Editor, Author at Milwaukee Independent

Photo Essay: Wetzel leaves VA with holiday spirit

Posted by Editor | Dec 21, 2016 |

The 10th Annual Holiday Drive delivered everything from clothing, food, games, coffee makers, art supplies, cameras, and electronics to Milwaukee veterans. Veterans at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center gathered on December 20 to receive holiday gifts, which were collected throughout the five-week collection drive. “Veterans and their families make many sacrifices to protect our freedoms. This is a small way of showing our appreciation,” Mayor Barrett said. Medal of Honor recipient Gary Wetzel attended the celebration, held in the Matousek Auditorium, and expressed his appreciation for the holiday gifts. Wetzel also announced that he was leaving the...

New faith-based music video by CMP filmed at Black Cat Alley

Posted by Editor | Dec 20, 2016 |

Christopher McIntyre Perceptions (C.M.P.) is known around Milwaukee as a photographer, spoken word artist, filmmaker, educator, creative consultant, and author. Perceptions recently went back to his roots as a recording artist with the new album, Intuition. The 18 track compilation was digitally released on December 15. “The doors of the art world were opened to me through music when I was 13 years old, growing up in the Sherman Park area of Milwaukee,” said Perceptions. “More than a decade later, I have rediscovered my passion to create music. This reawakened has led me to produce, write, and record over...

Will Allen awarded community recognition at Marketplace 2016

Posted by Editor | Dec 19, 2016 |

Urban Agricultural legend Will Allen was honored with two awards during the Breakfast for Champions, during the 35th Annual Governor’s Conference on Minority Business Development on December 14. As farmer and founder of Milwaukee-based Growing Power Inc., Allen has been recognized as a preeminent leader of urban agriculture in America and throughout the world. Along with related honors for ReDonna Rodgers of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Jeff Bowman of Bay Bank, Allen was given the 2016 Community Economic Development Award, in recognition of outstanding accomplishments and leadership in urban and rural agriculture and food policy. Additionally, Wisconsin Senator...

Photo Essay: Where our charity fails

Posted by Editor | Dec 16, 2016 |

The faces that are ignored each day as we pass by on the street. Behind those who we look away from are people, they remain our sons, brothers, uncles, cousins, schoolmates, and kindred spirits. While charity is strong in Milwaukee, it often feels reduced to a few weeks a year around the holiday season. It is easy to show goodwill when it aligns with faith-based celebrations. But that makes Christian charity the equivalent of Black History Month. Just as people of color should be remembered for their contributions to our country beyond 28 days in February, so should the...

Elana Kahn: Hatred of Jews as a social bellwether

Posted by Editor | Dec 9, 2016 |

After leaving the Jewish community of Milwaukee, where her grandfather owned a grocery store in Bronzeville, growing up in Salt Lake constantly showed Elana Kahn just how different she was. The experience taught her to become comfortable as both a Jew and an outsider, and how to celebrate “others” as a process for building a more inclusive Milwaukee. | Q&A with Elana Kahn Milwaukee Independent: How was faith an influence during the formative years of your youth? Elana Kahn: I would divide the question into two parts, about faith and faith identity. About faith, I went through a very...

Play by Sheri Williams Pannell welcomes you to Bronzeville

Posted by Editor | Dec 8, 2016 |

Local playwright and director Sheri Williams Pannell was commissioned to produce a new play for First Stage children’s theater. Sheri Williams Pannell sought input from community elders to bring this story to the stage, celebrating the history and culture of Milwaukee’s beloved Bronzeville neighborhood. “It’s a time when the businesses in Bronzeville were not just successful, they were thriving. And many of the African American men worked in industries such as steel mills and foundries in Milwaukee,” said Williams Pannell. “This play is about a family living in Bronzeville with a young teenage son, coming of age and making...