Author: Staff

The inaugural Social Justice Summit (SJS) “Art Activated” took place on November 15 and 16 at John Ridley’s Nō Studios and Marquette University in downtown Milwaukee. The summit featured a variety of activists, artists, authors, and academics converging to discuss the lived experience of disenfranchisement and offer solutions to some of the most pressing social justice issues affecting people locally, nationally and internationally. Presentations and panels during Art Activated focused on criminal justice reform, human trafficking, fair housing, and art as a form of protest and repair. Notable speakers and participants included Freida Pinto, Richard Cabral, Frank Almond, Chrishaunda...

It is a rare sight in Milwaukee to see a man of color start his own media company, let alone build it into a successful and disruptive business. But Jeff Cannady matched his determination and entrepreneurial skills with emerging technologies to develop one of the first live streaming video services in his hometown. Originally designed to give the underserved communities in Milwaukee a voice, and access to a broadcast platform not controlled by the local news services, Cannady evolved PWR FWD Media into a leading live streaming video provider. The success has allowed Cannady to train a new generation...

A new book chronicling the storied history of jazz in Milwaukee was recently published, and held a companion release event at the Jazz Gallery Center for the Arts on November 15. Milwaukee Jazz tells the stories of the musicians and venues that were happening in Cream City — from the heyday of the 1940s to the renaissance of the 1970s, from swing to bebop, from the streets to the classrooms, from grand ballrooms to outdoor festivals, from ornate theaters to smoky clubs like the Flame, Lakota’s, and the Jazz Gallery. From 1978 to 1984, the Jazz Gallery was one...

The Milwaukee County Transit System (MCTS) announced recently that the Ride MCTS app is now the highest-rated customized transit tracking and mobile ticketing app in North America. In less than two years, the app has been downloaded more than 100,000 times, received thousands of positive reviews and achieved an average rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars in the iOS App Store. “The Ride MCTS app is just another way our employees are offering outstanding service for the tens of thousands of residents and visitors who rely on MCTS to get to work, school and other destinations across Milwaukee...

An anonymous donor has committed $10 million toward a new research vessel for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences. This amount equals the largest gifts ever received by UWM. In recognition of the donation, the vessel will be named the Research Vessel Maggi Sue. “This gift will transform UWM’s efforts to protect the Great Lakes, our nation’s largest freshwater resource,” UWM Chancellor Mark Mone said. “More than 40 million people rely on the Great Lakes for clean drinking water, and this vessel will give us the technological platform necessary to advance our scientific understanding of these bodies...

Neither rain nor snow kept audiences from turning out in droves to support the 2019 Milwaukee Film Festival, presented by Associated Bank. Milwaukee Film recently announced a record attendance for the 15-day Festival, with 87,618 members of the public taking part in films, forums, education screenings, and special events. The number marks a 12% increase in attendance over the 2018 Festival. Attendance figures also include 8,440 students who took part in education screenings at the Oriental Theatre. Film audiences voted at every screening to determine the winners of three awards, and documentaries about iconic female subjects took home two...