Author: Editor

A reason for being: How Japanese culture and Milwaukee’s Muslim community connect through ikigai

Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition (MMWC) hosted its October 31 Networking Brunch with a special guest, Sae Iino, the Japan Outreach Initiative coordinator at the International Institute of Wisconsin (IIW). The event centered on sumi-e, the traditional Japanese practice of black-ink painting, and introduced participants to the broader philosophy of ikigai, a concept that describes purpose and meaning found in daily life. The art session portion of the program opened with a history of how sumi-e developed in Japan, and what it meant to Japanese culture over the centuries. Using brushes, water, and black ink, participants practiced forming simple lines...

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John Muños remembered in “Hero Street” film that links Milwaukee’s Latino veterans with Korean War

In a modest neighborhood once lined with railroad boxcars, a young man named John S. Muños left home for war and never returned. His story is rooted not only in the battlefields of Korea but in the American struggle for belonging, sacrifice, and recognition that defined a generation of Mexican-American families on what is now known as Hero Street. Born in 1928, Muños grew up on Second Street in Silvis, a small industrial city along the Mississippi River near the Quad Cities. The area was home to dozens of Mexican families who had arrived after the 1910 revolution and...

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Wisconsin first to introduce resolution condemning Russia’s cruel abduction of Ukrainian children

Wisconsin has become the first state in the nation to introduce a resolution formally condemning Russia’s abduction and forced deportation of Ukrainian children, marking what advocates called a moral and historic stand for human rights. The joint resolution, announced on October 16 at the Wisconsin State Capitol, denounces what lawmakers and humanitarian groups describe as a deliberate campaign of cultural erasure carried out through the mass transfer of children from occupied Ukrainian territories to Russia and Russian-controlled regions. The initiative was led by Nova Ukraine, a California-based nonprofit that provides humanitarian aid and awareness programs, in partnership with Wisconsin...

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Milwaukee leaders condemn detentions and forced separations in sweeping ICE raids across Wisconsin

triggering a statewide backlash and coordinated response led by Milwaukee community organizers, elected officials, and immigrant rights advocates. At Milwaukee City Hall on October 3, speakers delivered urgent warnings, outlined new defense strategies, and called for legislative action in light of recent Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Manitowoc and Madison. Each speaker addressed a specific escalation or system failure, presenting major announcements and key points drawn directly from the lived experiences of impacted communities. Together, their remarks traced the breadth of the crisis, from early morning arrests to legal challenges and policy demands now moving through local...

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“Exploring Korea” series honored for chronicling 72 Milwaukee-connected stories across generations

The Milwaukee Press Club awarded “Milwaukee Independent” top honors for excellence in Wisconsin journalism for its flagship 2024 editorial project, recognizing the 72-part series “Exploring Korea: Stories from Milwaukee to the DMZ and across a Divided Peninsula” with a Gold award for Best Explanatory Series. The accolade, announced during the 95th Annual Gridiron Awards on May 9, marks a significant milestone for the publication’s most ambitious work to date. Spanning more than 117,000 words and 2,200 images, the series ran in October 2024 and traced deep-rooted connections between the Korean Peninsula and Milwaukee, a relationship rarely acknowledged in mainstream...

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