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OPINION: Women’s history every Milwaukeean should know | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
March 23, 2022
Editor’s note: Have something on your mind? “Community Voices” is the place to let Milwaukee hear what you have to say. To be considered, we need your name, email address and phone number for verification. Please email your submissions to info@milwaukeenns.org.
We asked our neighbors to lift up the women’s history that they want their whole community to hear about. They responded with these tributes to local leaders and a personal lesson in art history.
Melody McCurtis writes about Danell Cross (pictured): “Her life is an example of how to do right by the community — to get what the community needs instead of what others want.” (Photo by Adam Carr)
My mother does it all
(Photo by Adam Carr)
Melody McCurtis is the deputy director of priorities and organizer at Metcalfe Park Community Bridges.
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Women do it all, and I would like to take this moment to honor a woman who I have seen do it all throughout my entire life — my mother.
Danell Cross is a Chicago native who moved to Milwaukee nearly 30 years ago in search of a better life for herself and her three children. Danell is one of the founders of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges and current executive director.
She comes from a family that migrated from Mississippi to Chicago in the 1930s by way of her 13-year-old grandmother who bore eight children. Her grandparents, mother, uncles and aunts spent years building their home brick by brick on Chicago’s South Side. Danell’s mother would buy condemned homes and then she and her siblings would live in and remodel those homes just as her mother did.
Her family never had much, but they had each other and could create whatever they needed out of what they had.
Danell’s mother, Irene, was an activist, advocating for children, including her own. When she attended college, if she had no one to watch her children, they would be in class with her.
Irene learned that if you don’t know the rules, people in power can easily break the rules with no accountability. This led her to research and to educate herself so she could confront the powers-that-be to demand change — for a just and equitable environment for poor Black kids on Chicago’s South Side. She advocated like a ninja. As a result, she exposed two abusive teachers, who were removed from the school. At the high school Danell attended, she demanded the school comply with the federal mandate to provide free breakfast.
This foundation grounded Danell for the rest of her life. Through her work, value for people is at the core.
The way she organizes, advocates and gets things done? Working with people, with what they have collectively, until they reach abundance. When she moved to Metcalfe Park, she wanted to build with her community by any means. If that meant breaking up fights, sharing gardening tips, providing clothes and food for neighbors, that’s what she did. It’s in her to do it. As a result, she and her neighbors grew while working to get what they envisioned for their community.
In 2010, the Metcalfe Park Community Action Team (Danell and four neighbors) put their resources together and held community events that drew hundreds of neighbors, which caused them to get recognized. There was little support in the beginning, and Danell always said, “Ain’t nothin’ to it but to do it. When you do it, people will start to take notice and support, which ain’t right, but we gone get it done. “
In 2011, Danell was hired to be the site coordinator for the Building Neighborhood Capacity program under the Obama administration. It was implemented in four states, with Danell being the only person hired from the community she represented. For 18 months, she worked with hundreds of her neighbors and partners to create their community plan.
By 2022, Danell has a long list of accomplishments that includes creating a community-led organization that employs residents, building two community parks, attracting investments in Metcalfe Park exceeding $2 million and highlighting the beauty, brilliance and hard work of her neighbors and community.
Danell has inspired and supported so many people in the work. Her life is an example of how to do right by the community — to get what the community needs instead of what others want.
I’m a reflection of her values, principles and genius. She now has six children, 24 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren that see her example and support her in turn. I’m honored to see her do this hard work so that generations to come can harvest the fruits of her labor.
If you don’t know, now you know — my mother, Danell, is the issssshhhh!
Honoring the artists, printers and women that came before me
(Photo provided by Celeste Contreras)
Celeste Contreras is a Xicana-Indigenous artist who works in mixed mediums to share stories of ceremony, palimpsests and memory with reflections of identity. Her research includes storytelling through images and objects, exploring the condition of the book form, recalling intergenerational trauma from ancestral genocide and decolonizing through art.
Hello neighbors — my name is Celeste Contreras. I am an artist and MFA candidate at the Peck School of the Arts at UW-Milwaukee, about to graduate and I am focused on print and narrative form.
As an artist, libraries, books and research are at the heart of my inspiration. As I am building my own library, I have found some very important information about women in printing.
My mom was a printer in the ’80s — she inspired me to become a bookmaker, printer and artist. She used to make the Milwaukee Journal before computers completely took over. I grew up in print shops, watching my mom run an entire newspaper at one point (not the Milwaukee Journal but a smaller newspaper).
The history of printing is rich and delicious, but it can be challenging to find specifics. Here is some interesting information that I want my community and my neighbors to know about.
Printing has a long history in the Americas, especially in Mexico. Mexico received its first printing press in 1539 via Spain. The United States got its first in 1638. Mexico bred a movement in printing, in the fine arts and presses.
Women also led this movement from the beginning. For some women, if their husband ran a press and he passed away, the wife would inherit that entire press. She was then able to print. This started with Jerónima Gutiérrez, who printed her first book in 1563 and is known as the first woman to publish her own book in the New World.
Then there’s Juana Inés de la Cruz, a writer, poet, philosopher and composer. She spoke and wrote in Spanish, as well as Nahuatl, the largest indigenous language spoken in Mexico.
These women are extremely important to me today, because they remind me that I come from a place where books were seen as the highest form of media. Documentation mattered. Predating the conquest, my ancestors in Mexico, who wrote their books, were called Tlacuilo (tlah-kwee-low), Nahuatl for writer, painter and bookmaker.
As an artist myself, this information changed my life. It inspires me every day and I hope this can inspire someone else.
My simple reminder: write your book.
Knowing our ‘HERstory’
(Photo provided by Leana Yang)
Leana Yang (pronouns: she/her/hers/queen, anything said with love) is the outreach and education director at Hmong American Women’s Association. She is a survivor who speaks on womyn empowerment and embodies being an unapologetic, Hmong, queer, fem leader in Milwaukee.
Our “HERstory” matters.
It tells us the story of who came before us, and puts in perspective what we are building now, so we have something for future leaders to build on.
The Hmong American Women’s Association, or HAWA, was founded in the early ‘90s by 13 Hmong womyn who were passionate about advocacy, organizing and shared concerns reflected by womyn in the larger Hmong community.
These Hmong womyn found creative ways to organize and gather, even when the odds were against them. They often had to tell their spouse that they were gathering to create Paj Ntaub (Hmong traditional needlework or cloth embroidery). They were creating Paj Ntaub, but didn’t share that this space was also a place where they came together and shared concerns.
Around 1997, HAWA was formed as an official nonprofit; Paj Ntaub Circle was the first program HAWA provided.
Our body of work grew to incorporate leadership development as well as cultural enrichment programs for Hmong women and girls. In the mid-2000s, HAWA began providing domestic violence services and in 2012, we became the first Hmong culturally specific program in the state of Wisconsin to receive a sexual assault grant. Throughout our learning and growth as an organization, we also became the first culturally specific program in Milwaukee to provide support services for Southeast Asian queer and trans folks in 2016.
In 2021, HAWA purchased its first permanent building, in what feels like the middle of Milwaukee, where we will continue to organize Southeast Asian womyn, girls, queer and trans people to champion gender justice and collective liberation.
Knowing our herstory helps us envision a world where womyn, girls, queer and trans people are free from injustice.

author: Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service


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274604426_1212050786204878_3640566454794835036_n | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 22, 2022

source: news-milwaukeenns

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

author: Dwayne Burtin


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 22, 2022


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DSC04644 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 22, 2022


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DSC04742 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 22, 2022


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The YMCA Teen Achievers program challenges youths to define their own version of success | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
March 23, 2022
Teen Achievers help each other navigate simple games that teach effective and clear communication. (Photo by Sam Woods)
When Christian Burrell’s mom signed him up for the YMCA Metro Milwaukee Teen Achievers, or Teen Achievers, he didn’t know what to expect.
He knew it was a program meant to get students ready for post-high school life. But as a sophomore, he does not know exactly what he wants to do after he graduates.
However, Burrell has found that the Teen Achievers program is just as much about developing him as a person as it is about cultivating his college and career prospects.
“I’ve only just started … but they’ve already taken me outside of my comfort zone,” Burrell said after his first in-person meeting with other Teen Achievers recently.
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During a game used to practice effective communication, Burrell had to guide another teen who was blindfolded through a maze of tennis balls
“I don’t really talk to strangers like that, but guiding someone else that I don’t really know forced me to do what I don’t normally do,” Burrell said, adding that he appreciates opportunities to try new things and explore himself.
Since 1962 the Teen Achievers program has provided career and college preparation for high schoolers throughout the nation. At first, the program went by the name “Black Achievers” to signal its intention to cater to Black youths, but the program now goes by “Teen Achievers” to be more clear that it is open to teens of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Glenn Carson, senior director of teen programming at the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee, said the program has also changed in other ways since its inception, such as being held both in-person and virtually, as well as increasing the program’s emphasis on developing teens’ socioemotional growth.
Socioemotional growth refers to helping youths experience and manage their emotions in their relationships.
“We are not just pushing college, but your success, whatever that means to you,” Carson said. “We want to be a resource to help them figure out what” success means for their future.
Adults are welcome, too
Since opening in Milwaukee in 1982, the YMCA Teen Achievers program has touched the lives of more than 7,000 teens as well as about 950 adult community leaders.
These adults, known in the program as the “Adult Achievers, learn alongside the Teen Achievers during Saturday meetings. They are recruited through partnerships the Teen Achievers program has with local corporate sponsors such as We Energies, Kohl’s and Children’s Hospital.
Adults participate in programming alongside the teens. During a February Saturday Summit – a monthly meeting of all teen and adult members of the program – participants focused on managing stress, communicating effectively and working with others toward common goals. To facilitate, the YMCA partnered with STRYV365, a local nonprofit providing education and athletic programs to develop a resilient mindset in kids.
Glenn Carson, senior director of teen programming at the YMCA of Metropolitan, goes over community agreements with a cohort of Achievers. (Photo by Sam Woods)
Karynn Collier, a self-described “people person who loves to help,” was recruited to the Adult Achievers through the program’s partnership with Kohl’s and has a background in youth and community development through her church.
She said that mentoring in programs like these comes down to being present, not perfect. This means finding ways to connect with young people not because of your professional experience but by sharing from your life.
As she and a Teen Achiever stood next to a piano, she shared that when she was young and learning piano her teacher yelled at her, causing her to quit. This made the teen laugh and share a story about a time she gave up.
Collier saw this exchange as an encapsulation of what she is trying to accomplish: connect with one person at a time in a small way every chance you get, which she hopes will have a huge impact on the cohort by the time the program ends in June.
“At least now she knows that she’s not the only one who has quit at something,” Collier said. “We have that in common and can build on that.”
‘I want to leave with other people’s perspectives’
To recruit teens, Carson said he works with area schools to identify students who can benefit from the structure the nearly six-month program provides.
Carson and his team work to identify each teen’s goals through surveys, conversations and icebreakers.
Teens in the program meet as separate regional cohorts at three locations within city borders and once per month all together at the Saturday Summits.
Both the regional meetings and citywide meetings are packed with programming that develops the teens’ socioemotional skills and introduces them to careers and colleges that may be of interest to them based on their individual goals revealed early in the program.
There are also opportunities for SAT/ACT prep, financial management and community service throughout the duration of the program.
Carson said a big part of getting teens to buy into the program is having adults practice what they preach. He said he shared with this year’s cohort that his personal goal during the program was to get better at speaking Spanish, which the teens hold him accountable to just as he and other staff hold them accountable to their goals.
“Now they’re asking me to see my Duolingo to check if I’ve been practicing,” Carson said.
Burrell still doesn’t know exactly what is next for him after high school.
For now, though, he’s perfectly content with learning from the wealth of knowledge around him.
“I want to leave with different people’s perspectives, and learn how other people look at things.”

author: Sam Woods


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51912859757_2c80fdc70b_k | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 22, 2022


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Causey’s Career Corner: A new station in life for Ms. Diane | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Damia S. Causey
March 24, 2022
Diane Stowers, left, is proud to have passed the torch of ownership to Kai Trimble-Lea after more than three decades of service. (Photo by Ana Martinez-Ortiz)
Diane Stowers, 66, owned one of the last remaining Black gas stations in the country – located on the corner of North Eighth Street and West Atkinson Avenue – for 31 years.
On Oct. 18, she hung up her hose and passed it on to another Black business owner: Kai Trimble-Lea.
“When we came in, there were plenty of Black-owned gas stations,” Stowers told me late last year.
“Many were on the city’s North Side – 27 Street and Burleigh, Fourth Street and Center, 27 Street and Capitol. Passing the business on to a Black owner was important to me. I didn’t want to leave without it being a Black-owned business,” she said.
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The gas station is one of only 29 Black-owned gas stations in the United States. According to the American Petroleum Institute, there are more than 150,000 gas stations nationwide.
“When I was growing up, I saw it all the time: Black gas stations and corner stores. But today, sad to say, it’s a lot of people that don’t believe Black people can own stuff. It was important for me to remain Black-owned for our culture,” Stowers said.
Stowers, affectionately called Ms. Diane by the community, is known for her trademark silver hair. She’s worked six to seven days a week for decades. Now, she wants to do other things, including traveling.
Damia S. Causey
“This is a good time in my life to pass things on because I’m still able to help out and do some training, and there are things I can teach,” she said.
Trimble-Lea, a Black woman in her 40s, is the new owner of the BP gas station and was born and raised in Milwaukee in the Sherman Park neighborhood.
She was fortunate enough to work with Ms. Diane before she retired, learning the ins and outs of the business and becoming well-versed in its day-to-day operations.
When asked how it felt to receive the keys, Trimble-Lea said, “I thought it would be this miraculous big difference and change, but it wasn’t. I was fortunate enough she allowed me to come in two days a week, and we even drove to the closing together.”
Stowers has seen many changes over three decades being on this corner. The biggest change she’s noticed is a level of anger in children that wasn’t prevalent in earlier years. And it makes her sad.
She also said the community as a whole is a lot angrier and not as respectful as it once was.
But “when they come through these doors, there’s respect, and I love that. They try to right their attitude and don’t curse in front of me. They keep the bathroom clean, but they do throw their trash in the lot sometimes. I think they think they are keeping somebody employed,” she said, laughing.
Trimble-Lea said she feels proud to be a part of such history.
“I’m so fortunate the staff she had were gracious and stayed on board because they believe in this station, and I believe in this station, so it’s important that it thrives and prospers.”
Trimble-Lea has found her footing the last several months and speaks highly of Stowers’ legacy: “I feel like I have been adopted into the family, and we really do care about each other here. Ms. Diane is such a beautiful, God-fearing person, and she is committed to the community.”
When I asked Stowers what she liked most about her years in the business, she answered without hesitation.
“I enjoy serving people. That is my calling. When I get up in the morning to come to work, I am coming to serve my people,” she said.
Stowers wants Black people to understand we can give and get good service, too, without having to go to the suburbs.
Meanwhile, as Trimble-Lea adjusts to being the owner, she has plans to expand the offerings at the station, including adding new pumps, diesel gas and new tanks.
Her ultimate goal is to own another station. “There’s no reason there’s only one. Why isn’t there two, three or four like it used to be?”
Said Trimble-Lea, “We are a beautiful people, and we deserve the best, so I want you to walk in here and feel that.”

author: Damia S. Causey


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 23, 2022


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OPINION: Milwaukee’s next mayor needs to get ambitious and realistic about livable wage jobs and equity | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Iris Gonzalez
March 24, 2022
Iris Gonzalez writes: “Previous administrations have not done enough to improve quality of life for those on the margins. Voices of the most oppressed are missing from the conversation.” (Photo provided by Iris Gonzalez)
Editor’s note: This is the third in a series in which readers share what they would do during their first 100 days if they were mayor.
When asked where I’m from, one of the places I lift up as home is Milwaukee.
This city is a place with laid-back energy where folks take care of one another, neighborhoods offer a rich history and where daily life brings a connection to natural treasures like Lake Michigan and Milwaukee’s three glistening rivers.
It’s also a place that is segregated in more ways than one, where systemic failures have created high rates of violence and where young professionals don’t have options for upward mobility. “Smallwaukee” loses a lot of talent because good-paying jobs are scarce, and it is hard to build up enough wealth to pass onto the next generation.
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If I were the next mayor, livable wage jobs and equity across all of government would be central to my vision for the city. Previous administrations have not done enough to improve quality of life for those on the margins. Voices of the most oppressed are missing from the conversation.
The values I bring to the mayor’s desk are equity, racial justice inclusion and preserving the environment in the face of climate change. These values would show up in participatory budgeting processes, the creation of a community-facing data dashboard that allows residents to track investments and a consistent rhythm of feedback and accountability.
As mayor, I would open the doors of government starting on day one when I would launch “Community Conversations” or “Charlas Comunitarias.” The Conversations/Charlas would be a series of trilingual (English, Spanish, Hmong) town halls to shape the specifics of my policy platform. I would host the traveling town halls for 90 days and bring impacted community members to the same table as decision-makers. To rectify past harms, I would be most interested in centering voices from those on the margins such as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) neighbors, immigrant communities and low-income residents. I would be intentional about convening folks from across different parts of town: connecting the North Side and South Side. I would invite artists to document the process and the findings. Milwaukeeans would be able to see their community priorities in public art around town so that we reach everyone. Resident leaders would be recruited from the Charlas/Community Conversations to work with city departmental leadership to implementation of the community’s vision.
To achieve equity across all of government requires a set of very intentional and persistent steps. Before we define the best solutions, we have to adequately define the problems we’re solving for. It’s important to establish a baseline of conditions so that as we launch new initiatives, we can test if our strategies are working. I would engage local researchers and academic institutions to train residents and grassroots community groups in community-based research practices to develop a set of equity indicators that can be turned into a dashboard. Other cities like Tulsa and St. Louis have done similar work. This effort would incorporate work that has already begun (like the 2021 Disparity Study) or been completed by the Office of Equity, which would be charged with implementation.
Building off the investments the city has already made in the Government Alliance on Racial Equity training, I would ask every city department to have a small team of outward-facing roles that brings in feedback from the community in real time. These teams will coordinate action steps on an intra- and inter-departmental level across city government. I would create an Equity Dashboard where Milwaukeeans can see our goals, progress made, where we’re falling short and how the city budget supports their vision. I would standardize the translation of all outreach materials into Spanish and Hmong, starting with the city’s own website.
As mayor, my top three priorities would be:
1. Economic recovery that catapults Milwaukee forward with racial justice and equity. I would create an economic environment that supports decent wage jobs that improve quality of life, especially for communities on the margins. I would pursue a suite of strategies that go beyond Milwaukee’s historical manufacturing legacy. We must expand efforts to connect folks to apprenticeships and skilled labor in the trades but also explore other talents Milwaukee can export. This includes green jobs and cutting-edge approaches to resilience. I would attract businesses with the expressed goal of higher-wage jobs and setting a new standard for pay. I would ask employers to pledge to enact workplace policies that increase access to and availability of affordable, quality child care and work with them to address barriers to implementing such policies.
2. Community safety in a holistic way that addresses the root of the problem to reduce crime, which is systemic failure of government on many levels. I would expand investments in affordable housing and protect tenants from evictions during the pandemic. When it comes to safety, a public health approach that is trauma-informed is critical to achieving real outcomes. I would fully implement the Blueprint for Peace plan and increase funding for robust violence prevention measures while decreasing or freezing funding for intervention. I would introduce an ordinance to support paid sick, paternity and maternity leave and work with our partners at the state to reform bail policy and other policies that create a harmful cycle of poverty.
3. Climate justice to make Milwaukee the freshwater capital of the world through continued environmental protection of our rivers and Lake Michigan and expansion of resilience investments. Our city must prepare for the climate crisis and take full advantage of the capital opportunities at the federal level to invest in mass transit, water protection and infrastructure. When climate migrants make their way to Milwaukee, we must work to not displace those already here.
The largest challenge for these ideas is that they are interconnected and interdependent and the political will to implement them must come along with adequate resources. A major barrier to this is the issue of local control. The state hamstrings the mayor and city when it comes to increasing the sales tax and giving Milwaukee its fair share of shared revenue. I would build a bipartisan coalition of support with Madison and the federal government so we get the resources we need to thrive. I would pursue raising the sales tax, reforming the methodology for revenue sharing and explore grants, bonds and other forms of capital to close funding gaps. I would bring the community into these conversations to help my administration prioritize resources.
Finally, excellent education and high-performing schools go hand in hand with economic recovery, but the mayor has limited authority when it comes to improving schools. As mayor, I would instruct several city departments to work closely with MPS to ensure we are preparing our youth adequately. I would request that a new city liaison position be added to the MPS school board and be given voting power. I would designate someone from the Department of Community Development or Office of Equity and Inclusion to serve in that role.
Iris Gonzalez is a proud grad of Riverside University High School, an alum of Marquette University and a lifelong lover of Milwaukee. She is an environmental justice advocate currently based in Texas.
In case you missed it
What you need to know to vote in Milwaukee’s special election on April 5
Mayoral candidate Cavalier Johnson plans focus on jobs and economic growth if elected
Mayoral candidate Bob Donovan plans a focus on crime if elected

author: Iris Gonzalez


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5 things to know and do the weekend of March 25 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
March 25, 2022
Women are invited to focus on themselves at the “Intention: A retreat for women” event this Saturday. (Photo provided by Full Circle Healing Farm)
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here.
1. QUEENOLOGY Poetry Show and Open Mic: Friday, March 25
Celebrate Women’s History Month with a poetry and comedy show featuring female comedians and performers. The show runs from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday, March 25 at Daddy’s Soul Food and Grille, located at 754 N. 27th St. Tickets are $10 at the door before 8:30 p.m.; $15 after. More information here.
2. Intention: A Retreat for Women: Saturday, March 26
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Sometimes the best way to celebrate Women’s History Month is to take a break from your daily routine to focus on your own needs, desires and intentions. This retreat does just that and is open to cisgender women, transgender women and non-binary people who are comfortable in spaces centering women. The retreat runs from 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. on Saturday, March 26 at 5305 W. Capitol Drive. Tickets are $40. RSVP before 10 p.m. on Friday, March 25. More information here.
3. Sacred Garden Open Mic: Saturday, March 26
All art forms are welcome at this open mic highlighting Milwaukee talent. Singer John Stanford headlines this showcase, but all performers, ages 14 and older, can have a chance to take the stage throughout the night. The event starts at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 26 at Arts @ Large Café, located at 1105 S. 5th St. Entry is free; more information here.
4. Black Pod Meetup: Saturday, March 26
Local Black podcasters are invited to talk shop at this meetup. The meetup officially runs from 11 a.m. to noon on Saturday, March 26 at the Ambition Center MKE, located at 530 E. Vienna Ave.
5. Make your own zine: Sunday, March 27
Learn to make zines, which are self-published small-circulation works of text and imagery in the style of a small do-it-yourself magazine. The workshop runs from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 27 at PEAK Initiative, located at 2480 W. Cherry St. The class is free, but space is limited. For more information or to RSVP, contact Nateya Taylor at taylornl@uwm.edu or Arijit Sen at sena@uwm.edu.
BONUS: Keys to the Queendom: Women’s HERSTORY Month Celebration: Sunday, March 27
Dust off those fancy tea hats, church hats and derby hats and close out Women’s History Month with tea, community, a live DJ, networking, light refreshments, spoken word and a celebration of womanhood and sisterhood. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. The celebration runs from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 27 at the Sherman Phoenix, located at 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave. Tickets and more information here.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 24, 2022


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More than music: How the Black Diaspora Symphony Orchestra plans to serve the community | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
PrincessSafiya Byers
March 25, 2022
The Black Diaspora Symphony Orchestra ended last year with a free memorial concert to honor missing and deceased children. (Photo by PrincessSafiya Byers)
Dayvin Hallmon believes that music can both create and heal communities.
This is what he hopes to do through the Black Diaspora Symphony Orchestra. And he’s searching for musicians who feel the same.
The Black Diaspora Symphony Orchestra is an extension of the Black String Triage Ensemble, a string orchestra of Black and Latinx musicians who play at the scene of shootings, car accidents and drug overdoses. It also plays peace-keeping concerts during riots.
The Black Diaspora Symphony Orchestra works to place people across the African diaspora at the center of symphonic and other styles and forms of music.
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The orchestra ended last year with a free memorial concert for missing and deceased children.
“There was so much horror, trauma and sadness in 2021,” said Hallmon, the founder, music director and conductor of the orchestra. “We wanted to create a space where people could grieve.”
The orchestra accepts anyone who can play the music. Its members range from high school students to professional musicians.
Freya Theler started working with the group directly out of high school.
“Because of the pandemic, it had been a while since I was able to perform music,” said Theler. “Playing with a group of people who are there for one goal was amazing.”
He said the concerts are fulfilling to listen to and perform.
Hallmon hopes the orchestra will be a vehicle to help inspire community members.
“It’s a really important mission,” said Korinthia Klein, a member of the orchestra and longtime viola player. “It’s necessary to the musical layout of the city.”
Hallmon hopes the group can introduce public school students to the Black and Latin perspective of orchestra music.
“But that takes time and money,” said Hallmon. “Right now, we need a full orchestra.”
For more information
If you are interested in getting involved, you can click here.
You can also follow the orchestra’s Facebook page.

author: PrincessSafiya Byers


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NNS Spotlight: At this Harambee center, students learn how to manage their mental health | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
March 25, 2022
Tamara Johnson is the principal at Malaika Early Learning Center, a school and child care center in the Harambee neighborhood that emphasizes mental health for its students. (Photo by Matt Martinez)
Tiffany Glinsey describes her son, T.J., as a perfectionist.
He works hard in school, and he tries to get things right the first time. For many parents, this would be a dream come true. But there’s a downside.
At his previous school, when T.J., 8, didn’t get things just right the first time, he would have “crying spells” and would not be able to calm himself down. Glinsey said she’d often have to pick him up for disrupting class.
It got to the point that Glinsey began to feel like she was a bad mother. The school wasn’t giving her much information about how her son’s behavior despite sending him to the principal’s office. Running short on options, she pulled T.J. out and looked elsewhere.
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When she enrolled T.J. at the Malaika Early Learning Center, the difference was evident.
“They actually cared,” Glinsey said. “They actually sat down with him and asked him what was wrong instead of just calling me to come pick him up.”
For educators at Malaika, teaching students how to manage their behavior and mental health is a lot like teaching them how to tie their shoes.
“When you first start, it’s hard. They don’t know how to do it, they trip on it, it’s frustrating … but as they keep going, then they’re tying their shoes like a pro,” said Marica Tipton, health and wellness specialist at Malaika Early Learning Center. “The earlier that you can teach anything, the more likely it is to stay with them and become part of their natural behavior.”
Malaika, which means “angel” in Swahili, is located at 125 W. Auer Ave. in the Harambee neighborhood. It is an early learning center that provides child care for kids under school age and education for those from pre-K to third grade. It mostly serves children from low-income households around the area.
Eighty percent of the school’s funding come from government contracts and fees from parents, with the remainder coming from donations from individuals, foundations and corporations, according to Malaika’s website. The school uses a sliding-fee scale and works with parents receiving Wisconsin Works, or W-2, benefits.
Malaika is unique for providing services to a wider range of children. Most child care services and schools only offer services until first grade. The extra few years give staff time to make meaningful connections and teach valuable skills, said Tamara Johnson, principal and executive director of Malaika Early Learning Center.
“Relationships matter,” Johnson said. “I cannot stress that enough. We take care of kids at Malaika like they’re our own.”
The school’s website says Malaika is licensed by Wisconsin Department of Children and Families to serve 70 children at a time from the ages of 6 weeks and 12 years.
David Blackmon, student support coordinator at Malaika, said he works one-on-one with parents to determine the child’s needs.
“When someone tells you your child needs something, sometimes we flip that into ‘something is wrong with my child,’” Blackmon said. “It’s hard for us to accept that because we want to feel like we can handle everything our child needs, not understanding that some things we need to put in other people’s hands.”
A three-tier approach
The center’s health and wellness program has three tiers: Tier 1 is for the entire student body. Teachers and staff help teach kids how to manage their emotions with different techniques.
Tipton uses an acronym with the children: STEP.
To start, you “Say the problem without blame,” then “Think of solutions,” then “Explore the consequences” and “Pick the best solution.” The exercise, which is accompanied by a song and dance, helps kids to understand more about the relationship between the cause of their problems and how they can solve them.
In Tier 2, the staff watches out for behaviors that could become problems down the road and keep daily logs. They work as a team to determine the best options for the child.
“What I don’t want to do is suspend kids,” Blackmon said. “We try to put things in place and exhaust all possibilities so that we can get that child the help they need so that they can be successful and have more days in school.”
In Tier 3, Malaika staff refer children out for day treatment. This is usually to meet a need that the school cannot address.
Johnson said that day-treatment services for kids in the early-education age range are “practically nonexistent,” as the center has relied on just a few providers over the last few years.
By being proactive, she said, the center has reduced the number of children who need day treatment to only one or two a year. But access to these services remains a larger problem.
When T.J. needed extra help, Malaika was able to connect the family with Rogers Behavioral Health for an evaluation.
“I would have never known where to take my son to get help,” Glinsey said. “Malaika is the most underrated school in the city of Milwaukee.”
Johnson said providing these services has been one of the best decisions the school has made.
“When you get a scholar who starts with you and goes from throwing chairs every day to learning how to regulate his behavior, that’s a winning situation for everybody,” Johnson said.
(Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly reported the address of Malaika Early Learning Center. It has been updated.)

author: Matt Martinez


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Post from Community: Healing Spaces Initiative begins planning process for 2022 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Department of City Development
March 25, 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.
Planning is underway for new neighborhood improvement projects throughout Milwaukee as part of the City’s Healing Spaces Initiative.
The Healing Spaces Initiative provides residents the opportunity to build relaxing natural environments on available City-owned vacant lots that help eliminate blighted spaces, improve public safety, and create new gathering spaces that strengthen Milwaukee neighborhoods.
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These projects are envisioned by local residents and are the result of robust community outreach efforts. The Healing Spaces Initiative is coordinated through the City of Milwaukee’s Neighborhood Improvement Development Corporation (NIDC).
This year, neighborhood projects will occur in the 6th, 7th and 15th Aldermanic Districts and may include pathways, benches, flower gardens, solar lights, Little Free Libraries and more. All Healing Space Initiative projects are ADA accessible.
Public spaces are an important part of urban life. They provide a relaxing time-out from city-life, recharging one’s spirit and allowing residents to enjoy their surroundings. The healing spaces will create a sense of comfort while being accessible to all.
Residents and/or community-based organizations are encouraged to submit project proposals by April 15. Learn more about the Healing Spaces Initiative HERE.
To volunteer at a future project work day, please email kochal@milwaukee.gov.


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242511065_219451046881729_8172211016375392567_n.jpg | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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March 24, 2022

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5 things to know and do this week in Milwaukee: March 28 to April 1 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
March 28, 2022
Do you have ideas for how to beautify a vacant lot near you? Check out the Healing Spaces Initiative to learn how to put your ideas to action. (Photo provided by the Department of City Development)
It’s Monday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here.
1. “Los Lecheros: Undocumented in America’s Dairyland”: Monday, March 28 and Wednesday, March 30
“Los Lecheros: Undocumented in America’s Dairyland” is a 20-minute documentary about the relationship between farmers, undocumented immigrant workers, families, activists and the Wisconsin economy as they respond to anti-immigrant threats and legislation. You can watch the documentary until the end of Monday, March 28 here. An online discussion hosted by the Mexican Consulate in Milwaukee will also take place on Facebook Live starting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 30. More information can be found here.
2. Cultivating Healthy Relationships within the Black Female Experience: Monday, March 28
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Toni Gray and Rashida Butler-Jackson will lead this discussion about internalized oppression, its impact on Black women’s relationships, how to navigate through that oppression and how you can gain tools for cultivating healthy relationships. The discussion, which is hosted by MISPIBO Fitness, takes place from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday, March 28 at the Sherman Phoenix, located at 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave. Click here for more information.
3. Healing Spaces Initiative Virtual Kickoff: Tuesday, March 29
The Healing Spaces Initiative is a program that allows residents to build relaxing natural environments on city-owned vacant lots. Last year the program was focused in and around the Harambee neighborhood, though more neighborhoods are being added this year. Find out more about the program and how you can take part during this virtual kickoff event from 11 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, March 29. More information can be found here.
4. National Crayon Day Party: Thursday, March 31
Celebrate National Crayon Day by making your own puzzle at Vibez Creative Arts Space from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 31. Vibez is located inside Southridge Mall at 5300 S. 76th St.
5. Vote early in-person: now through April 2
Though Election Day is officially on April 5, you can now vote early every day from now to Saturday, April 2. For more information on early voting polling locations and hours, click here. Read: What you need to know to vote in Milwaukee’s special election on April 5


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 27, 2022


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OPINION: Milwaukee is majority-minority and nearly 40% Black. Why don’t our political maps reflect that? | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Jamie Lynn Crofts
March 28, 2022
Jamie Lynn writes: “Milwaukee is majority-minority and nearly 40% Black. That must be reflected in our political maps.” (Photo by Wes Tank of TankThink)
Editor’s note: Have something on your mind? “Community Voices” is the place to let Milwaukee hear what you have to say. To be considered, we need your name, email address and phone number for verification. Please email your submissions to info@milwaukeenns.org.
Jamie Lynn Crofts (Photo provided by Wisconsin Voices)
Every 10 years, we redraw our political maps. Since Reconstruction, the redistricting process has left Black voters behind. 2022 is no different.
Protecting the Black vote is not a partisan issue. Unfortunately, politicians of all stripes are often all too happy to ignore Black and brown voters when it serves their partisan ends. This can be seen by the competing Democratic and Republican proposals currently headed back to the Wisconsin Supreme Court, both of which violate the Voting Rights Act.
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is one of the most important civil rights laws ever passed. On paper, Black men won the constitutional right to vote when the 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870. In practice, Jim Crow laws and voter intimidation disenfranchised many Black voters for the next century.
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In addition to more obvious forms of discrimination, politicians also use creative map-drawing to disenfranchise Black communities. When a community’s Black voters are packed into a small number of districts, they lose political power. And when Black voters are cracked across too many districts, they become an ineffective minority against white voting blocs.
Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act bans these discriminatory practices. In places like Milwaukee, where Section 2 applies, the law requires majority-minority districts to be created. These districts ensure that Black and brown voters have the political power to elect the candidates of their choice – whether white voters agree or not.
Wisconsin’s last set of maps, drawn in 2011, created six majority-Black districts in the Milwaukee area. Since then, the Black population in Milwaukee has grown. Over the last decade, the Black voting age population in Milwaukee County grew by around 10,000 voters (+5.5%), while the white voting age population decreased by about 41,000 voters (-9.5%). Both the City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County are majority-minority. That should be reflected in our political maps.
Earlier this month, the state Supreme Court chose Gov. Tony Evers’s maps over maps proposed by Republicans in the legislature. On March 23, the U.S. Supreme Court sent that case back to our state Supreme Court, which will now have to do a more thorough analysis of the Voting Rights Act and how it applies to Milwaukee.
Although the governor claims his maps create seven “Black opportunity districts” in Milwaukee, the numbers do not bear it out. The seven districts have a bare majority of Black voters, hardly more than 50%. The district with the highest concentration of African Americans is just 51.39% Black. The other six districts are all under 51% Black.
Making things worse, these percentages do not take the effects of mass incarceration into account. Wisconsin has the dubious distinction of imprisoning its Black residents at a higher rate than any other state. One out of every 36 Black men in Wisconsin is incarcerated. Additionally, people who have been released but are still on probation, parole or extended supervision for a felony cannot vote. An outsized number of Wisconsin’s disenfranchised citizens are African Americans from Milwaukee. This is just another reason why we need a higher concentration of Black voters for true majority-Black districts to exist.
Amazingly, the census does not even count currently incarcerated Milwaukeeans as living in Milwaukee; rather, they are counted as residents of the rural areas where they are imprisoned. This is known as prison gerrymandering, and it hurts places like Milwaukee the hardest. Financial resources and census counts add federal benefits and political voice to rural areas that happen to house large prisons – and neither the imprisoned people nor the homes and neighborhoods they were ripped from see any of this political or financial support. At every turn, our system disenfranchises African Americans.
The majority-white communities added to the seven so-called “opportunity districts” make it even less likely that Black voters would have the power to elect candidates of their choice. These districts combine areas with some of the highest concentrations of Black voters in the state with overwhelmingly white voting blocs from places like Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, and even Ozaukee and Waukesha counties. If the white voting blocs in these areas can out-vote the Black voting blocs, it defeats the entire purpose of creating majority-minority districts.
The maps proposed by Republicans in the state legislature are no better. Despite the increase in Black voting age population and decrease in white voting age population in Milwaukee County, the legislature’s plan would decrease the number of majority-Black districts from six to five. In order to reduce the number of Black districts, it packs huge Black majorities into the five districts, rather than spread Black voters across multiple districts to increase their voting power.
Do not let the politicians fool you – it is entirely possible to create seven true majority-Black districts in the Milwaukee area. Milwaukee is majority-minority and nearly 40% Black. That must be reflected in our political maps.
After the recent Supreme Court decision, the Wisconsin Supreme Court will, once again, consider how our state’s maps should be drawn for the next decade. Hopefully this time, they will choose maps that give our state’s Black voters the opportunity to have their voices heard.
Milwaukee’s Black voters must have the opportunity to elect candidates of their choice. That is not an opinion — it is the law. And neither the Democratic proposal nor the Republican proposal give Milwaukee’s Black voters that opportunity.
Jamie Lynn Crofts is the policy director for Wisconsin Voices. Crofts has worked in constitutional and civil rights law. After graduating from Northwestern Law, she clerked for Judge Joseph Goodwin on the Southern District of West Virginia and then served as the legal director for the ACLU of West Virginia.

author: Jamie Lynn Crofts


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Activists call for federal investigation into Milwaukee’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention program | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Matt Martinez
March 29, 2022
Members of the Freshwater for Life Action Coalition hold a news conference Monday to discuss next steps after a state investigation into the city’s lead program did not result in charges. From left are Robert Miranda, State Sen. Lena Taylor, former Ald. Angel Sanchez and Janette Herrera. (Photo by Matt Martinez)
Milwaukee activists on Monday called for a federal investigation into the city’s Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention program following the end of a state audit that took three years to complete but reached no criminal findings.
The Freshwater for Life Action Coalition, a local lead removal advocacy group, held a news conference outside the Milwaukee State Office Building in downtown Milwaukee to announce it would be reaching out to the U.S. attorney general’s office to ask for a federal investigation into the city’s lead removal program.
The move comes after an announcement on Thursday that no criminal charges would be filed by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s office after an investigation by the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
“They made a mistake not charging people here,” said Robert Miranda, spokesperson for the Freshwater for Life Action Coalition. “We’re going to push this and we’re going to take it to the United States attorney general’s office.”
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Miranda said he will ask the attorney general’s office for an investigation and a review of the state Department of Justice’s investigation.
The investigation began in 2018 after it was revealed that the Milwaukee Health Department mismanaged cases of lead poisoning in its Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention program. This led to the resignation of former commissioner Bevan Baker.
Audits of the department, including one from the Public Health Foundation released in March 2020, found that the program had been in violation of state statutes and had severe problems documenting cases.
The city has 70,000 lead service lines, many of which are concentrated in the central city. Exposure to lead in water has been tied to a number of health problems, including behavioral health, cognitive function and neurological effects in children.
The investigation was initially started by the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office before it was handed off to the state Department of Justice.
Miranda criticized the investigation for failing to interview former commissioners of the health department, including Baker and Patricia McManus. He noted their prominence in the department during the days of the review and vital information they could have provided.
“These are all key people who know what happened to those documents that the Department of Justice is saying hampered their ability to investigate,” Miranda said.
The investigation stated that disorganization in the department’s records hindered the ability to conduct the review. None of those individuals are still employees of the health department.
Miranda also identified Paul Nannis as an interim health commissioner worth interviewing, though former Mayor Tom Barrett withdrew his nomination after backlash from the Common Council. Nannis did previously serve as health commissioner before the investigations were conducted.
State Sen. Lena Taylor, who was also at the news conference, said she spoke personally with Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, who assured her of the thoroughness of the investigation.
“If you’ve not interviewed the top individuals in the health department, I don’t know how thorough it can be,” Taylor said.
In a statement, Kaul said his department conducted a thorough investigation.
“Although the evidence does not support the filing of criminal charges, the investigation showed major failures in how the Milwaukee Health Department had administered the Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention program during the time period investigated,” he said. “What happened to families in Milwaukee is tragic and unacceptable, and the failures that previously occurred must never happen again.”
In a statement, Tyler Weber, deputy health commissioner for environmental health at the Milwaukee Health Department, said:
“The Milwaukee Health Department’s focus is on eradicating threats of lead poisoning in Milwaukee and cultivating an organizational culture in which the instances outlined in the DOJ report will never happen again. Our department has made tremendous strides in how it’s operated and will continue this forward momentum.”


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 28, 2022


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Milwaukee sees sharp rise in motor vehicle thefts | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Edgar Mendez
March 29, 2022
Lisette Ruiz-Ruiz’s daughter sits in her mom’s Audi G5, which was stolen last year. (Photo provided by Lisette Ruiz-Ruiz)
Leer en español: Milwaukee ve un fuerte aumento en los robos de vehículos motorizados
When Lisette Ruiz-Ruiz, 29, parked her Audi Q5 in the street for the night, she fully expected it to be there in the morning.
It wasn’t.
The South Side resident’s car was one of 10,479 vehicles stolen in 2021, a 132 percent increase from the 4,510 motor vehicle thefts that occurred in 2020, according to Milwaukee Police Department data.
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“I still didn’t get another car because of how expensive they are,” Ruiz-Ruiz said. “We work hard to have our stuff for someone to just come and take it like that.”
The increased pace of vehicle thefts has carried over slightly into this year, with 1,892 vehicles stolen compared to 1,874 over the same time period last year.
The issue “is one of the main concerns in the city along with reckless driving,” said Nick DeSiato, chief of staff for the Milwaukee Police Department.
DeSiato said it’s hard to pinpoint specific reasons for the increase. He believes that social media and the internet in general have made it easier for people to learn how to steal cars, sometimes in less than a minute. He also said that the targeting of specific models is a factor.
DeSiato said the city created an auto theft task force in response to the increase. The group meets each morning to share data and best practices to try to address the issue proactively, he said.
The police department also worked with the companies Kia and Hyundai, the two most common stolen vehicle types in the city, to distribute thousands of free steering wheel locks. DeSiato said he believes  these strategies have made a difference but knows much more work remains.
“We are optimistic that the numbers are trending in the right direction, but no one here is saying the job is done,” he said.
Stolen cars and reckless driving
DeSiato said the stolen cars often are used to commit other crimes, particularly reckless-driving incidents committed by teens.
“They might be under 16 and driving like a bat out of hell with no regard to their passengers, other drivers, or property,” he said. “We’ve seen chases and collisions caused by people driving with reckless abandon because it’s not their property, and that’s really scary.”
That’s exactly what happened after Milena Grcic’s Toyota Camry was stolen in February as she picked up a DoorDash order at a restaurant near South 1st Street and West National Avenue. She said her car, which was stolen by a 22-year-old woman and a female minor, was recovered two weeks later after it was involved in a high-speed chase with police.
She said two tires popped during the chase and that her axle, muffler, front headlights and bumper were also damaged.
“It’s still in the shop,” she said. “This incident has triggered panic attacks for me, and I feel violated.”
Milena Grcic’s Toyota Camry was stolen and damaged during a high-speed chase with police. (Screenshot from Facebook)
The city’s Police and Fire Commission recently took action to address reckless driving by approving an ordinance to tow unregistered cars involved in reckless driving incidents.
Effective May 1, the ordinance will apply to individuals caught driving more than 25 miles above the speed limit, drag racing or involved in a police chase in an unregistered vehicle, DeSiato said. The policy will not apply to stolen cars that were involved in these crimes.
If the ordinance had been enacted in 2018, it would have resulted in 655 people having their vehicle towed, DeSiato added. The goal is to make people think twice about driving recklessly.
“We wanted to up the ante, and for some people, a ticket won’t do that, but having your car towed might,” he said. “We want folks to please improve their behavior and think about the kids crossing the street and other people they could hurt.”
As for Ruiz-Ruiz, she found her car after she got a letter from a tow lot where it had been taken. She couldn’t keep it because insurance had already paid out a claim on it, and it wasn’t enough for her to cover the deductible and buy another car.
She said not having a vehicle has been a struggle for her and her children.
“My kids see a car that looks like it, and they say they miss it,” she said. “They don’t realize what a hassle it is to go through something like this.”
Tips to prevent your car from being stolen
To help prevent motor vehicle thefts, DeSiato advised residents to:
For a complete list of tips, look here.

author: Edgar Mendez


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51957788527_bd0281f504_h | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 28, 2022


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Post from Community: 27th annual Milwaukee Riverkeeper Spring Cleanup | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Riverkeeper
March 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.
Help restore our rivers at the 27th Annual Milwaukee Riverkeeper Spring Cleanup. Choose from over 75+ locations across the Milwaukee River Basin, and be one of our nearly 4,000 volunteers helping our community work towards swimmable, fishable rivers. We’ll provide the bags and gloves, you bring the hands and energy to pick up all of the trash that finds its way into our beautiful river system. REGISTER: bit.ly/MRKCleanup27
The 27th Annual Milwaukee Riverkeeper Spring Cleanup is sponsored by: Milwaukee Department of Public Works, Fund for Lake Michigan, Natural Awakenings and SC Johnson.
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Join us afterwards at the Harley Davidson Museum for our FREE celebration with Rock the Green. Learn more at rockthegreen.com

author: Milwaukee Riverkeeper


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MRK-Spring-Cleanup-Square.png | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
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March 28, 2022


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Post from Community: Street Angels rises from the ashes | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Street Angels
March 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.
“January 20 is a night seared into our memories. This wasn’t just a bus. It was an important vessel in connecting with individuals, providing resources, and more importantly, hope. This shocking act of violence scared us but the community lifted us up immediately. With deep gratitude, we are pleased to announce we’re back to serving the community with a new Street Angels bus.” Co-Executive Director Shelly Sarasin
Just two months after a devastating fire, Street Angels will formally unveil their new bus on March 30 at 10am at 1236 S. Layton Blvd, Milwaukee 53215. Representatives from STRATTEC Security Corporation and The Daily Bird, two donor organizations, will join the celebration to share why they were inspired to get involved.
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Staff were notified of a fire in the parking lot just hours after wrapping night outreach in January. The fire completely destroyed one of the two buses used for outreach and caused extensive damage in the second, despite heroic efforts from the Milwaukee Fire Department. The community responded immediately with an outpouring of financial donations, practical help, and moral support.
Street Angels’ primary concern was continuing service to their friends. They hit the street with minivans at first, then through the use of a bus from partner agency Hunger Task Force. After a national search for a replacement, Co-Executive Director Eva Welch drove the new bus home from Nevada and the team made the modifications necessary to begin service this month.
“Last year we brought food, survival supplies, and hope to 590 people experiencing homelessness in our community. We know our outreach changes lives. We’re grateful to be ‘on the road again’ thanks to the generosity of STRATTEC and over 1,000 individual donors, organizations, businesses, and congregations.” Board President Jan Wilberg
Street Angels is taking steps to ensure the safety of the new bus and the volunteers who serve on it, as the fire is still under investigation.

author: Street Angels


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‘Do not take this opportunity for granted’: We Energies, MPS offer youths internship and apprentice experience | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Ana Martinez-Ortiz
March 30, 2022
The partnership between We Energies and MPS began about four years ago. The program offers students a chance to be a line mechanic intern, a gas technician intern or a design engineer youth apprentice. (Photo provided by We Energies)
Leer en español: ‘No des por sentado esta oportunidad’: We Energies, MPS ofrece a jóvenes pasantías y experiencia de aprendizaje
When Diego Roman was in eighth grade, he noticed a flyer in the hallway advertising youth apprenticeships and internships with We Energies. The signs showed line mechanics preparing to climb up some poles and Roman was intrigued.
“It caught my attention,” he said. “My dad was big on hands-on work, and my grandpa was an electrician.”
At the time, Roman was too young to apply – the apprenticeships and internships were reserved for juniors – but he expressed interest to his principal and bided his time.
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Now, Roman, 18, is a senior at Golda Meir High School and in his second year as a line mechanic intern at We Energies.
The program is a collaboration between We Energies and Milwaukee Public Schools. It provides a direct pipeline from school to work for students interested in the trades while also helping to diversify the field.
“I love that they took a chance on us, and it lucked out in the end,” says Diego Roman, a line mechanic intern. (Photo provided by Diego Roman)
The partnership between We Energies and MPS began about four years ago, said Tamera Coleman, the internship coordinator at MPS. The program offers students a chance to be a line mechanic intern, a gas technician intern or a design engineer youth apprentice.
The positions are paid, with line mechanic and gas technician interns earing $17 an hour and design apprentices earning $19. They learn real life problem-solving skills and financial management, Coleman said.
It is part of the state’s youth workforce development efforts and participating students must also take a coordinating course, Coleman explained.
“It’s a very industry-driven program,” she said, adding that five years ago, there was no way for employees to connect with students. “We’re not only promoting college, but we’re promoting the trades or the military or entrepreneurship.”
Students can apply for the positions in the September of their junior year. They then attend a demonstration day at We Energies in October. In November and December they go through the interview process.
If they are selected, students will begin training in March and April so by summer, they’re ready to go. That first summer, students work full time. Afterward, they’re evaluated to see if they’ll return the following year.
To help students prepare, MPS organized practice interviews for a month before the real one. In fall 2021, about 60 students showed interest in the intern positions and about 45 garnered for the design apprenticeship, Coleman said, but roughly 10 to 15 students are chosen for each position.
“It’s a very competitive program,” Coleman said. “You have to be on your best full time.”
When he applied his junior year, Nathan Berrios, 17, a senior at Riverside University High School, was one of the lucky ones to be chosen.
“It was nice knowing I was going to have something set up after school,” says Nathan Berrios, 17, a senior at Riverside University High School. (Photo provided by Nathan Berrios)
Like Roman, he’s been a line mechanic intern since 2021. While Berrios had a job before, he had never had an internship.
“It was nice knowing I was going to have something set up after school,” he said.
During his first summer, Berrios worked on a project trailer, where he helped set poles and hang wires.
At first, he struggled to put the guy wire on the pole – the tension cable that holds the pole straight up. It’s kind of tricky and requires a lot of manual tools, he said. But after watching a few demonstrations and giving it a try, Berrios soon caught on.
“I like it because it’s hands-on, and it’s not a lot of sitting in the classroom taking notes. They tell you and you go do,” he said.
Both Roman and Berrios intend to return this summer. Afterward, they’ll have the opportunity to attend Milwaukee Area Technical College to earn their line mechanic degrees and then reapply to We Energies.
Their advice to other students: Show up and be present.
“Do not take this opportunity for granted,” Berrios said, adding that it’s important to get enough sleep, eat breakfast and dress appropriately for work.
This is a serious job, Roman said, and the interns are there to learn but to also support the crew.
“The biggest thing is showing you want to do this,” Roman said. “This could be the starting point to a career that lasts a lifetime.”

author: Ana Martinez-Ortiz


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 29, 2022


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we-energies-ii | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 29, 2022


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weenergies | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 29, 2022


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OPINION: Milwaukee, it’s getting ugly out there. But we can stop the blight and disarray if we all do our part. | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Denise Wooten
March 30, 2022
Denise Wooten writes: “There are many factors that lead to blight and disarray in a community that seem to be all but forgotten. But the true ray of hope is constantly shone in the actions of those who were raised to understand neighborhood chutzpah.” (Photo by Adam Carr)
Editor’s note: Have something on your mind? “Community Voices” is the place to let Milwaukee hear what you have to say. To be considered, we need your name, email address and phone number for verification. Please email your submissions to info@milwaukeenns.org.
(Photo provided by Denise Wooten)
Spring is here, and it’s already getting really ugly on the streets of Milwaukee.
No, I am not talking about the warm weather adding to more reckless driving nor the emergence of a new COVID variant. This prediction has nothing to do with more endless mudslinging accusations coming from local political pundits, but mark my words, it will be disgustingly ugly.
The dirty snow drifts and curbside ice formations have melted, exposing all that trash and debris beneath them. I imagine you are watching, repulsed by the mounds of goop, sludge and unidentifiable items that seem to have come out of nowhere. In fact, you may even think that someone purposely dumped garbage along your cyclone fence or in the alley behind your home when you weren’t watching.
Well, there are countless contributors we could accuse of creating the mess the winter thaw reveals. Why not blame it on the wind, the culprit of many a discarded plastic bag landing in a tree? Point a finger at the squirrels or raccoons that have dined sufficiently on the contents of our overturned recycling bins. We might even try to hold the “mom and pop” stores accountable for selling our kids cellophane-wrapped snacks and plastic beverage containers. How many have actually been taught that littering carries a substantial fine? So many grated catch basins are now clogged with lost clothing, cans and glass bottles, preventing the water runoff from flowing freely into the sewers.
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This is what we witness on a daily basis.
But let’s dig further. How many times last fall did you have to call the city to find out when the brooms would finally make it on your block? Those ice igloos revealed the same mounds of leaves you painstakingly raked from the lawn into a neat pile. Forget about thinking that decomposing brown ooze might be good for your compost bin — once you see its underside dripping with a substance akin to tar, you’ll decide against that idea.
How long have those orange cones remained behind long after the work crew departed? They were placed to warn us that road work is/was/wasn’t underway. The same can be said about barricades if they even made it onto your block. I pity the soul who hit the unmarked pothole the first night daylight saving time ended.
We used to show great pride for our little hamlet. “Stay off the grass” was well understood even if you were not yet old enough to read. I wonder whatever happened to those receptacles that had “Keep Milwaukee Beautiful” stenciled on their sides? Once upon a time, homes that were the victims of fires or abandonment were quickly removed and the lots sold to the neighbor next door for a dollar. Now we are forced to live between boarded-up dwellings that have not seen an inhabitant for years. Take note that this lowers the value of second and third generation-owned houses. Houses that once were the pride of neighborhoods and now need a face-lift or a little TLC often do not qualify for the countless rehabilitation programs touted by area funders.
Unfortunately, all this has added to the undeserved and unfair perception of outsiders that everyone on the block must live under these same neglectful standards and values. Often the responsibility for alerting the Department of Public Works of unsightly and overgrown grass, unsafe structures or vacant lots used as dumping grounds falls on the shoulders of the very same citizen who relentlessly tries to maintain a property that shouts, “I care.” We once had inspectors who did not have to wait for that incoming call. They were first on the scene posting citations and reassuring distraught neighbors that something immediately was going to be done to remedy these eyesores.
There are many factors that lead to blight and disarray in a community that seems to be all but forgotten. But the true ray of hope is constantly shone in the actions of those who were raised to understand neighborhood chutzpah. They are the ones who do not mind shoveling snow for an elderly neighbor or cutting and then removing grass from an adjacent lot they do not own. They know you cannot, nor should you, unduly place blame, point a finger or hold others accountable for that which you are not willing to do yourself.
The spring thaw has already come. Look around and remember that it not only takes a village to raise a child, but it also takes the villagers and their cohorts to maintain a healthy environment that guarantees that the child is nurtured under the best possible circumstances.
Denise Wooten was born and raised in Milwaukee. She is a graduate of North Division High School and Alverno College. Wooten is a published author, community advocate and board member of Brewery Credit Union, Neu-Life Community Development and Project Focal Point.

author: Denise Wooten


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OPINION: Residents are the key to unlocking Milwaukee’s potential | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Markasa Tucker
March 31, 2022
Markasa Tucker-Harris writes: “I would ensure that those who are closest to the many disparities and inequalities in our city have the autonomy to make and lead in decision making.” (Photo by Sam Woods)
Editor’s note: This is the fourth in a series in which readers share what they would do during their first 100 days if they could be mayor.
I am a mother and community organizer, so I would approach the role of mayor of Milwaukee through this lens, knowing that we all hold the power to create the communities we want to see.
My values include faith, transformative self-work, people power, love, sustainability, dignity, authentic relationships, vision and organizing. I would model my values through my behavior, such as how I spend my time in the community and deal with crises. I believe in seeking God first in my decision making, relationships and actions, and would lead with love for people and wisdom to support a great city.
I would ensure that those who are closest to the many disparities and inequalities in our city have the autonomy to make and lead in decision making.
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My top three priorities as mayor would be ensuring the safety and well-being of residents, being a responsible steward of the city’s finances and dismantling white supremacy that upholds inequitable systems and processes.
Safety and well-being of residents
I would commit to investing in a public safety infrastructure that is centered on alternatives to policing and for residents having their basic needs met. This includes access to readily available mental health care support and resources; safer streets; quality, affordable health care in neighborhoods; culturally based education; livable, wage-sustaining jobs (including green jobs); affordable, quality housing and increased homeownership for marginalized individuals; free COVID-19 testing; a strategic plan for snow removal and trash collection; urban green spaces; and environmental justice to improve access to healthy, fresh foods, transportation, clean air and water. I would ensure that there were no evictions, foreclosures or utility shut-offs during the pandemic and fund small businesses to preserve Milwaukee’s vibrant, local communities.
Responsibly managing city finances
Being a good steward of the city’s finances will enable all residents to thrive. Milwaukee has plenty of money that can be used to support the needs of young people, access to jobs, better education, green space/play areas, economic vitality, community engagement, and recreational options/centers and driver’s education. Being better financial stewards also looks like defunding the police by tens of millions of dollars. I would also commit to not using federal, state or county funds for policing, surveillance or carceral institutions that harm many Black and brown communities. Those funds should be used to support marginalized communities in Milwaukee.
Destroying white supremacy
According to Dr. Tema Okun, “ . . . white supremacy culture is the water we swim in. We inevitably internalize the messages about what this culture believes, values and considers normal.” As long as white supremacist beliefs and values are embedded in every institution related to our city (upholding systemic oppression), it will continue to operate as if what we’ve been doing is normal, and it isn’t. It’s racist, violent and regressive. The disparities and inequalities we are experiencing globally, nationally and locally can be addressed now in our city. We don’t have to wait on the federal government. White supremacy created this type of culture, and there hasn’t been anyone brave enough to fight the oppressive, persuasive, and debilitating ways our city operates head on within each institution of our city, starting at city hall.
One concrete thing I’d do to boost community safety, better manage city finances and rid Milwaukee of white supremacy on the city level is to invest in and implement participatory budgeting. This one act would put power and resources back into the hands of the residents. According to the Participatory Budgeting Project, “it deepens democracy, builds strong communities, and creates equitable distribution of public resources.”
Participatory budgeting allows residents to develop sustainable projects they, as a group, consider and vote on. Here’s how the process would go. First, a design process is created by a steering committee to create the rules and engagement plan. Next, the residents brainstorm project ideas at meetings and through use of online tools they want considered for a resourced project. Then, volunteers assist with creating proposals for the projects residents pitched. Now residents are ready to vote on which projects they want funded that will most support their communities needs. Lastly, the projects with the most votes get funded by city tax dollars or other city revenue streams. Residents must be in control of when and where they want their tax dollars spent to support their safety and well-being.
Community connections
I would connect with the following groups to make sure they felt heard by the mayor’s office and to implement my bold changes: grassroots organizations, educators, holistic mental and health care experts, faith-based communities, neighborhood associations, individual community members, youth and senior agencies, unions, nonprofits, business owners, violence interrupter/prevention agencies, domestic violence and sexual assault advocates and agencies, shelters and barbers/beauticians.
The best way to engage residents is by meeting them where they are, whether at their doors or meeting them out in community spaces. It is also critical to fund organizations that are already connected to residents and organizations on the ground to have conversations about how the city can support their ideas and fund projects that support their community-based needs.
Funding and overcoming challenges: Some initial ideas to fund these initiatives include defunding the police and their canine unit that receives $300,000, the mounted patrol unit (which is often used to harass protesters exercising their rights) and fusion center (which, through surveillance, monitors and infringes on the privacy of marginalized communities) that receives more than $3 million and the crossing guard unit that receives just over $1 million. I would use these dollars, including what we’re spending on bloated pensions, to fuel and fund small businesses, grassroot organizations and credible messengers to support civic engagement, violence prevention and safety-based work, and crisis and mental health care support.
I would anticipate pushback from those who want to uphold white supremacy and structural, systematic and institutionalized racism. I know that change is scary, and some people may want the status quo to remain and may not want to make bold steps and investments into our city, our people and a new infrastructure. I also anticipate that patience from residents would be a challenge, so I would ensure that they are a part of all decision making along the way.
This is a process, and it will take some time to overhaul these structural issues.
I would overcome these challenges by developing a strategic plan with the community connections strategy outlined above and imagine with them ways in which we can increase revenue streams and build a strong, sustainable, culturally rich, economic engine of a city where we do “out with the old and in with the new.” I would hire a talented team to help overhaul the city government processes and build with the residents from the ground up, researching what tools, frameworks and ideas we can utilize to create the city we want.
I would look to cities like Minneapolis and St. Paul when it comes to issues like passing progressive policies, rent control and overhauling the police department.
With the right people and policies, we could create a Milwaukee of the future, where all residents are thriving and walking in their power.
Markasa Tucker-Harris is the executive director of the African American Roundtable in Milwaukee.
In case you missed it
OPINION: Honesty and transparency are critical priorities for Milwaukee’s next mayor
OPINION: Giving Milwaukee a better name: A Messmer high school senior shares what she would do if she were Milwaukee’s mayor
OPINION: Milwaukee’s next mayor needs to get ambitious and realistic about livable wage jobs and equity

author: Markasa Tucker


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 30, 2022


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MarkasaTucker-IfIweremayor | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 30, 2022


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Sure, there’s a special election Tuesday. But what do Milwaukee mayors do? | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
March 31, 2022
Cavalier Johnson, left, and Bob Donovan are running for mayor in a special election Tuesday. Do you know what the Milwaukee mayor does? If not, we got you. (Photos by Sue Vliet and Adam Carr)
Correction: An earlier version of this story said the city clerk was elected. The Common Council appoints the city clerk.
Milwaukeeans will go to the polls Tuesday in a special election to fill the term of former Mayor Tom Barrett, who was tapped to be the U.S. ambassador to Luxembourg.
The mayoral contest pits Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson – who as Common Council president became acting mayor after Barrett’s departure – against former Alderman Bob Donovan. These were the two top vote- getters in the nonpartisan primary election on Feb. 15.
But what do Milwaukee mayors do?
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A mayoral job description varies widely depending on whether a city operates under a weak-mayor system or a strong-mayor system. Milwaukee has a strong-mayor system.
This means the mayor operates much as a chief executive officer would in the private sector. The elected mayor is essentially the city’s top executive.
This means the mayor leads the administration, including hiring – and, potentially, firing – all department heads except the police chief and fire chief, who are appointed by the city’s Fire and Police Commission. The commission’s members are appointed by the mayor, with Common Council confirmation.
There are 20 city departments the mayor leads. Among them is the Department of Public Works, which is responsible for solid waste collection and disposal among many other duties; and the Milwaukee Health Department, essentially the public health arm of city government.
And each department has a litany of duties that include doing everything from fixing potholes to administering neighborhood services that help residents repair and stay in their homes.
In addition, there are other city “departments” whose heads, like the mayor, also are elected. These include the city attorney, city comptroller and the city treasurer.
Among the mayor’s most important tasks is to craft an annual budget for Common Council review. This process dictates how much is spent on the services you hold near and dear, from police assistance to checking out a book from the library.
In a so-called “weak-mayor” system, the mayor is pretty much another member of the city or common council. In a “strong-mayor” system, the council wields legislative power, but the mayor has a veto that can be overridden by the council. It requires 10 votes – a two-thirds majority – in the 15-member Common Council to override a mayor’s veto.
A full term for the Milwaukee mayor is four years. Barrett was re-elected to a fifth term in 2020. Milwaukee is electing another mayor two years later because Barrett left with time remaining in his term.
Milwaukee’s next mayor will finish that term, with another election slated for 2024. This year’s contest is the first open race for mayor in Milwaukee since 2004.
So, think of the mayor – with an annual salary of $147,335.76 – as the elected CEO of your city. This person is subject to checks and balances – including yours at the ballot box – but wields considerable executive power that affects the lives of Milwaukee residents.
Election Day central
Mayoral candidate Cavalier Johnson plans focus on jobs and economic growth if elected
Mayoral candidate Bob Donovan plans a focus on crime if elected
What you need to know to vote in Milwaukee’s special election on April 5


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5 things to know and do the weekend of April 1 | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Sam Woods
April 1, 2022
The MKE Good Food Bus is looking for volunteers to help with its food drive, like this one at Centro Hispano. (NNS file photo by Emmy Yates)
Editor’s note: This article has been updated to replace an item that contained the wrong date.
It’s Friday in Milwaukee, and here are some things we think you should know about. If you would like your event to be considered for this column, please submit your news by clicking here.
1. Volunteer for food drive: Friday, April 1
The MKE Good Food Bus, which delivers pay-what-you-can food to a variety of neighborhoods on the North and South sides, is looking for volunteers for its food drive from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, April 1 at the Urban Ecology Center’s Washington Park location at 1859 N. 40th St. Volunteers will help distribute food and organize future deliveries. More information here. You can also donate to the effort, learn more here.
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2. Pocket Change + NilexNile at Nō Studios: Friday, April 1
Milwaukee-based talent is on display again, featuring hip-hop, bebop and R&B blenders Pocket Change and hip-hop artist NilexNile. Doors open at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 1 at Nō Studios, located at 1037 W. McKinley Ave. Tickets are $10 for non-members of Nō Studios. More information about the show and artists here.
3. Wedding and Quinceañera Expo: Sunday, April 3
Those planning a wedding or quinceañera can find cakes, dresses, limos, catering and more at this wedding and quinceañera expo from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 3 at Serb Hall, located at 5101 W. Oklahoma Ave. Tickets are $10. For more information call 414-383-1000. The event is hosted by El Conquistador Latino Newspaper.
4. Mercado Perú: Sunday, April 3
Find coffee, empanadas, plants, hemp and more at this makers market hosted by Triciclo Perú. The market runs from 9 a.m. to noon Sunday, April 3 and every Sunday through April 24 except Easter (April 17) at Triciclo Perú, located at 3801 W. Vliet St. More information here.
5. Get a discount for musical about The Temptations: while available
You can still get discounted tickets through the Wisconsin African-American Women’s Center for “Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations” musical by Dominique Morisseau. The discounted tickets are for shows playing at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 6 and 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 10 at the Marcus Performing Arts Center, located at 929 N. Water St. More information here.


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| Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Dwayne Burtin
March 31, 2022