Author: Editor

Exiled: Milwaukee community screens Mike Seely’s film on the human cost of deporting combat veterans

Forward Latino and UWM MAVRC hosted a special community screening of the Mike Seely documentary “Exiled: America’s Deported Veterans” at the United Community Center on October 8, featuring a talkback session with the director after the film. “Exiled” tells the stories of two US military veterans who were honorably discharged and deported Mexico. As a former paratrooper, Hector Barajas is on a mission to raise awareness about the deported veteran issue, and reunite with his daughter in Compton, California. Army veteran Mauricio Hernandez struggles with severe PTSD as a result of his time fighting in Afghanistan, but in Tijuana,...

Read More

HWCC recognizes transition in leadership and excellence of Hmong businesses at annual awards

Hmong Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce (HWCC) held its 13th annual Business Awards Celebration on October 4 at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, recognizing individuals and companies that were “Impacting Our Future” over the past year. The event also featured a bittersweet tribute to honor May Yer Theresa Thao, who resigned as Executive Director of the HWCC on September 8 after being selected by Governor Tony Evers to serve as Assistant Deputy Director for the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA). In that role, Thao became the first Asian American to serve in an Executive Office position in Wisconsin history....

Read More

Activists rally for second week demanding Fire and Police Commission action on SOP130 policy

Community members gathered to rally at City Hall for a second week in a row on October 3, to seek support from the Fire and Police Commission to forbid collaboration between the Milwaukee Police Department and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Nearly three dozen concerned residents also gave testimonies to the Fire and Police Commission during its public hearing to evaluate the city contract of Milwaukee Police Chief Alfonso Morales. Speakers included Kristine De la Cruz, wife of Jose De la Cruz-Espinosa and the Milwaukee man who was detained by ICE with the assistance of the MPD last week....

Read More

Rockwell Automation helps Cass Street School open STEM Center to give students firsthand experiences

A new science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) Center was unveiled at Cass Street School on October 3, thanks to the collaboration between Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), Rockwell Automation, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee. The STEM Center will provide students with hands-on tools in an environment suited to deliver critical skills needed to solve the complex challenges of our technology-dependent world. Instruction will be based in Project Lead The Way (PLTW) curriculum, which engages and empowers students to develop in-demand knowledge and skills. “Our students need every opportunity to learn cutting edge concepts on relevant,...

Read More

HUD awards Milwaukee $5.6M grant for protecting children and families from home lead hazards

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced on September 30 that the City of Milwaukee has been awarded $5.6 million for lead abatement, to address lead hazards in 320 housing units for low-income families with children between now and April 2023. Mayor Tom Barrett, U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Vice President of Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers Rosamaria Martinez, and Commissioner of Health Dr. Jeanette Kowalik held a press conference to announce the federal funding, with State Representatives JoCasta Zamarripa and Kalan Haywood II attending in support. “We should all be proud that since 2004, the number...

Read More

John Ridley’s Nō Studios to host Social Justice Summit with space to blend art and empathy

Oscar-winning filmmaker, founder and CEO of Nō Studios, and Milwaukee native John Ridley invited members of the local media for an exclusive first conversation on September 30, about the Nō Studios inaugural Social Justice Summit. Following its first year anniversary on October 11, Nō Studios will present a two-day Social Justice Summit on November 15 and 16 to help residents of Milwaukee build personal relationships, encourage ongoing conversations with individuals who want to identify social issues, and match them with others who are skilled in solving community problems. “Roger Ebert, who is often thought of as a film critic...

Read More