day of the celebration. So we each used 44 candles every year.
To have eight different Menorahs on our dining room table emitting heat and light was glorious.
To have all that light in the darkness of winter is very symbolic.
Because for me, Hanukkah is about celebrating how humans can bring light to the darkness and how we have the power through our light to make things better.
—Harriet McKinney, Sherman Park
Coming home from school as a child and being rushed to change into our outfits for Las Posadas.
It was the only time of the year when homework wasn’t the most important thing. It was instead replaced by homey warm comfort food, fun with my cousins and goody bags.
Celebrating Las Posadas has always been a favorite part of the holiday season.
It’s a more religious holiday that is celebrated between Dec. 16 and 24. And even though it’s a Mexican tradition, it feels more like a family tradition for me.
Las Posadas involves roleplaying the Bible’s story of Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem and their search for a place to stay. Half of the family is inside the house and the other half is outside of the house. And we’re singing songs.
As a child, I enjoyed the celebration so much.
My mother is one of 14 kids so when I was growing up there were 40 first cousins, and we’d be jampacked into one of my aunt’s houses with kids running everywhere and adults drinking their coffee and enjoying one another.
After the celebration, we’d always get goody bags, some better than others, but there were always goody bags.
And we’d do this every day of Las Posadas and sometimes multiple times a day because there were so many of us.
Las Posadas always makes me think about the value of my family.
—Liliana Lopez, Silver City
Togetherness is my favorite part of the holidays.
It’s helping my grandmother get food done or attending the annual Kwanzaa celebration and seeing my community come together for positivity.
The quality time I can spend with the people I love is the best part.
Usually, a big part of my quality time with family or friends is spent listening to music and singing songs.
One year, my parents got me a five CD boombox and like 10 CDs. (I had to have been in early high school.) All the CDs were great, but the one that made my heart smile was Michael Jackson’s 25 anniversary “Thriller” album.
When I saw that CD, it was like none of the other one’s even mattered anymore. So I put it in my boombox and played that CD the entire day.
And my parents just let me have it. We all knew that traditional holiday music was the usual, but I loved my CD and my boombox, and they knew what they were doing when they bought it. So the three of us sang and danced to that album the entire Christmas.
Even as an adult, that’s what the holidays are for me: a time to convene, sing and laugh with my people.
—Brittany Morgan, Brewers Hill


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Ron Smith
December 21, 2022


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Ron Smith
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December 21, 2022


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Post From Community: Cross country skiing for beginners | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
David Snell
December 22, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
(For everyone) Never learned how to cross country ski? It’s not too late! Now is the perfect time to experience the fun of winter on skis especially with all the fun skiing programs we have later this winter. Bring your friends to ski the lovely paths of Washington Park – you are never too old to have fun. We will teach you all the basics, techniques, and safety – all you need to do is bundle up!
$9 – $15. See website.
For questions about this program, please contact Registrar, Augie Rodenbeck, at arodenbeck@urbanecologycenter.org or call (414) 626-8518.
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Registration is required for this event and will close 24 hours prior to program start time.

author: David Snell


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December 20, 2022


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Post From Community: Song Circle – New Year edition | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
David Snell
December 22, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
(For everyone) Join us for a community song circle around the firelight in Riverside Park! Broaden your connection to urban nature and each other through music and community. This event will be led by Sarah and Claire Moore of the Pink House Studio.
$5 – $12. See website.
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For questions about this program, please contact Registrar, Augie Rodenbeck, at arodenbeck@urbanecologycenter.org or call (414) 626-8518.
Registration is required for this event and will close 24 hours prior to program start time.


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December 20, 2022


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5 things to know and do the weekend of Dec. 23 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
December 23, 2022
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
An event for families to eat breakfast, take photos, decorate stockings and make memories with Santa and The Grinch. This event takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 23 at 4411 W. North Ave. Tickets are $10 for children and $7 for adults.
Hot Sauce Poetry returns for the holidays with this open mic for poets and comedians. This is a clean show that runs from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 23 at On The Bayou, located at 2053 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. Advanced tickets are $10; at the door is $15.
The Islamic Society of Milwaukee is hosting a night of basketball, reflections and giveaways called “Mega Youth Night” from 5 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 23 at the Islamic Society of Milwaukee gym, located at 4707 S. 13th St. This event is for young people ages 11 through 17.
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The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee locations will be closed from Friday, Dec. 23 through Monday, Jan. 2. This includes locations within Milwaukee Public Schools.
Get some coloring books, ornaments, Milwaukee maps, Wisconsin prints and more for last-minute holiday gifts at this pop-up shop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 23 at James Steeno Gallery, located at 1753 N. 52nd St.
For 11 years, the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has used professional journalism to paint a complete portrait of Milwaukee’s communities of color — residents who usually make the news in other outlets only when there is trauma, drama, chaos, and confusion.
As a nonprofit newsroom, we don’t publish for profit. We publish to inform and to help transform our readers and our city.
While our work is provided free, our staff of dedicated reporters and editors –your neighbors—have to be paid. Through Dec. 31, NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 12 times or double your one-time gift, all up to $1,000. Learn more here.

created: December 23, 2022


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Ron Smith
December 22, 2022


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December 22, 2022


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Deck the halls with tamale masa – or what I remember about holidays past | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
O. Ricardo Pimentel
December 23, 2022
Earlier this week, we asked fellow Milwaukeeans about their cherished holiday memories and what the holidays mean to them. Today, Managing Editor O. Ricardo Pimentel shares his treasured (and savory) memories of Christmas.
Chocolate-chip tamales.
Masa dough, flung into my face.
The aroma of chile colorado (with pork) wafting through the house, with samples wrapped in corn tortillas miserly dispensed to tide you over until the tamales were done.
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This was the tamale assembly line, part repetitive drudgery and (biggest part) chat fest, punctuated by a lot of laughter.
And then, after the tamales wrapped in corn husks had been placed and stacked horizontally in a large container and were steamed to perfection, came the feast. This, too, featured a lot of laughing with family.
This is among my most cherished holiday memory. I miss these times.
It has been a lot on my mind recently, as the holidays descend and family remains scattered to places where I’m not at the moment nor likely to be anytime soon.
Maybe it’s just me, but such memories seem a bit more wistful as I age – perhaps recognition that the events are more distant in the past with each passing year and are not likely to recur.
And, still, these memories sustain me.
Right. About those chocolate-chip tamales.
This is what happens when you’ve run out of the chile colorado and you pour sugar and other spices into the remaining masa (the corn meal) to make sweet tamales.
And then you let the kids experiment.
Voila! Chocolate-chip tamales, better than the raisin ones other family members preferred.
Masa flung into my face? This is what happens when you let three young brothers have a masa fight while on the assembly line.
But at the time, I resented those assembly lines.
Imagine: There’s a pile of washed corn husks in the middle of the table. There’s a big doughy lump of masa – that corn meal – within reach.
With your big spoon, you scoop up a ball, plop it on the hoja – the corn husk – and then, with the other side of the spoon, you spread it. All the while, your mother is telling you something like: “No, mijo, spread it thinner. No gorditas (no fat ones)? We have to make the chile last.”
And if you gave her a fat one, she’d “edit” your work – skimming off excess masa and plopping it back into the doughy mass, giving you the side-eye as she did.
If you’ve used all the wide husks, your mother teaches you – again, year after year – how to spread the masa on a less-wide husk and then put another less-wide husk on top and over a bit and slathering that over with masa.
I passed it to Mom – or another family matriarch (Dad was generally at work, but I never recall him on the assembly line at all). She’d place the chile colorado (with pork) atop the masa and then expertly folded the corn husk across and over to form the tamal that goes into the cooker.
This was much too serious work to leave to youngsters.
So, scoop, spread and pass. Repeat. Repeat. And repeat. Depending on how many dozen you were making, this took hours. The more people assembling the better.
Why did I dread this – at least until the laughter took over and the masa started flying?
It’s labor intensive even with the laughter. I’ve tried to enlist friends into tamale-making parties and found it hard to find anyone interested.
A confession: Also feeding the resentment at the time, I viewed it as girl work.
In these less enlightened times, young friends and relatives who had sisters didn’t have to go on the assembly line. They got to watch television, play ball outside or had moms, abuelitas and aunts who did all the work.
That didn’t fly in my house. 1. I have no sisters. And 2. Even if other female relatives were around, no way Mom was going to let us sit on our butts while they did all the work. Essentially, the rule was, “You don’t work, you don’t eat.”
Let’s just call it one of my earliest exposure to gender equity.
Happy to say, it took, even with a very traditional upbringing in which I rarely had to wash a dish, cook or do a lot of other “girl” work though my brothers and I did clean house so my parents wouldn’t have to come home from work to a pig pen.
But generally not doing “girl work” ill-prepared me for adulthood.
“What do you mean you don’t do dishes?”
Trust me. It doesn’t fly.
A discussion I have with my wife a lot of Christmases. “We should make tamales this Christmas.”
Her, paraphrased: “Um, no. You know they sell them, right?”
It’s not the same.
When I was a kid, we didn’t have a lot of what, these days, they call disposable income. But I count myself very lucky. We had parents who worked a lot and loved us even more. We had a roof over our heads and, even if there wasn’t a lot of variety, there was food in the cupboard and fridge.
The gifts under the Christmas tree – if we had one – were few. Still, Christmas was special.
For families like mine, a gift of a dozen or so tamales went to friends and relatives. This also helped make it special.
We gave them. We got them.
We got to taste other families’ tamales. Some weren’t pork. Some were beef – even lengua (beef tongue) and cabeza (cow head) – and chicken. Some were with green, not red, chile.
And we always concluded: “Ours are better.”
Maybe it was because our tamales were ours, made with love for one another – masa fights and chocolate chips allowed.
Happy holidays. May your memories keep your hearts – and your tummies – full.
In case you missed it: Happy holidays: Residents share memorable moments

author: O. Ricardo Pimentel


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Ron Smith
December 22, 2022


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Post from Community: Milwaukee County partners with American Red Cross to provide additional warming center at Marcia P. Coggs building | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee County
December 23, 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.
A coordinated effort is underway between Milwaukee County and the Southeast chapter of the American Red Cross to help residents without homes, residents displaced by fire, and households without working heat stay warm as Winter Storm Elliot bring extremely cold temperatures to the region.
The Marcia P. Coggs Building, located on 1220 West Vliet Street, is open 24 hours through the weekend for vulnerable residents to find warmth as temperatures fall to life-threatening levels. The site is a joint effort between the City of Milwaukee Health Department, City of Milwaukee Office of Emergency Management, Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services, Milwaukee County Office of Emergency Management, Impact 211, the Milwaukee Continuum of Care, and the American Red Cross of Southeast Wisconsin.
“This is an unsafe time for vulnerable residents to hunker down on the street or in homes without heat. The dangers of the cold weather are real and can be fatal for those exposed to the elements for prolong amounts of time,” said County Executive David Crowley. “I encourage anyone without heat to call 211 and seek shelter at one of the many warming centers across the county.”
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Residents can take shelter at the Marcia P. Coggs Building for walk-in warming to escape high winds and wind chills well below zero. Milwaukee County residents who are in need of emergency shelter can also call 2-1-1 for the most current information on open warming sites and shelters in their community.
“With the dangerously cold temperatures expected to last throughout the weekend, it is important to offer potentially life-saving resources like an additional, temporary warming site at the Marcia P. Coggs Center,” said Department of Health and Human Services Director Shakita LaGrant-McClain. “Milwaukee County’s housing and shelter-focused outreach team continues to make proactive connections to unhoused residents, encouraging them to seek warmth and shelter during this dangerous winter storm.”
Milwaukee County has a robust housing and shelter-focused outreach system. — every day and night of the week we have professional street outreach teams making proactive connection to our neighbors outside to triage them into shelter, create housing plans and provide life-saving support to services. Anyone who witnesses an individual living outside during these extreme temperatures should reach out to outreach@milwaukeecountywi.gov with the location and general description of the individual.
Milwaukee County Department of Health and Human Services Behavioral Health Service’s Access Clinics are currently closed. Residents at risk due to a mental health crisis can also receive support from a Crisis Assessment Response Team (CART). If you or someone you know may be facing a crisis, please call the crisis line at 414-257-7222.

author: Milwaukee County


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Ron Smith
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5 things to know and do this week in Milwaukee: Dec. 26 to Dec. 30 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
December 26, 2022
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Celebrate the beginning of Kwanzaa with entertainment, dancing and drumming, vendors and discussions on issues in the Black community. The event takes place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, Dec. 26 at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society, located at 2620 W. Center St. This event is free. More information here.
Learn more about the principles of Kwanzaa and support a retreat for Black individuals and families by participating in this read-a-thon. For each day of Kwanzaa, there will be readings related to the day  curated by Race and Faith and Rooted MKE Bookstore. The fee for materials is $35, and proceeds go to support the Black Joy Retreat. More information about the retreat here.
The inaugural reading takes place at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 26 at Rooted MKE Bookstore, located at 5312 W. Vliet St.
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Calling all endurance swimmers! Milwaukee Recreation has organized three distance swimming competitions of 1,650 yards, 1,000 yards and 500 yards designed for all ages to compete, have fun and promote a healthy lifestyle. There will also be a section available for open water polo. The fee to participate is $16 for adult Milwaukee residents and $8 for youth. The set of competitions will take place from 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 28 at the South Division High School pool, located at 1515 W. Lapham Blvd. More information on page 32 of Milwaukee Recreation’s winter activities guide here. You can also register by calling 414-475-8180.
Volunteers are also needed for lane timers, recorders and referees for water polo. Contact Elyse Heinrich at heinric@milwaukee.k12.wi.us to volunteer. Hot cocoa will be provided for all attending.
Take part in this guided conversation on perspectives of relationships from men and women at this event from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 29 at Lux on 3rd, located at 2712 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive. This is a free event. More information here.
New businesses and existing businesses looking to expand can find assistance through this one-time grant program from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, or WEDC. These grants are available to for-profit businesses and nonprofits. The application deadline is Saturday, Dec. 31. More information here.
For 11 years, the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has used professional journalism to paint a complete portrait of Milwaukee’s communities of color — residents who usually make the news in other outlets only when there is trauma, drama, chaos, and confusion.
As a nonprofit newsroom, we don’t publish for profit. We publish to inform and to help transform our readers and our city.
While our work is provided free, our staff of dedicated reporters and editors –your neighbors—have to be paid. Through Dec. 31, NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 12 times or double your one-time gift, all up to $1,000. Learn more here.

created: December 26, 2022


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Ron Smith
December 25, 2022

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Calling 2-1-1: Honesty is the best policy to find shelter from the cold | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
December 27, 2022
With forecasters predicting a difficult winter, authorities suggest residents who need a place to keep warm call 2-1-1.
By calling 2-1-1, the staff can help determine the best resources for your situation, said Emily Kenney, the coordinated entry coordinator at IMPACT 211, which provides free, confidential help and online resources to residents in crisis.
If you are calling for housing resources, one of the first questions the coordinated entry team will ask is where you slept last night.
“We want to know if there is some sort of doubling-up situation that we can salvage while we get other resources in line,” Kenney said.
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Kenney said when temperatures plunge dangerously low, the coordinated entry team will send people to warming sites.
Over the Christmas weekend, for example, the Milwaukee Continuum of Care expanded its usual efforts to shelter everyone facing the cold. The staff took to social media to request help and share information on where people could shelter.
“We are in such good communication with one another. We know when a warming site is at capacity,” she said. “So we can point people to a site with openings rather than one that’s already full.”
The Milwaukee Continuum of Care organizes people and resources to end homelessness in Milwaukee.
According to Kenney, when calling 2-1-1, people should be prepared to share their situation fully and honestly.
“Sometimes people say what they think we need to hear to provide resources,” she said. “But what’s important is that we know exactly what they are going through to provide the best help.”
To stay up to date with the Milwaukee Continuum of Care, you can follow its Facebook page.
“Don’t hesitate to call,” said Kenney. “We want to get people warmth and safety.”

created: December 27, 2022


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Ron Smith
December 26, 2022


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Post From Community: Free community event New Year’s Day | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Maggie Kuhn
December 29, 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.
Milwaukeeans are invited to a free event on New Year’s Day at the Riverside Theater to kick off 2023 with intention and community. Meditate Milwaukee is a 90 minutes event that will feature live music by several local musicians and then a guided meditation led by five different experienced meditation guides.
A community-based effort started in 2019, Meditate Milwaukee provides a monthly 1.5 hour live music and guided group meditation experience on the first Sunday of the month. With the advent of COVID, the events went virtual. Looking ahead to 2023, the event organizers have decided to return to in-person.
“We started Meditate Milwaukee with the intention of making meditation accessible to all walks of life,” said Meditate Milwaukee co-founder Kaita Bliffert. “In 2023 we are re-launching our program with a kick-off event at the Riverside Theater on New Year’s Day. We chose New Year’s Day because it really is an opportunity for a new beginning.”
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“Meditation is a practice where we focus our awareness,” said Meditate Milwaukee co-founder Traci Schwartz. “Taking conscious breaths allows us to shift away from uncomfortable feelings and bring in peacefulness.”
Numerous scientific studies have determined that meditation can be helpful to alleviate stress, anxiety and help with depression. According to an article on the Mayo Clinic’s website (mayoclinic.org), “Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that can benefit both your emotional well-being and your overall health. You can also use it to relax and cope with stress by refocusing your attention on something calming. Meditation can help you learn to stay centered and keep inner peace. And these benefits don’t end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day. And meditation may help you manage symptoms of certain medical conditions.”
For the January 1 event at the Riverside Theater, the lineup includes:
Musicians: Hans Christian, Ragani, Marjani Love, David Wake, Holly Haebig Wake, Freddy Bliffert, Kaita Bliffert
Presenters and Meditation Guides: Jennifer Bartolotta, Ragani, Ambrose Wilson Brown, Danielle Pollard, Traci Schwartz, Kaita Bliffert
The Meditate Milwaukee event takes place at the Riverside Theater 116 W. Wisconsin Ave January 1 starting at 1 p.m. (doors open at 12:30) and runs until 2:30 p.m. No meditation experience is necessary.
The event is free but registration in advance is required and proof of registration is required for entrance. For more information and to register, please visit www.MeditateMilwaukee.com
Meditate Milwaukee is an offsite program of the nonprofit organization The Blue Lotus Center. Starting in February, Meditate Milwaukee will take place on the first Sunday of every month at Sojourner Family Peace Center, 619 W. Walnut Street.

created: December 29, 2022

author: Maggie Kuhn


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December 26, 2022


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Post From Community: Lindsay Heights Neighborhood Improvement District approved | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Department of City Development
December 29, 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 – With strong support from local leaders and residents, the Lindsay Heights Neighborhood Improvement District No. 12 was approved by Mayor Cavalier Johnson and the Milwaukee Common Council to advance the growth of this vibrant community.
Neighborhood Improvement Districts (NID) are critical partners in developing stronger areas throughout Milwaukee by supporting housing efforts and promoting a higher quality of life. NIDs are funded and operated by property owners and community residents located within each district’s defined boundaries.
The formation of the Lindsay Heights NID was driven by local residents to revitalize and improve this area on Milwaukee’s near north side. Objectives of the Lindsay Heights NID include:
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“Lindsay Heights has long been an innovative leader in neighborhood development. I am proud to support efforts that will enhance this community for years to come,” said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. “Thanks to local organizations, partners and residents, the Lindsay Heights Neighborhood Improvement District will help improve housing options and public infrastructure, support community projects that beautify the area, and ensure this neighborhood’s bright future.”
“Lindsay Heights residents and stakeholders are fully committed to supporting and improving their neighborhood. That’s why they came together to form this Neighborhood Improvement District and create the type of community they deserve,” said Alderman Russell W. Stamper, II. “I am proud to represent Lindsay Heights on the Common Council, and excited to see this collaboration that will deliver improved housing, public amenities, and quality of life enhancements to the neighborhood.”
“The Department of City Development helps empower folks around the city to form Neighborhood Improvement Districts and improve the community they call home,” said DCD Commissioner Lafayette Crump. “It’s great news that the Lindsay Heights Neighborhood Improvement District is finally a reality. This effort will result in a renewed focus on improved housing, public infrastructure investments, and equity-focused policies that will support this community in the years ahead.”
“The Lindsay Heights NID is a shining example of what can be achieved when neighbors, stakeholders and the city come together in partnership and collaboration. Lindsay Heights residents should be proud of the hard work, dedication, and commitment they put into this multi-year effort to create something that will be of lasting value to the Lindsay Heights neighborhood,” said Antonio Butts, Executive Director, Walnut Way Conservation Corp. “This milestone is a great resident-led achievement and a powerful reminder that we are all capable of making positive change when we come together. Congratulations to everyone involved! Thank you for helping Walnut Way sustain its transformation!”
The NID will be bounded by North 20 Street to the west, North 6 Street to the east, West Locust Street to the north and West Walnut Street to the south, excluding properties included in the North Avenue Market Place BID 32, in the 15 Aldermanic District.
Learn more at milwaukee.gov/DCD.


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December 28, 2022

created: December 28, 2022


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Post From Community: Milwaukee’s Backyards – River Park | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
David Snell
December 29, 2022
Editor’s note: Posts from the Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
(For adults) River Park was among the first parks commissioned by Milwaukee’s Park Commission in 1890. It’s changed a little since it was established and designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and it’s a great place to look for the stars from the Backyard Naturalist Series. We’ll meet at the Urban Ecology Center and take a short stroll through the park as we look for the patterns left on the landscape by both human and ecological processes. This is free for subscribers to the Backyard Naturalist series.
$0 – $20. See website.
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For questions about this program, please contact Research & Community Science Manager, Tim Vargo at tvargo@urbanecologycenter.org.
Registration is required for this event.


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December 21, 2022


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SDC’s new research arm focuses on poverty and racism | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
December 29, 2022
After realizing that the work it has been doing is not the work it was created for, the Social Development Commission, or SDC, started working to restructure itself.
The first step in the organization’s restructuring is taking a new approach to its research arm with the Institute on Poverty & Systemic Racism.
According to Wisconsin statute, the SDC was created to “study, analyze and recommend solutions for the major social, economic and cultural problems which affect people residing or working within the local government unit.”
But over the years, the commission started focusing on meeting the immediate needs of the community.
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“We were told straight out that we weren’t doing what we were supposed to be doing,” said George Hinton, the CEO of the Social Development Commission. “And so, the board went into a strategic planning session and heard historically what we were supposed to do, and we concluded that we’re doing little to nothing that was supposed to be done as a commission. SDC has got the weird name Social Development Commission because in fact, it is the commission on poverty.”
Through the institute, the SDC hopes to get back to its roots and influence policy change.
“We understand that the transactional services we are known for are vital to our community, so we won’t stop them,” Hinton said. “But we are shifting energy to focus on research that can create transformational change.”
The SDC offers career, education, emergency and financial services such as G.E.D classes and emergency rent assistance, among services.
The institute’s first project, Dismantling Racism Invigorating Equity Together, will examine the impact of structural racism on Milwaukee’s African American community.
According to Jennifer Harris, the institute’s research and policy manager, the project has been three years in the making and is the result of ongoing conversations between it and its academic collaborators at Marquette, the Medical College of Wisconsin and UWM regarding solutions to the traumatic stress commonly found among urban residents in Milwaukee and other cities
“Our goal with this study is to gather data that illustrates the challenges and needs faced by Milwaukee’s African American community, particularly in impoverished neighborhoods,” said Harris, who will oversee the institute. “Ultimately, the data we collect will be used to evaluate how our programming here at the SDC is meeting the African American community’s needs in addition to informing elected leaders how changes to public policy can address challenges faced in the community.”
The project will survey residents of Milwaukee’s inner city to gather information about individual life experiences, their health status and their living environment. African Americans ages 18 and older who live in Milwaukee are welcome to inquire about participating in the research study. Participants will be reimbursed for their time.
“You can’t take the person out of the context of their lived experience when treating them,” said Terri deRoon-Cassini, a professor in the Division of Trauma & Acute Care Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin and principal investigator on the new study, in a news release. “Not everyone has the same lived experience. If we’re going to achieve equity in health outcomes, we need to understand the different environments and different experiences that everyone has in life and the impact those differences have on people and their health.”
Harris and Hinton hope that the work of the institute will be a beacon for change in Milwaukee and surrounding cities.
“We’re taking the engineer’s approach to problems in the city by breaking them down to the root,” Hinton said. “So rather than giving someone services when they’re released from prison, we want to make sure they never end up there in the first place.”
Because there are other research institutes in the city, the group said it hopes to complement what’s already being done in that sphere.
“We aren’t creating new research, we’re going to be taking research from around the world – it’s already been done – and bringing it to Milwaukee,” said Harris. “So, we don’t have to start from scratch. We just validate that the model fits into what we see. People are doing much better in certain areas across the world than we’re doing in the United States so we can pull that in and start using that to build models for us.”
For more information
For more information on the Institute on Poverty & Systemic Racism or its first project, you can look here.
If you’d like to participate in the study, you can follow opportunities on SDC’s social media.


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Dwayne Burtin
December 28, 2022


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5 things to know and do the weekend of Dec. 30 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
December 30, 2022
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Your Move MKE’s monthly hip-hop chess club event is meeting for the final time at its current location, Ms. Yesenia’s Creative Studio. The program will continue at a new location that will be announced in early 2023. This weekend’s event runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30 at 2926 W. Forest Home Ave.
Clarify your New Year’s resolutions at this evening of sound bowl meditation, intention journaling and yoga. The event takes place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30 at the Earth Angels Studio at the upper level of Sherman Phoenix, located at 3536 W. Fond Du Lac Ave. Registration is $10.
The Milwaukee County Transit System is offering free New Year’s Eve “bus crawl” rides on all bus routes after 8 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 31. Some lines will also have extended service until 4 a.m.
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“517 W. Bruce St. Apt. 4” is a multi-sensory art exhibition with works by local artist Adam White Ossers exploring the intersections of gentrification, gender identity, pandemic isolation and the movement of time. The exhibition is available for public viewing from noon to 5 p.m. through Saturday, Dec. 31 at Var Gallery, located at 643 S 2nd St.
Mediate Milwaukee helps conflicting parties reach mutually beneficial agreements through guided discussion and has organized a free guided meditation event to help you start your year off right. The guided meditation, with music, takes place from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 1 at Riverside Theater, located at 116 W. Wisconsin Ave.
For 11 years, the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has used professional journalism to paint a complete portrait of Milwaukee’s communities of color — residents who usually make the news in other outlets only when there is trauma, drama, chaos, and confusion.
As a nonprofit newsroom, we don’t publish for profit. We publish to inform and to help transform our readers and our city.
While our work is provided free, our staff of dedicated reporters and editors –your neighbors—have to be paid. Through Dec. 31, NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 12 times or double your one-time gift, all up to $1,000. Learn more here.

created: December 30, 2022


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Ron Smith
December 29, 2022


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Dwayne Burtin
November 6, 2023

created: November 6, 2023


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5 things to know and do this week in Milwaukee: Jan. 2 to Jan. 6 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
January 2, 2023
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here at least two weeks in advance.
Get free, expert help with signing up for health insurance at this event organized by Covering Wisconsin from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Tuesday, Jan. 3 at Repairers of the Breach, located at 1335 W. Vliet St.
Free COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters will be available from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 4 and Friday, Jan. 6 at Northcott Neighborhood House, located at 2460 N. 6th St. You do not need insurance to get a shot. This event is free, open to the public and recurring every Tuesday and Friday throughout January. You can get a free roundtrip Uber trip to the site by calling 414-999-1099.
Milwaukee-based rapper, artist and producer Klassik will kick off a month-long series of shows from local music performers at 5 Points Art Gallery. This week’s show runs from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 3514 N. Port Washington Ave. Tickets start at $15.
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Step into some snowshoes and step out into Menomonee Valley at night at this guided tour of winter constellations and Milwaukee’s nocturnal nature. All necessary equipment provided. Whether there is snow on the ground or not, this hike will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 5 starting at the Urban Ecology Center’s Menomonee Valley location, located at 3700 W. Pierce St. Registration is required to attend this event and will close 24 hours before the hike begins.
The deadline to nominate someone for the Dr. James G. White 6th District Difference Maker Award is Friday, Jan. 6. These awards are for residents, community organizations and block clubs in the 6th Aldermanic district (includes Harambee, Borchert Field, Halyard Park, Brewers Hill, Hillside and more) that “work diligently to improve and strengthen the quality of life for themselves, their neighborhood, and the City of Milwaukee.”

created: January 2, 2023


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Ron Smith
January 1, 2023

created: January 1, 2023


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NNS Spotlight: Muslim Community and Health Center of Wisconsin expands services | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Devin Blake
January 3, 2023
The Muslim Community and Health Center of Wisconsin, or MCHC, has earned a federal designation that is allowing it to expand services.
The South Side medical clinic and community center, also known as the MCHC, is located at 803 W. Layton Ave. It has offered social services to the surrounding neighborhoods and general community for 18 years and has provided medical services for nearly 15 years.
Continuing to evolve, MCHC was formally designated as a “health center program look-alike” in August.
Look-alike status is granted to health clinics that are almost identical in services and clientele to federally qualified health centers, or FQHCs–facilities that provide primary, preventive and mental health services to uninsured and underinsured populations.
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As with many governmental programs, the application was “tedious,” said Arman Tahir, CEO of MCHC. But the staff and board knew it wanted to continue to adapt to the needs of its very diverse and broad group of patients.
“One of the largest is the South Asian community, which is Pakistan and India,” Tahir said. “We serve the Burmese community, the Rohingya community, the Somali community, the Afghan community. … Our staff speaks almost 12 languages.
“These are the different groups in our community that we thought we should provide with services that you can only get from the state and federal government.”
“At the end of the day, it’s not just diagnosing and treating,” said Sabreen Sarsour, a family nurse practitioner at MCHC. “It’s more than that. It’s seeing what they (patients) are doing on a day-to-day basis, and sometimes that does get you to a diagnosis to be able to treat.”
Sarsour is one of four new providers MCHC has hired since receiving look-alike status. The clinic also added several different specialties, including  neurology, cardiology and podiatry. It’s in the process of adding physical and occupational therapy, Tahir said.
In addition to the medical services, MCHC has three providers dedicated to mental and behavioral health services.
MCHC also is known for its Sakina Senior Center, which hosts activities and provides resources for people 60 years of age and older. MCHC also serves refugees, including medical screenings, citizen training and financial literacy workshops.
Walk-ins are welcome at the MCHC, especially if the situation is urgent. But phone calls are preferred.
MCHC’s number is 414-939-4411.
Because of its look-alike status, patients can pay according to a sliding scale based on income. As with insurance status, immigration status isn’t an obstacle affecting a patient’s ability to receive services.

created: January 3, 2023


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Ron Smith
January 2, 2023


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Labor shortage, outside investors strain affordable housing efforts in Milwaukee | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
January 4, 2023
A labor shortage and outside investors who snap up properties have created a double whammy that’s impeding efforts to boost affordable housing in Milwaukee.
For the past few years and especially since the pandemic, out-of-state investors have been buying up and renting single-family homes and duplexes throughout the city.
Housing experts from Acts Housing, the Social Development Commission and Take Root Milwaukee said they are directly competing with families with low to moderate income.
According to an article by Mike Gousha and John Johnson for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “out-of-state investors now own 7,170 single family homes, condos, duplexes or triplexes across the city, up from 5,250 at the end of 2018.”
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Gousha is senior adviser in law and public policy and Johnson is a research fellow at the Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education at Marquette University Law School.
Most recently, the Community Development Alliance, a group that focuses on neighborhood improvement efforts, and Acts Housing, a housing counseling agency, have partnered on a goal to create 5,000 new homeowners of color in Milwaukee by the end of 2025.
Acts Housing is working via its new acquisition fund to address the barriers low-income families face when trying to buy homes. The fund will be used to purchase Milwaukee homes that will be resold to residents at affordable prices.
But hovering over such efforts is a labor shortage in the construction trades.
“There is not enough skilled labor in construction or any of the allied trades,” said Kurt Paulsen, a professor of urban planning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “Roofing, electric, HVAC; none of those areas have enough contractors to do the job.”
Paulsen said the city’s best bet is rehabbing and improving the quality of existing homes — but even that poses an economic challenge.
“Buying a home that is in disrepair means getting a mortgage big enough to fix it,” he said. “No one is going to write a $120,000 loan for a home that cost $80,000.”
Chris Garrison, the construction and operations director for Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, said that even for an organization that has been in the business of building for so long, finding contractors can be a struggle.
“We have good relationships with some contractors, and they are willing to work with us, but they seem to be getting busier and busier,” he said. “It can also be a struggle to have all the equipment they need to build a home on a small city lot.”
Additionally, Garrison said, some contractors don’t want to be in the areas where Habitat for Humanity builds, which includes the Midtown and Harambee neighborhoods.
“Sometimes, because of things like crime, contractors don’t want to work somewhere,” he said. “Or if they are working there and get things stolen or damaged, they don’t want to come back.”
Garrison said Habitat is proud that it was able to build 20 homes last year but is constantly concerned about whether what it does is enough to movethe needle.
“We do what we can like everyone else,” he said.  “But I think it is safe to say a lot of businesses in the industry are shorthanded and could use more help”
Paulsen sees the city’s housing challenges as an opportunity for community development.
“Funding the nonprofits already doing the work paired with on-the-job training and other resources can help create the capacity and infrastructure to do this work on the scale it needs to be done,” he said.
For Teig Whaley-Smith, the chief alliance executive for the Community Development Alliance, or CDA, these concerns are top of mind as the organization helps lead the charge to create homes.
“We try to consider how we can build smarter, faster, greener and better,” he said. “And because we are Wisconsin, we only have about eight months (of good weather) to build, so we think about how we can build inside and then move parts outside.”
He said there is some work being done to address the labor shortage in construction, specifically by the Ezekiel Community Development Corporation, a construction company that trains workers.
Despite the challenges, everyone agrees that more can be done.
“We know what works,” Paulsen said. “It’s a huge price to pay, but there will be a greater cost to society if we don’t.”
Check out housingplan.org.
For more information and resources, check out Take Root Milwaukee.

created: January 4, 2023


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51758355267_19ce26c239_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ron Smith
January 3, 2023