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Vol. 40 • No. 19 • Thurs., May 27, 2021 - Wed., June 02, 2021 • An NCON Publication Serving The Milwaukee Area • 75¢
Though they were not always respected when they served, they nevertheless fought for our country. This Memorial Day let us honor our Black Men and Women who served in the Military and protected our freedom. and give them the respect they so rightly deserve for defending our country!
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ Milwaukee Brewers and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum unveil new Hop street car
Photo by Kim Robinson
On Tuesday, May 25, 2021, The Milwaukee Brewers and Associated Bank partnered with The Hop to bring awareness and education of the storied history of the Negro Leagues and their impact, and to celebrate the Milwaukee Bears, the city's Negro National League team that operated during the 1923 season. The collaboration is in support of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum's (NLBM) national effort to celebrate the league's 101st anniversary. A Milwaukee Bears wrapped streetcar was unveiled at the event and will remain in service throughout 2021. Among those present for the unveiling were Milwaukee Brewers President Business Operations Rick Schlesinger; Mayor Tom Barrett, Negro Leagues Baseball Museum President Bob Kendrick; Associated Bank Director of Diversity D'Juan Wilcher; President Milwaukee Brewers Foundation Cecilia Gore; Milwaukee Brewers Vice President of Community Relations and Family Liaison Katina Shaw, Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Tyrone Taylor, former Brewers Larry Hisle and Gorman Thomas, and former Negro Leaguers Dennis Biddle, James Beckum, MC Johnson, Warren Kirkendoll and Don Woods An NCON Communications Publication
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Pastor Jerome Smith, Sr., dies of COVID-19 at 49 As co-founder of the Joseph Project, Pastor Jerome Smith, Sr., helped others find good jobs, transportation and training. Pastor Smith, 49, died April 27, from complications of COVID-19. “Milwaukee and all of Wisconsin lost a great man today as Pastor Jerome Smith, Sr., was called home to be with our Lord Jesus Christ,” the Republican Party of Wisconsin said in a statement on the passing of Pastor Smith. “Pastor Smith worked with everyone to improve the lives of people not only in the Milwaukee area, but throughout the state of Wisconsin. Pastor Smith was the co-founder of
the Joseph Project and drew attention to how lives can be turned around through basic values such as love, respect and hard work.” Pastor Smith co-founded the Joseph Project in 2015, with Orlando Owens, a Milwaukee minister and aide to Sen. Ron Johnson. Pastors Smith and Owens noticed many job openings in Sheboygan and many unemployed people in Milwaukee. With assistance from Sen. Johnson’s office, the two started the Joseph Project to connect unemployed people with Pastor Jerome Smith, Sr. open positions. The project also provides transportation childhood poverty and a and training to job seekers. suicide attempt as a young Pastor Smith overcame
man. Born in Chicago, he moved to Milwaukee at about age 10. He soon began working to help provide food for the family. By the time he was 21-years-old, he owned almost 100 properties, but he temporarily split up with Markeitha Smith, his high school sweetheart and future wife, and within a few years he said he “lost everything” to foreclosure and tried to kill himself, but he survived. He became involved with his church and in 2014 he and his wife, Markeitha, founded Greater Praise Church of God in Christ. The church, located at 5422 West Center Street, became the main hub for the Joseph Project. “I admired the way Pastor
Milwaukee Health Services, Inc. hosts Memorial Day Giveaway Despite the widespread use of vaccines and the city beginning to return to a state of (somewhat) normalcy, there are still many families in need of help as they have yet to return to jobs and are still on assistance. On Friday, May 21, 2021, in an effort to help those in need this Memorial Day, Milwaukee Health Services, Inc. (MHSI), partnered with City Serve International, Green Bay Packers Give Back, Feeding American Eastern Wisconsin, United Healthcare Community Plan, Galst Food Market and State Senator Lena C. Taylor to provide 1,000 conquer COVID-19 safety kits and grocery dinners that included chicken or ribs to Milwaukee residents. The event took place at Isaac Coggs Heritage Health Center, 8200 West Silver Spring Dr.
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Despite suffering from heart disease, diabetes and the loss of vision in one eye, Pastor Smith continued helping others until he fell ill. He lived by his favorite phrase: “You don’t throw people away.”
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Smith connected with people, supported them no matter the day or hour, and offered tough love when necessary,” Sen. Johnson said as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
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In The News
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
UR HISTORY
AN EXPLORATION OF OUR LIVES AND LEGACIES
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★ The Overlooked Black History of Memorial Day Nowadays, Memorial Day honors veterans of all wars, but its roots are in America’s deadliest conflict, the Civil War. Approximately 620,000 soldiers died, about twothirds from disease.
About 50 years after the Civil War ended, someone at the United Daughters of the Confederacy asked the Ladies Memorial Association of Charleston to confirm that the May 1, 1865, tribute occurred, and received a reply from one S.C. Beckwith: “I regret that I was unable to gather any official information in answer to this.” Whether Beckwith actually knew about the tribute or
The work of honoring the dead began right away all over the country, and several American towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. Researchers have traced the earliest annual commemoration to women who laid flowers on soldiers’ graves in the Civil War hospital town of Columbus, MS, in April 1866. But historians like the Pulitzer Prize winner David Blight have tried to raise awareness of freed slaves who decorated soldiers’ graves a year earlier, to make sure their story gets told too. According to Blight’s 2001 book Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory, a commemoration organized by freed slaves and some white missionaries took place on May 1, 1865, in Charleston, SC, at a former planters’ racetrack where Confederates held captured Union soldiers during the last year of the war. At least 257 prisoners died, many of disease, and were buried in unmarked graves, so black residents of Charleston decided to give them a proper burial. In the approximately 10 days leading up to the event, roughly two dozen African American Charlestonians reorganized the graves into rows and built a 10-foot-tall white fence around them. An archway overhead spelled out “Martyrs of the Race Course” in black letters.
gan, president of a Union Army veterans group, urging Americans to decorate the graves of the fallen with flowers on May 30 of that year. The ceremony that took place in Arlington National Cemetery that day has been considered the first official Memorial Day celebration. Memorial Day became a national holiday two decades later, in 1889, and it took a century before it was moved
An April 1865 photo of the graves of Union soldiers buried at the race-course-turned-Confederate-prison where historians believe the earliest Memorial Day ceremony took place. Civil war photographs, 18611865, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
About 10,000 people, mostly black residents, participated in the May 1 tribute, according to coverage back then in the Charleston Daily Courier and the New York Tribune. Starting at 9 a.m., about 3,000 black schoolchildren paraded around the race track holding roses and singing the Union song “John Brown’s Body,” and were followed by adults representing aid societies for freed black men and women. Black pastors delivered sermons and led attendees in prayer and in the singing of spirituals, and there were picnics. James Redpath, the white director of freedman’s education in the region, organized about 30 speeches by Union officers, missionaries and black ministers. Participants sang patriotic songs like “America” and “We’ll Rally around the Flag” and “The Star-Spangled Banner.” In the afternoon, three white
and black Union regiments marched around the graves and staged a drill. The New York Tribune described the tribute as “a procession of friends and mourners as South Carolina and the United States never saw before.” The gravesites looked like a “one mass of flowers” and “the breeze wafted the sweet perfumes from them” and “tears of joy” were shed. This tribute, “gave birth to an American tradition,” Blight wrote in Race and Reunion: “The war was over, and Memorial Day had been founded by African Americans in a ritual of remembrance and consecration.” In 1996, Blight stumbled upon a New York Herald Tribune article detailing the tribute in a Harvard University archive — but the origin story it told was not the Memorial Day history that many white people had wanted to tell, he argues.
Clubhouse at the race course where Union soldiers were held prisoner. Civil war photographs, 1861-1865, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. not, Blight argues, the exchange illustrates “how white Charlestonians suppressed from memory this founding.” A 1937 book also incorrectly stated that James Redpath singlehandedly organized the tribute — when in reality it was a group effort — and that it took place on May 30, when it actually took place on May 1. That book also diminished the role of the African Americans involved by referring to them as “black hands which only knew that the dead they were honoring had raised them from a condition of servitude.”
in 1968 to the last Monday of May, where it remains today. According to Blight, Hampton Park, named after Confederate General Wade Hampton, replaced the gravesite at the Martyrs of the Race Course, and the graves were reinterred in the 1880s at a national cemetery in Beaufort, SC.
The fact that the freed slaves’ Memorial Day tribute is not as well remembered is emblematic of the struggle that would follow, as African Americans’ fight to be fully recognized for their contributions to American society The origin story that did continues to this day. stick involves an 1868 call from General John A. Lo-
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The Counseling Corner
By Rev. Judith T. Lester, B.Min. M.Th
Diversity Holidays and Celebrations In May (Week 3) This month this column is promoting diversity and holidays. We began this month bringing awareness to the Catholic Feast of Saints Philip and James and in Weeks 2 and 3 we honored Cinco de Mayo, which celebrates Mexican culture and heritage. This final week of this series, we will look at the U.S. federal holiday, Memorial Day as well as the Jewish holiday, Shavuot. Memorial Day Monday, May 31, 2021 Memorial Day is celebrated in the United States and is observed the last Monday in May. Memorial Day honors the men and women who died while serving in the United States military. This year Memorial Day will occur on May 31, 2021. According to www.History.com, originally Memorial Day was known as Decoration Day which originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official holiday in 1971.
Jewish religious memory, namely the entering into a Beloved, the United States covenant between God and is rich with various cultures Israel, exemplified by Israel’s and blessed to be able to assumption of Divine Law. observe the diversity of holidays and celebrations. May During Shavuot in the syn- we all be inspired to learn agogue a special reading of about diversity holidays and the Book of Ruth is done. celebrations and how they The reason for this is that can enrich our knowledge the Book of Ruth takes place and encourage inclusion and at the time of the barley har- sensitivity. vest, that Ruth’s assumption of Naomi’s religion reflects General Disclaimer: The writer Memorial Day is celebrat- and also commemorates the the Israelites’ acceptance of has used her best efforts in prepaed by Americans by visiting anniversary of the day when the Torah at Sinai. Shavuot ration of this information. No cemeteries or memorials, God gave the Torah to the is also one of the holidays representations or warranties for holding family gatherings nation of Israel assembled which both the Hallel, the its contents, either expressed or imand participating in parades. at Mount Sinai, seven weeks Psalms of Praise is recited plied, are offered. Neither the pubUnofficially, Memorial Day after the exodus from Egypt. and Yizkor, the memorial lisher nor the writer shall be liable marks the beginning of sumservice is observed. This is in any way for readers’ efforts to My Jewish Learning notes a joyous time since it is the apply, rely or utilize the informamer.1 On May 31, 2021, pause on this federal holiday that the wheat harvest deter- moment at which God and tion or recommendations presented to honor the military men mines the ritual for the hol- Israel entered into a cove- herein as they may not be suitable and women who died in wars iday, which was one of the nant with each other, the for you or necessarily appropriate three pilgrimage festivals of hopeful springtime of their for every situation to which they fought by American forces. ancient Israel, when Israel- relationship.2 may refer. In some instances, this ite males were commanded Shavuot article contains the opinions, con1 to appear before God in JeCommemorated Memorial Day, www.Histo- clusions and/or recommendations rusalem, bringing offerings ry.com May 16-18 of the writer. If you would like 2 (Sundown to Sundown) of the first fruits of their My Jewish Learning at: www. to contact Rev. Lester, write to her Shavuot is a Jewish holi- harvest. The second deter- myjewishlearning.com/article/ c/o P.O. Box 121, Brookfield, day that marks the import- mines the significance of the shavuot-101/ WI. 53008. LISTINGS ARE itIN ALPHABETICAL ORDER: holiday for Judaism tying ant wheat harvest in IsraelCHURCH in with the seminal event of ABIDING FAITH FELLOWSHIP B.C. to CLAVARY B.C. Abundant Faith Church of Integrity
ANTIOCH BAPTIST CHURCH 2033 W. Congress Street Milwaukee, WI 53209 414-445-3303 www.antiochmbcmke.org Rev. Victor T. Manns, Pastor
7830 West Good Hope Rd. Milwaukee, WI 53223 www.yourabundantfaith.org
ADULT LEARNING LAB
(414) 464-5001 Abiding Faith Fellowship Baptist Church Pastor Anthony Oliphant Sr. 4600 West Burleigh Street Milwaukee, WI 53210
ORDER OF SERVICE Sunday School ………………… 9:00 am Sunday Morning Worship …… 10:30 am Tel: (414) 444-2822 Fax: (414) 444-2877
Albright /New Hope United Methodist Church
New Life New Beginnings Outreach 3500 N. Sherman Blvd., Suite 205 Milwaukee, WI 53216 (414) 445-1072 Free Computer Classes ECDL License Software Registration Fee $25 Wed. 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Mon. & Wed. evening 6:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Weekly Open Enrollment
Weekly Schedule:
Pastor Robert Pyles
Sunday Worship…10:00 a.m. Tuesday……..……6:15 p.m.
“Discover Your Abundant Faith” Another Chance M.B.C.
1930 North 13th Street Milwaukee, WI 53205 Office #: (414) 885-6010
Pastor Charles G. Green
Pastor Thomas Tao
Weekly Schedule Sun. School.........8:00-9:00 a.m. Sun. Service...................9:30 a.m.
Come Home to Antioch
Bethany Church of God in Christ
Weekly Schedule
5555 W. Capitol Drive Milwaukee, WI 53216 414-442-8540
Order of Services Sunday School..........................9:00 am Sunday Morning Worship........11:00 am Wed. Prayer & Bible Study........6:30 pm Thurs. Mass Choir Rehearsal...7:00 pm
4441 West Fond Du Lac Ave. Milwaukee, WI 53216 (414) 527-9986 Phone Sunday School...................9:30 am Sun. Worship Service........10.45 am Wed. Bible Study...……… 6:00 pm "Not Perfect, But Forgiven"
Pastor Donell Allen, Sr.
Sun. School………….….....9:00 a.m. Sun. Service…….……......10:15 a.m. Wed. Bible Study….............7:00 p.m. Fri. Drug Prevention…........6:00 p.m. Fri. Praise Team Rehearsal...7:30 p.m. Sat. Commty. Outreach........3:00 p.m.
"Bethany, the little church with a big heart; where everybody is somebody." - Pastor Allen
BETHEL Christian Methodist Episcopal Church 3281 N. 26th Street Milwaukee, WI 53206 Rev. Willie F. Dockery, Jr. “The Church on the Grow”
Weekly Schedule
Sun. School ……….........….… 8:30 a.m. Sun Worship …….......…..….. 10:00 a.m. Thursday Prayer Meeting and Bible Study ………………. 7:00 p.m. 442-8970.
Calvary Baptist Church
Pastor Robert Armstrong BETHESDA BAPTIST CHURCH “WELCOME TO THE HOUSE OF MERCY” 2909 N. 20th Street. Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53206 Tel: 414-442-1323 • Fax: 414-442-1334
Rev. John R. Walton, Jr., Pastor 2959 N. Teutonia Avenue Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53206 Phone: 414-372-1450 Fax: 414-372-0850 Website: www.CalvaryBaptistMke.org
BLESSED DELIVERANCE Missionary Baptist Church Rev. J. Anthony Phillips 2215 North 23rd Street Milwaukee, WI 53205 (414) 344-9645 (Office) (414) (Fax) BlessDeliverance@aol.com
E-Mail: bethesda.baptist@sbcglobal.net
Order of Service:
Morning Worship ..................................8:00 AM Sun. Enrichment Hour ........................10:00 AM 3rd Sun. Communion Service...............11:00 AM 5th Sun. Baptizing.................................10:30 AM Tues. Prayer & Bible Study.............6:30 & 7:00 PM 1st&3rd Thur. Women/Mission Min. .........6:00 PM 2nd Sat. - Youth Meeting........................8:00 AM 2nd Sat. - RLS Rehearsal.....................10:00 AM 1st,3rd &4th Sat. Music Min. Rehearsal.....10:00 AM
Weekly schedule: Sun. School ............... 8:45-9:45 a.m. Sun. Worship .................. 10:00 a.m. Wen. Bible Study ..... 10 a.m. & 6 p.m.
A Gateway to a New Life & A Door to Heaven
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SCHEDULE OF SERVICES CANAAN
Missionary Baptist Church
Rev. Dr. Fredrick E. Jones, Pastor 2975 N. 11th St., Milwaukee, WI 53206 Weekly Schedule: Sun. Church School ............... 9:00 a.m. Sun. Worship ......................... 10:30 a.m. Wed. Bible Class ..................................... ................................ 12 Noon & 7:00 p.m.
Sunday: Sunday School ................................................ 8:15 a.m. Morning Worship ............................................. 9:30 a.m. Wednesday: Bible Study .................................. 10:00 a.m. & 6:00 p.m. Saturday: Early Morning Prayer ....................................... 7:00 a.m.
Phone: 414-264-2070
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Focus on Community
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Community Connections
Schlitz Audubon Nature Center—A Hidden Gem By Kathy Gaillard, freelance contributor Schlitz Audubon Nature Center is an independent, locally supported partner of the National Audubon Society. Located at 1111 East Brown Deer Road, it is one of the most visited attractions in Milwaukee. With reasonable admission prices, engaging and interactive programs for children and adults, meeting rental space, and pristine nature trails, we spoke with Board President Aliah Berman to learn more about the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center. You serve on the Schlitz Audubon Nature Center Board of Directors. As a person of color how and why did you get involved? Aliah: I’ve been on the board of the Schlitz Audubon Center for five years and now serve as board president. One of my first dates with my now husband was hiking at Schlitz Audubon. We spent a lot of time hiking the trails and going to Doctor’s Park, which is nearby. Now, nature has become synonymous with family time. My husband, who participated in the Master Naturalist pro-
Aliah Berman gram at the Center, and my children are all involved with various programs at the Center. A friend joined the board and, when they were recruiting for new board members, I joined. I didn’t initially have deep knowledge about environmentalism or conservation, nor did I have an innate connection to nature, growing up. Joining the board was an opportunity for me to continue learning about an organization to which I hold a sentimental connection. Why do you think that some people—especially communities of color— don’t take advantage of the trails or Center’s ame-
nities? Aliah: Currently, we reach about 155,000 people each year; that includes about 20,000 students. Of those students, more than 5,000 children come from the central city and are given free passes for family members. While we don’t track demographics, we know through research that, in general, communities of color don’t engage with nature that much. There is historical evidence of barriers to state parks, camping and hiking, include such things like access, transportation, and costs. For some, an $8 admission fee may be too steep to pay, particularly for those who may want to visit often. Also, people of color may not feel safe or have a sense of belonging when it comes to hiking or camping. For example, last summer Christian Cooper, who is African American, was ‘birding’ (bird watching) in a park when someone called the police on him. That said, some black and brown communities regard spending time with nature—camping or hiking— as a ‘white thing’ and not the norm for black families. What can or should be done to encourage more communities of color to visit nature centers and state parks? Aliah: First, state parks and nature centers must be deliberate about reaching out to communities of color. Black and brown communities want to see staff and educators that look like them when they visit. Nature centers and state parks should also have racially di-
verse board members to help guide their efforts strategically and promotional materials should reflect diverse populations. Schlitz Audubon is currently recruiting people of color for its board. One of the things that Schlitz Audubon works hard at is generating interest in environmental stewardship among younger people. We have fostered several partnerships to attract more racially diverse populations. We offer a full week, at no cost, to the Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs for summer camp. We also deliberately recruit paid interns of color during the summer so they can learn more about environmental internships. And, through our long-standing partnerships with organizations like MICAH and Next Door Foundation, we offer free passes for admission.
Share something about Schlitz Audubon Nature Center that most people do not know. Aliah: I think many people don’t know that 100 years ago this land was a farm. In fact, this year we are celebrating our 50th Anniversary. The land was donated to the Audubon Society as a learning center. Over the years we have been able to put into place some nationally recognized programs, including a How much is Schlitz nature pre-school, which is Audubon membership one of the best in the nation. and what does it include? We also have programs for Aliah: Membership fees middle schools, adults, and are reasonable. An annual, a master naturalist course individual membership is that runs for six weeks. My $55 and family membership husband took this course (two adults and all children and said it’s one of the most or grandchildren) is $65, Stu- enriching experiences he dents and military pay $35, has had. I have also attendannually. Membership bene- ed early, Saturday morning fits include unlimited admis- yoga and meditation classes, sion to the Center, discounts which is cool to do because it on programs and events, is in such a beautiful, serene, priority registration for pre- and natural environment. school and summer camps, There is something for evNature Store (on-site) dis- eryone here. count, and a subscription to the Center’s seasonal publicaTo learn more about the Schlitz tion Panorama. Membership Audubon Nature Center, visit also comes with preferred or www.schlitzaudubon.org. You to free admission to select na- learn more about the Center or to ture centers throughout the reserve meeting space call (414) United States and Canada. 352-2880.
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Back By Popular Demand and Just In Time for Juneteenth! Juneteenth Strawberry Soda The refreshing all natural Strawberry flavor, is the same our ancestors celebrated with to recognize their liberation from slavery. Its "A Sweet Sip of Freedom!" Now Back In Stock At:
The Milwaukee Times Printing & Publishing, Co. 1936 North Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive Milwaukee, WI 53212 (414) 263-5088 • miltimes@gmail.com 10 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. • Mon. to Fri. CALL OR VISIT US TO PURCHASE YOURS TODAY!
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THE UNITED SPORTS CLUB, INC. PRESENTS:
Summer Tennis Camps for All Ages • Boys & Girls Ages 8-12
June 7 - August 12, 2021 - NO FEE!
There is no fee to register in this program. Parents must provide a tennis racket for their child.
• Middle & High School Students (Ages 13-17) June 7 - August 12, 2021- NO FEE!
There is no fee to register in this program. Parents must provide a tennis racket for their child.
• Adult Tennis Lessons: USA Tennis 1.2.3. Mondays 6:00-7:30 p.m. May 10 - June 28, 2021
$56 for 8 Weeks All participants are responsible for their own tennis racket. All Classes to be held at: North Division H.S. 1011 W. Center Street Milwaukee, WI 53206 Certified Instructors Call Bob Rush at 414-442-2939 or Terry Paynes at 414-871-7766 if you have questions or to register.
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What's Happening
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Spotlight on Love Focusing On Random Acts of Love
My journey as a foster parent By Akilah Adams After I hung up the phone with the agency, a million questions flooded my mind at once. What if I wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was? Where was the new pack of toothbrushes? Did I just accept placement of two children at the same time? Where did I put the box of stuffed animals? My name is Akilah Adams and I am a single mother. I have a daughter, Abbi, who is 10 years old. I own my own home, work a demanding 9-to-5 and volunteer in my community. My parents were foster parents for the majority of my childhood. It was normal for me and my siblings to return home from school to a new face who was not there when we left that morning. Because of my upbringing, it was easy for me to transition into becoming a foster mother. My biggest motivation to become licensed was to serve my community in a deeper capacity. Currently, African Americans make up 24 percent of the population
in Milwaukee. However, out of the total number of children in foster care, 67 percent are African American. That statistic was my call to action. Two brothers, one in diapers and the other school aged, would be dropped off at my home. I knew that during the most traumatic period of their lives, I would be a source of safety, stability, peace and comfort. While driving through the city on weekend errands, the boys would point out the corner stores they used to get their snacks from, the parks that had the best monkey bars and their favorite city bus stops. I’ve made many U-turns to grab Little Deb-
bie cakes at the corner store, pulled over for a quick climb on the monkey bars and honked and waved at countless city buses. These small acknowledgments of their past aided in the support of their future. Becoming a foster parent has been the one of the most rewarding roles I have ever accepted. There is great need for great people who want to serve the children in our community through foster care. A loving and safe environment allows children to grow emotionally, mentally and physically. If you are interested in learning more, visit childrenswi.org/fostercare.
Akilah Adams
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Northcott Neighborhood House announce the return of the Juneteenth celebration, just in time for its 50th anniversary
Photos by Carmen Murguia
Staff Photos
The
On Tuesday, May 25, 2021, Northcott Neighborhood House (NNH) hosted a press conference at their offices, 2460 N. 6th Street, to announce this year's Juneteenth Day activities. NNH Executive Director Tony A. Kearney, Sr., (right photo) announced that this year's theme will be, "History and Heritage meets Legacy and Promise," honoring the 50th Anniversary of Juneteenth Day. Juneteenth Day commemorates the ending of slavery in the United States, when in 1865 Union soldiers landed at Galveston, TX and announced the war was over and the slaves were now free. Last year due to COVID-19 the Juneteenth Day festivities were canceled and in its wake Milwaukee County made June 19 a legal holiday. This year festivities, which will take place on Saturday, June 19, 2021, will include a reenactment of the historic Juneteenth announcement, a Juneteenth Parade which will be televised on TMJ4 and vendors selling goods and food. Pictured at the press conference are (left photo, from left) NNH Administration and Juneteenth Director Elizabeth Coggs; and NNH Retired Executive Director and President NNH Juneteenth Day Celebrations Mac Weddle, enjoying The Milwaukee Times Juneteenth Strawberry Soda. Pick up a bottle for $2.50 at The Milwaukee Times, 1936 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive or stop by our booth at the 50th Annual Juneteenth Day Celebration!
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Health equity—meeting the community where they are By Sandra Millon Underwood, RN, PhD, FAAN Professor, UW-Milwaukee College of Nursing
difference,” said Abell.
Lately we are hearing a lot about health equity, but there are some misconceptions about what it is and who it affects. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health equity occurs when every person “attains his or her full health potential” and no one is “disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of social position or other socially determined circumstances.” Health inequities occur when there are disproportionate differences in length of life; quality of life; rates of disease, disability, and death; severity of disease; and access to treatment.
“Health determinants involve where we live, learn, grow, and work. Factors such as access to transportation and healthcare systems, availability of healthy and affordable food, access to safe and affordable housing, and many other social With a grant from the determinants that influence Robert Wood Johnson a person’s ability to prevent, Foundation, the nation’s find, treat, and survive largest foundation focused cancer,” said Abell. solely on health, the American Lola Awoyinka, a Cancer Society (ACS) is researcher and doctoral working with community partners to accelerate efforts student at the Medical that advance a culture of College of Wisconsin agrees. health equity and make it a She’s been collecting and analyzing data for the health shared value. equity project, including gathering data from community organizations like Milwaukee’s Running Rebels, a mentoring organization that serves 2,500 kids annually.
Abell said that people sometimes assume that health is driven by genetics or hereditary factors, but it is more involved than that.
Disparities such as food access and insecurity, nutrition, education, and other systemic factors also “We know that there are played a significant role in Chef Marvin Jones, of some serious racial disparities selecting the target areas related to survivorship, for the health equity study, ‘Unsalt’d Life’ engages the residents through cooking quality of life after cancer according to Awoyinka. demonstrations, discusses the diagnosis, much of which is driven by systemic issues, so “We’re having talking with importance of eating plantpart of our focus is on kids residents, as we try to raise based, having a healthy diet, because we want to reach out awareness about disparities and, best of all, encourages to them and educate them among our partners and the the residents to sample the early on. community. As we gather nutritious food he cooks. data and begin to interact “We know that 20 percent “We created the with residents, we are taking infrastructure and are ‘baby steps’ to address health of cancer diagnosis can be surveying residents, especially concerns among residents,” prevented by adopting a healthier lifestyle—including for the kids’ portion of the said Awoyinka. maintaining a healthy diet. project. We wanted to access the kids’ awareness of issues As part of the health Studies show that it is never such as their awareness equity project, the American too late to change, and of the link between food, Cancer Society is also these small changes make a nutrition, and cancer. Some partnering with Groundwork of our research has involved Milwaukee which oversees learning about their food 85-100 community gardens. environments—identifying Groundwork has identified some of the strengths and three ‘health hubs’ that barriers—to learn how we this project will focus on. Sa can best support them. We They are: We Got This Homv-A-L e Re ot pair also wanted to know how Community Garden, 824 W. familiar they are with the Ring Street; Thurston Woods importance of nutrient Community Garden, 5974 education,” said Awoyinka. N. 40th Street; and Uptown Crossing Community Collection of baseline data Garden, 2321-25 N. 45th has been an integral part of Street. Awoyinka’s involvement with “We are working with the project, as well as targeting education to address some these three health hubs to disparities. After reviewing create a new culture around gardens to some of the initial survey community
An NCON Communications Publication
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*** The Healthy Eating and Active Living Milwaukee (HEAL) is a culturally-tailored program that aims to provide education, resources to secure healthy foods, and active living supports for adults at-risk for developing lifestyle-related diseases; and, to empower adults to make changes in their physical and social environment to improve nutrition and physical activity. ‘Like’ their Facebook page that’s full of videos of healthy recipes and low-cost, no-cost exercise.
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“Milwaukee was chosen as one of the pilot communities in the nation to implement community-driven solutions and address systemic and structural barriers contributing to cancer and other health disparities. We are working with volunteers, partners, and communities at the local and state levels, and specific populations to address and change this dynamic,” said Kimberly Abell, Program Manager with the American Cancer Society.
“We do encourage healthy weight, but that is not the only goal for healthy eating. Some children, as young as 11 and 12 years old, already have it in their minds that being healthy is just about being thin. We glamourize being ‘thin’ because our society is so weight-centric,” said Awoyinka.
106 -A-Lo W Milw . Cent t auke er St re e, W I 53 et 212 Cont ract 414640- With Us 1789
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results, Awoyinka said that one of the biggest surprises she discovered was the large number of kids who equate weight with diet. She said there exists a culture of ‘fat shaming’ and some kids believe that being healthy means you must be thin but, in fact, good health can be achieved at a spectrum of sizes.
In addition to surveying residents Groundwork Milwaukee has also contracted with community health workers to be on hand for planned events, like the cooking demonstrations. They provide health and education resources on high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes to teach residents how to reduce their risk of cancers and to answer questions. They also distribute free, Healthy address food insecurity and Families Guidebooks, food access. Working with which are also available for community health workers, download at www.acskohls. we are going out into the org. community, visiting the community gardens, teaching “The healthy equity residents how to harvest project is something new and preserve these healthy for Groundwork Milwaukee. foods, and through cooking They really want to open demonstrations, showing community gardens up to them how to prepare these citizens—within a 10-15 foods,” said Abell. minute walk of resident neighborhoods. They want residents to know that they are welcome to come to the gardens, participate and engage with their neighbors, watch the cooking demonstrations, and talk to the community health workers right in their neighborhoods. This is a place to come for resources and at the same time, we are able to address some of the health barriers such as food Lola Awoyinka insecurity or access to food,” said Abell.
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All Of Us
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
ALL ABOUT SCIENCE & RESEARCH WITH ALL OF US About Science and Research with All of Us – Part Four!
In part four of our About Science and Research with All of Us, we are going to get an education about what’s commonly known as DNA. Bashir Easter, Ph.D., Assistant Director of the University of WisconsinMadison All of Us team at the Center for Community Engagement and Health Partnerships in Milwaukee will be sharing with us how the All of Us Research Program will help you learn more about your DNA. Milwaukee Times: Dr. Easter, first, what is DNA? Dr. Bashir Easter: DNA is short for deoxyribonucleic acid. It’s the material that makes up genes and an important source of health information. The All of Us Research Program wants to help advance health research. One way we plan to do this is by studying DNA.
Milwaukee Times: What can you learn from studying DNA? Dr. Bashir Easter: By studying DNA and other information from All of Us participants, researchers could potentially identify what makes people more or less likely to develop a disease; find out how environment, lifestyle, and genes can impact health; and build better tools for detecting health conditions and encouraging healthy habits. If you provide your blood or saliva samples to All of Us, specially trained scientists at our Genome Centers will generate DNA data from your sample. Our Genome Centers are highly advanced labs that use the latest technology to study and analyze participants’ DNA. Incidentally, I knew I was lactose intolerant, but my DNA results actually showed me that on paper. It
Dr. Bashir Easter was exciting to confirm. Milwaukee Times: What if I don’t want my DNA? Dr. Bashir Easter: When you join All of Us, you sign a consent. By joining, you
agree to let researchers study your DNA if you provide it. It’s your choice whether you want to get your DNA results. Those results may include things like ancestry, or where your family comes from; traits, like whether you can digest milk; whether you may have a higher risk of developing some conditions; or how your body may respond to certain medications. You will be able to talk with a genetic counselor from our Genetic Counseling Resource about your DNA results.
have for us next week? Dr. Bashir Easter: Next week, we’ll talk about the research of All of Us. One thing to specifically point out is that All of Us is a research program and does not provide medical tests for medical treatment or diagnosis. Our focus is on what we can learn from DNA to help speed up health research discoveries.
Do your own research about the All of Us Research Program nationally, by going to www.joinallofus.org, Milwaukee Times: Dr. visiting our All of Us MKE Easter, this all sounds so Facebook page or calling interesting. What will you (414) 882-1376.
Sponsored by:
Become a foster parent today I have been a foster parent for more than ten-years and over five-years with Benevolence First Agency; during this time, I’ve fostered five children and have adopted one of those children and I’m in the process of adopting another one. Being a foster parent brings joy to my heart knowing that I can provide the love, structure, stability, and patience to children who may not have experienced this before. Rena S. Foster Parent
Being a foster parent has its own rewards; knowing that a child could benefit from what you have to offer such as a home, food, and security is a wonderful feeling. So, I say to anyone who is contemplating with becoming a foster parent and it is tugging at your heart strings, to go for it, and be that light at the end of the tunnel that changes a child life.
For More Information Contact Benevolence First at 414-979-0611 or WEBSITE: WWW.BFIRST.NET www.milwaukeetimesnews.com
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The Classifieds
Thursday, May 27, 2021
May 3rd Na Tasha Isabell Alexis Taylor Josephine Montgomery Tonia Wells Tammie Kaine May 4th Jackie Jackson Katherine Jackson May 5th Chris Brown Raheem Devaughn Ike Taylor Allen Fumbanks May 6th Morgan Hills Meek Mill Chris Paul Willie Mays May 8th Anthony Fumbanks James Renfro, Jr. Natasha N. Banks May 9th Duane A. Ingram Keith Davis Latoya Wimpy Billie J. Thomas Carissa Hart May 11th Jaye Syc Andrew Franks May 12th Adrian Saffold Vanessa Saffold Ella Ruth Harrel
Wednesday, June 02, 2021
May 27, 1919 – Madame C.J. Walker, cosmetics manufacturer and first Black female millionaire, died.
Mrs. Fumbanks' Birthday Salutes "Wishing You All The Best!" May 1st Shelia Jackson Linda Estes
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May 28, 1948 – National Party wins Whites-only election in South Africa and begins to institute policy of apartheid.
May 14th Yolanda Davis Louis Davis, III DeWannda Taylor May 15th Dion Saffold Derrick Seals Riambria Parker Teaza Wells Briambria Parker May 19th Quiney Matthews Dorothy Summers May 20th Virginia Stricklen-Grady Terri Goodwin May 22nd Chanté Chamberlain
May 29, 1901 – Granville T. Woods patents overhead conducting system for the electric railway. May 30 1965 – Vivian Malone becomes the first African American to graduate from the University of Alabama. May 31, 1870 – Congress passes the first Enforcement Act, providing stiff penalties for those who deprive others of their civil rights. June 1, 1968 – Henry Lewis becomes first Black musical director of an American symphony orchestra – the New Jersey Symphony June 2, 1971 – Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. becomes first African American admiral in U.S. Navy.
Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper
OFFICIAL ADVERTISEMENT Office of the Milwaukee Public Schools, DIVISION OF FACILITIES AND MAINTENANCE SERVICES, 1124 North 11th Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, May 24, 2021. Sealed bids will be received until Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at 1:30 PM on-line through A/E Graphics, Inc., pursuant to Section 119.16(4) Wisconsin Statutes in accordance with plans and specifications for the following work: All contractor(s) and subcontractors(s) are subject to the current livable wage rate, in accordance with the City of Milwaukee Ordinance 310-13. Per 2015 WI Act 55, prevailing wage rate laws have been repealed for all MPS Construction Projects beginning January 1, 2017. BID GUARANTY TO ACCOMPANY BID: MPS Bid Bond, Certified or Cashier's Check: 10% of Contractor's Base Bid. INCLUSIVE PLAY AREA PROJECT Clovernook Playfield 6594 N. Landers Street Milwaukee, WI 53223 MPS Property No. 729 MPS Project No. 4056 MPS HUB, COIN and Student Employment / Participation requirements are identified on the Project Manual Cover and Bid Form and defined within the Contract Compliance Services Participation Plan Requirements in the Project Manual. Deposit for Drawings and Specifications: $25.00 MAILING CHARGE: $35.00 The bidding documents may be viewed and downloaded for free from A/E Graphics On-line Plan Room, at https://mps.aegraphics.com/. Hard copies may be obtained 7:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.; Monday through Friday from A/E Graphics, Inc.; 4075 North 124th Street, Brookfield, WI 53005; phone (262) 781-7744; fax (262) 781-4250. Call A/E Graphics, Inc. for availability of bid documents for pick up. Plans and specifications will be loaned to a prospective bidder upon receipt of the deposit listed, which deposit will be returned upon surrender of the plans and specifications in good condition. Bid documents must be returned only to A/E Graphics, Inc. A pre-bid walkthrough for the site will be held on Tuesday, June 8, 2021 at 9:00 AM, meet at the fieldhouse main entrance. All questions should be submitted in writing prior to 12:00 PM on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 to DFMSProcurement@milwaukee.k12.wi.us. No questions may be answered after that date and time. No questions shall be answered verbally. No verbal information from any source is to be relied upon by any respondent in the development of their Bid. Written questions and responses will be documented by way of addenda, which will be forwarded to all bidders. Each bid shall be for a fixed lump sum. Bids shall be submitted on-line through A/E Graphics On-line Plan Room, at https://mps.aegraphics.com/ using the “Submit Bid” tab on the INCLUSIVE PLAY AREA PROJECT Clovernook Playfield project information page from which bid documents were obtained. Submit bid forms per Instructions to Bidders, Article B-5 of the Specifications. The right is reserved to reject any or all bids or to waive informalities. Upon reasonable notice, efforts will be made to accommodate the needs of disabled individuals at the bid opening through sign language interpreters or other auxiliary aids. Keith P. Posley, Ed.D. 5-24 Superintendent of Schools
May 23rd Tonia Moore May 24th Andrew Green, Jr. Deborah Tasker May 25th Darion Saffold May 27th Zarion Davis Callie J. Jackson May 29th Tracy R. Ingram May 30th Evag. Shirley Tribble Lorelie Jones May 31st Garry L. Ingram Cyril Fumbanks
May 13th Portia Banks
Do you have a friend, family member, or colleague who has just celebrated or is about to celebrate a birthday? Stop by our office with their name on Monday to get them in that week’s edition of Happy Birthday Salutes! Visit us at 1936 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, call us at (414) 263-5088 or e-mail them to miltimes@gmail.com. An NCON Communications Publication
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Thursday, May 20, 2021
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The Classifieds
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
FOR SALE BY OWNER $175,000
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Public Notification of Completion of the ACCESS Clinical Trial ACCESS (Access to the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory in Patients Without ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction Resuscitated from Out-of-Hospital Ventricular Fibrillation Cardiac Arrest) has been completed in Milwaukee County. About the Research The purpose of the ACCESS trial was to determine which of two standard treatments, if any, results in better outcome: (1) Initial cardiac catheterization laboratory (CCL) admission, or (2) initial intensive care unit (ICU) admission in adults 18-80 years of age successfully resuscitated from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and no signs of a heart attack on tracings of the heartbeat. This study was performed at 26 research sites throughout the United States and Canada. Medical College of Wisconsin and Froedtert Hospital was one of the sites that performed this research and entered 8 patients. Patients were included in the study following informed consent with the patient, their next-of-kin, or using exception from informed consent under emergency circumstances if the patient was unable to speak and next-of-kin could not be found. A total of 65 patients were entered into the ACCESS trial between January, 2018 and July, 2019; 68% were male with an average age of 64 years. Of the 65 patients, 75% were Caucasian, 15% were African-American, 8% were of unknown race, 1.6% were Native American, 1.6% were Asian, 3% of patients were Hispanic, and 23% were of unknown ethnicity. Study Results The ACCESS trial was stopped early, in July, 2019, because the rate of subject enrollment was too low. The study results showed no difference in patient outcomes between treatment with initial CCL admission compared to initial ICU admission, including survival and functionally favorable survival at hospital discharge and 3 months following hospital discharge. For additional information, please contact Tom Aufderheide, MD at (414) 805-6493 or via email at RRC@mcw.edu. www.milwaukeetimesnews.com
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Traveling
Thursday, May 27, 2021
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Wednesday, June 02, 2021
Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper
Six underrated cities in the US to celebrate Black history all year long
We are well into the start of a new year, and for Black Americans, that means reconciling all that the last year put us through. We navigated a lot in 2020, both within our own homes and in our nation at large. But now, as the clouds begin to clear, we are beginning to look forward to things again, and that includes our travels. Within the diaspora and otherwise, in order to continue to reap the rewards that we’ve earned in the last year, we should be learning each others’ stories, re-establishing our connections with each other, and supporting each others’ projects as we begin to come back together. While international travel has been mired in restrictions and complications, these limitations also offer us an opportunity to visit some valuable places you may have never considered before. Right now, at the beginning of the year, it’s so much easier to feel hopeful about what we’ll be able to accomplish going forward, so it’s a perfect time to be thoughtfully considering who and where we’re going to make a part of our 2021. If you’re looking to reconnect with the American Black diaspora this year, here are a few places where you can begin that journey.
1. Milwaukee, Wisconsin After being nearly destroyed in the ‘60s from urban renewal projects like roads, freeways, and to make way for other infrastructure, Milwaukee’s Bronzeville neighborhood has, in the years since, retaken its place at the center of the Black community. Since the late ‘90s, a still ongoing revivification project has brought a renewed sense of community to the once ravaged neighborhood. This has been accomplished via a series of community projects that empower existing members of the neighborhood to spearhead new businesses, organizations, and initiatives that will recirculate funds among them rather than funnel them out. Possibly the cornerstone of the revivification project, the reopening of America’s Black Holocaust Museum is scheduled for 2021, making it the perfect year to visit. The museum originally opened in 1988 in a small space above the Sultan Muhammad Islamic Center by Dr. James Cameron, the only man known to have survived a lynching. After several moves, the museum finally shuttered for what seemed like for good in 2008 due to financial stressors stemming from the stock market crash. Though we lost Dr. Cameron in 2006, reopening the museum became a priority project for community leaders, but for several years they
of East African immigration include Horn of Africa and my personal favorite Queen of Sheba. Also visit Abbey Creek Vineyard, which is run by Bertony Faustin, the first recorded black winemaker in Oregon. “Truly, if there ever were a blues song created about being black in Oregon,” says S. Renee Mitchell for Travel Oregon, “it would include lyrics about fitting in, sometimes fighting back, but alAmerica’s Black Holocaust Museum ways staking claim.” This year is a perfect opportunity to support those trying to were only exhibiting their ing, or residing in the state of maintain Black communities collections online. Oregon. These laws were re- in Portland. Their new space is on the pealed in 1926, but Portland ground floor of the newly boasts only a small Black 3. Miami, Florida built Griot building, a refur- population to this day. Just south of Wynwood, bishment project that turned Despite its convoluted his- mainland Miami’s famed arts a former high school into tory, Portland managed to district is the often overhousing and retail space as have one of the most orga- looked but bustling and hispart of the Historic King nized, sustained reactions to toric district of Overtown. Drive Business Improve- the murder of George Floyd, The neighborhood was ment project. In the histor- with the 100th consecutive founded to house Black railic tradition of Black-owned day of protests celebrat- road and domestic workers, businesses in Bronzeville, ed on September 5, 2020. and by the ‘50s it had become another huge success of this But the combination of the a hotspot for Black arts and revivification project is the COVID-19 pandemic and culture. But the construction Bronzeville Collective MKE. the continued revolution left of I-95 in the ‘60s split the A collaborative communi- many businesses shuttered, neighborhood in two, razty project of Tiffany Miller some for good. The ones ing hundreds of homes and and Lilo Allen, this pop-up that remain have been strug- businesses in the process. turned full-time brick-and- gling, and small businesses in Overtown has never recovmortar bazaar has become Portland, particularly Black- ered fully, but an ongoing integrally important to Black owned businesses, will need revitalization project aims to artists in Milwaukee. your support in 2021 to re- bring the neighborhood back “The Bronzeville Collec- cover. to its former glory. tive MKE features more Thankfully an initiative of Overtown is anchored, than 25 local brands,” they Travel Portland has put to- both historically and today, explain. “We focus on cre- gether a compilation of all by the Black Archives Lyric atives of color — almost ev- things Black in the city to Theater, an arts and perforerything in our space is either make planning a visit sim- mance space. After hosting handcrafted or designed by ple. There you’ll find avenues some of the greatest Black Black and Brown creatives!” via which to connect with performers in America — Black culture and history, like Josephine Baker, Eth2. Portland, Oregon as well as event listings and el Waters, Aretha Franklin, Portland is the whitest city a directory of Black-owned and Ella Fitzgerald — it was in the United States, and you businesses. You may want shuttered in the late 1960s should know that this is by to pay particular attention to after the construction of the design. When Oregon was Black-owned restaurants, es- freeway. It sat vacant until it granted its statehood, it was pecially because the region’s was restored and reopened in predicated on the disenfran- large Ethiopian and Eritrean 2000, which unofficially bechisement of Black people; communities are well reflect- gan Overtown’s return as the Black exclusion laws in the ed there. Some standouts hub of culture it once was. new state prevented them that have been around since Since then, scores of new from owning property, work- the ‘90s during a huge influx businesses, community cen-
An NCON Communications Publication
ters, pop-ups, and events have secured a new future for Overtown, but none so prophetic for tourism to the neighborhood than the opening of the Copper Door in 2018. Opened in the vein of the famed Mary Elizabeth and The Sir John Hotels — both former Overtown guest houses that hosted Black luminaries like Thurgood Marshall, W.E.B. Dubois, and Zora Neale Hurston — this bed and breakfast aims to revive the tradition of Overtown as a tourist destination while incorporating the soul and hospitality that Miami’s Black community has long been famous for. During your stay, owners Jamila Ross and Akino West can help you navigate cultural events curated by Art of Black Miami, help direct you to the Folklife Fridays or the Roots Black Marketplace — if you’ve made it to town on the right Friday of the month — or simply make you breakfast. Their communal dining hall is famed for harboring new friendships, so in addition to connecting with the members of Black Miami, you’ll get a chance to meet other travelers, too. 4. Tulsa, Oklahoma In possibly the most explosive and arresting introduction of a television series that has ever been committed to film, the first eight minutes of the pilot of 2019’s Watchmen gave us a visceral and exceptional portrayal of what we now call the Tulsa Race Massacre. The slaughter occurred in the summer of 1921 against the wealthiest Black community in the United States at the hands of vigilante white terrorists in concert with the US government. For many, seeing the recreated portrayal of the massacre was their first (Continued on pg. 15)
www.milwaukeetimesnews.com
Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper
Thursday, May 20, 2021
15
What's Happening
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Six underrated cities
series of events and productions throughout the year, including the Greenwood Film Festival and the Black Wall Street Memorial Run. But likely the most anticipated event will be Tulsa’s 2021 Juneteenth celebrations; this (Continued from pg 14) year promises to be particuintroduction to this piece larly poignant as municipalof American history, even ities and states around the though it remains one of the nation consider making Juneworst terrorist attacks that teenth an official holiday. have ever occurred on US 5. Richmond, Virginia soil. As the former capital of 2021 marks the 100th anni- the confederacy, the external versary of the massacre, and face of Richmond can feel the 1921 Tulsa Race Massa- overwhelmingly white, but cre Centennial Commission it also has a long and storied seeks to honor the legacy of legacy as a Black stronghold the Greenwood district and in the United States. As the Black Wall Street with the primary endpoint for the inauguration of a brand new transatlantic slave trade, it historical center dedicated has some of the most longto preserving this previously standing Black communities obscured piece of American in the country. Nationwide, history. Called Greenwood as many as one in four Black Rising, the center is imagined Americans have histories to be a permanent hub to “re- linking them to Richmond, member the victims and sur- yet it is rarely on itineraries vivors and create an environ- for domestic travel. ment conducive to fostering In collaboration with sustainable entrepreneurship and heritage tourism within Richmond Region Tourism the Greenwood District spe- and several Black commucifically, and North Tulsa,” nity leaders, BLK RVA was according to the commis- launched in August of 2019 sion’s chair, Senator Kevin L to bring Black tourism back to the city and has focused its Matthews. efforts on creating clear avIn addition to the grand enues to connect with Black opening of the historical Richmonders of today. BLK center, the Centennial Com- RVA asked Melody Short, mission is also heralding a native Richmonder and the
over the national average. It’s a city where minorities, collectively, aren’t the minority. And Houstonians are notoriously friendly, so don’t be dissuaded if it’s your first time visiting, you’ll be sure to make friends.
Deidre Mathis, the only Black hostel owner in the United States. Already an author and world traveler, opened Wanderstay Hostel. 6. Houston, Texas It’s the largest city in Texas, but you may be pressed to name a tourist attraction in Houston if you’ve never been. Floridian comedian and part-time nomad Josh Pray might say it best: “I would strongly encourage “It is a must that tourists everybody to visit Houston. visit the Jackson Ward neigh- Reality checks are everyborhood,” she extolls, offer- where.” ing up as examples of destinations like the Black History Don’t get me wrong, you Museum and Cultural Center can certainly visit the zoo or of Virginia, the Maggie L. even touch a moon rock at Walker National Historic the Space Center, but the best Site, and the historic Hippo- trips to Houston are about drome Theater. BLK RVA getting a dose of real Ameralso partners with plenty of icana. Houston is a hyper-ditour operators that focus on verse city; almost half of its Black history in the region if population identifies as Hisyou’re unsure where to start. panic while over 20 percent is Black, almost 10 percent
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32
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43
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18
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N. H OLTON ST N. 6T H S T
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94
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18
18
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W. H IGH L AND AVE
. H I G H L AND AVE
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W. WALNUT ST
43
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W.GARFIELD AVE
Wanderstay is super centrally located, within walking distance of Museum Park and Midtown, so you won’t feel isolated without a car. Nearby you’ll find Blackowned restaurants, businesses, and if you plan your trip to coincide with the first Friday or second Saturday of the month, the nation’s largest Black-owned business pop-up. At BLCK Market Houston you’ll find 50+ Black-owned vendors selling everything from skincare, to handmade fashions, to services, and they have food trucks outside if you’re craving a bite.
N . D OWN E R AVE
N . OAK L AN D AVE
director of marketing and business development for the largest chain of Blackowned bed and breakfasts in the United States, Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast Inns, for her own personal recommendations for visitors.
For solo and budget Black travelers, Houston is an ideal city to visit thanks to the hard work of Deidre Mathis, the only Black hostel owner in the United States. Already an author and world traveler, she opened Wanderstay in central Houston in 2018 and caters to budget travelers who don’t want to sacrifice quality, particularly those in the digital nomad sphere.
An NCON Communications Publication
Froedtert & Medical College of WI
Thursday, May 27, 2021
16
Wednesday, June 02, 2021
Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper
Saving your legacy shouldn’t cost you a thing.
Get the COVID vaccine for free* Making vaccines free and available to everyone is the only way we’re going to beat the pandemic. So, regardless of who you are, where you live, your language, or immigration status, you owe it to yourself, your family and community to learn what you can about the vaccines. You’re not just saving your life. You’re preserving your legacy.
Visit HealthyMKE.com for more information
*Vaccine doses will be offered at no cost. There is an administration fee to be vaccinated; however, it is covered by all health insurers. Froedtert & MCW health network will not bill uninsured patients for the administration fee. There will be no out-of-pocket costs to individuals for the vaccine or administration.
An NCON Communications Publication
www.milwaukeetimesnews.com