On June 2, Vivian King kneeled for nine minutes in honor of George Floyd alongside at least 50 other people in Riverwest’s Gordon Park. A long-time activist, King learned about the national Kneel for Nine event the day before it happened. She planned to participate in the peaceful action taking place around the city but wanted to do so in her own neighborhood.
Juneteeth, the Day of Freedom and a Shout Out to Some of Milwaukee's Heroes
Juneteenth is the day that Texas proclaimed all slaves free and to this day it is a celebration of freedom among African American communities. Slavery has ended but there continues to be systematic racism in our country as well as underrepresented African American neighborhoods. There are many organizations and people in Milwaukee fighting for liberation and equality. These are only a few of our local heroes, but today is the day they should be recognized. Take today to learn about the causes they fight for.
Here are their names and organizations in order from left to right:
Brenda Coley of Milwaukee Water Commons
Cendi Trujillo Tena of Leaders Igniting Transformation
Kwabena Antoine Nixon: www.sensitivewarsongz.com
Antonio Butts of Walnut Way
Markasa Tucker of Wisconsin Voices
Angela Lang of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities
Fidel Verdin and Shalina S. Ali of True Skool
Supreme Moore Omokunde, representative of District 10 of the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors
Andre Lee Ellis of We Got This