By Karen Stokes During the final days of Black History Month the community was invited to a social hour at Tropic MKE to meet with special guest Dr. Hasan Jeffries. Wisconsin Democrats (WisDems) Black Caucus and the Milwaukee County Democrats, hosted the event and guests had the opportunity to eat, drink and socialize with Supreme […]
Photographer Helps Students Celebrate Black History Month by Bringing History to Life
By Karen Stokes Black History Month promotes the studying of African American history and to celebrate the accomplishments of African Americans to our society. Terrance Sims, a local Milwaukee photographer and former Milwaukee Public Schools teacher had the idea to bring history to life by having students research historic and famous African American figures like […]
Black History Month: Oby Nwabuzor Takes the Unorthodox Approach
By Ana Martinez-Ortiz Obiageli ‘Oby’ Nwabuzor will be the first to tell you she loves Milwaukee. For her, Milwaukee is home, but the Milwaukee she grew up in isn’t the one she sees today. Milwaukee was promising, she said, and while great things are happening in some parts of the city, other parts are being […]
Black History Month: A Bookstore for Milwaukee, Ashley Valentine Gets Ready to Launch Rooted MKE
By Ana Martinez-Ortiz Bedtime at the Valentine household means story time. Almost every night, Ashley Valentine and her husband read to their son from a children’s graphic novel series known as Akissi. The series, written by Marguerite Abouet and Mathieu Sapin, takes place on the Ivory Coast and depicts the misadventures of Akissi, a young […]
Black History is American History
Legislatively Speaking By Senator Lena C. Taylor Anyone that knows me has heard me utter the name Ezekiel Gillespie. You can’t talk about the history of voting rights in Wisconsin and not discuss this African American legend. Gillespie was born into slavery in 1818, in Canton, Mississippi. At some point, he purchased his freedom from […]
We Celebrate Black History
Our Black publications have been telling stories for years about historical giants such as Dr. William Drew, who pioneered a method for preserving blood plasma. Remember George Washington Carver? He discovered hundreds of uses for the peanut and sweet potato. And Benjamin Banneker helped establish the boundaries of Washington, DC. We have heralded the victories […]
Black History Month
Legislatively Speaking By Senator Lena C. Taylor Not Today, But Every Day I wondered how long it would take for someone to catch on. Afterall, the month of February, at least for the last few years, has represented a source of contention in the Wisconsin State Legislature. Disagreements, about who should or could be listed […]
‘Tis the Season to Celebrate Black Heritage & Culture
By LaKeshia Myers Celebrating Black History Month has always been special for me. It allows me the opportunity to be both reflective and optimistic about the history of black people across the diaspora, but especially those in the United States. It gives everyone the opportunity to delve deeper into the history and numerous contributions that […]
Commemorating Our Past, Starts with Cementing our Present-Day Legacy
By Derrick Johnson President and CEO, NAACP We find ourselves at the beginning of a new Black History Month (BHM) in a distinctive decade during one of the most polarizing times of our lives. Our collective journey to this moment has undoubtedly been challenging. Still, we’ve been victorious on many fronts to advance our culture, […]
Milwaukee Celebrates 3rd Annual Black History Program
By Ana Martinez-Ortiz All month long, individuals and groups have been celebrating Black History Month. Although every day should be dedicated to celebrating and honoring one’s history, Milwaukee celebrated black history in its own unique way. On Monday, city officials, important city figures and city residents, congregated in City Hall’s rotunda. They gathered to celebrate […]