Guest, Author at Milwaukee Independent

The Muslim Mind: An Interfaith Prayer at Wisconsin State Assembly

Posted by Guest | Sep 1, 2017

On August 17, the Wisconsin Assembly voted unanimously on a resolution that condemned the violence during a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12. Milwaukee native and president of the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition, Janan Najeeb, was invited to participate with a collection of interfaith leaders to offer prayers before lawmakers took a vote on the resolution. Wisconsin Eye filmed the presentation of prayers, and the entire legislative session. That footage has been edited to present Najeeb’s segment, which is included with the text of her prayer. The material is published here in an effort to express...

New meditation room at Mitchell Airport to offer moment of solitude for travelers

Posted by Guest | Jul 26, 2017

Approximately sixty years ago, the first airport chapel in the United States was built in Boston’s Logan International Airport. According to the International Association of Civil Aviation Chaplains report, there are 150 world-wide chapels with at least 40 in the United States. Eight years ago when it had been decided that St. Stephen, a small parish next to the airport, first built in 1847, would be demolished and a larger Church would be built in Oak Creek, the idea of an airport meditation room was launched. Suzanne Mckinney, one of St. Stephen’s parisheners and a nurse, began her research...

Postcard campaign seeks safer streets for kids and pedestrians

Posted by Guest | Jul 12, 2017 |

“People of color in Wisconsin are almost twice as likely to be a victim of a crash while crossing the street, the 10th highest disparity in the United States. The failure of people driving to yield to those walking is a major contributor, 28% of pedestrian fatalities in Wisconsin from 2011 to 2013 involved a driver not yielding to a pedestrian in a crosswalk.” – Jessica Wineberg, Wisconsin Bike Fed Kids and parents delivered over 250 Street Safety Postcards and Bike/Walk District Reports to Common Council Alders at City Hall, as part of Kidical Lobby Day on June 29. The...

Milwaukee Muslims celebrate end of Ramadan with Eid al-Fitr

Posted by Guest | Jun 29, 2017

For 1.5 billion Muslims around the world, including the thousands in the Greater Milwaukee area, Saturday evening at sunset on June 24 marked the end of the month of Ramadan. In Mosques, gatherings, and homes around the city, men, women, and children followed the tradition of Prophet Muhammad to “decorate your holidays with the glorification of God.” Voices in Milwaukee joined voices around the world in glorification: “God is Greater (than anything), God is Greater, God is Greater, there is no God except the One God! God is Greater, God is Greater, God is Greater, all Praise and thanks...

Op Ed: Wisconsin legislators can stop Constitutional Convention

Posted by Guest | Mar 30, 2017 |

A statement by the Wisconsin Justice Initiative on the proposal to convene a constitutional convention to amend the U.S. Constitution. State legislators should reject efforts to convene a convention to amend the U.S. Constitution, an extremely dangerous step that could endanger basic American rights, Constitutional changes proposed through a convention are likely to be harmful reactions to the current political divisions in the country that will only divide the country further. Resolutions calling for a constitutional convention are pending in the State Assembly and State Senate. The Senate’s Committee on Financial Services, Constitution and Federalism and the Assembly Committee...

A lasting bond between Big and Little

Posted by Guest | Feb 9, 2017 |

In a political climate where many people feel helpless to affect change, becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister is one of the most impactful volunteer efforts someone can make for the positive future of Milwaukee. Jill plays many roles in life, but one of the most satisfying has been as a Big Sister. She is a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Metro Milwaukee. Jill was compelled to participate in the program, and wanted to make that difference in the community by spending one-on-one time with a young person. Jill felt she could “help a child...