Rafael Smith is Helping Restore his North Side

“My passion comes from being a Black man born in the city of Milwaukee during a period of time where deindustrialization was destroying all our institutions that we held dear,” says Rafael Smith, the Civic Engagement Program Director at Citizen Action of Wisconsin. Smith is deeply committed to moving Milwaukee forward on climate action and equity by helping his North Side, community understand how climate change impacts their lives.

For Smith, taking action on climate is personal—it’s not just about saving the planet, it’s also about building back an economy and restoring middle class jobs to areas, like the North Side that were left behind when the industrialization boom ended.

Nelson Soler Makes Business Learning Accessible to the Latino Community

For Latino entrepreneurs in Milwaukee and around the state, barriers exist that simply make it harder for them to start a business than it is for their white counterparts. Until Nelson Soler founded his consulting business called the Multicultural Entrepreneurial Institute (MEI), there were no business trainings available in Spanish in the area and no trainings that took into account the cultural values of Latinos.

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Melody McCurtis is Working for the Residents of Metcalfe Park

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Metcalfe Park Community Bridges (MPCB), a neighborhood organization that services Metcalfe Park residents, truly embodies the meaning of community. Melody McCurtis, the deputy director of priorities and lead organizer of the organization, explains that everything they do is based off of the input and direction of their residents. Whether that be surveys they conduct going door to door or following the advice given by board members that live in the neighborhood, the community speaks for their needs and the organization listens.

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Dana World-Patterson Works to Free Victims of Human Trafficking

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January was Human Trafficking Prevention Month, but this is an issue that needs more attention than 31 days can offer. A study released in 2018 shows that in a four-year period, 340 adults and children under the age of 25 were victims of sex trafficking in Milwaukee. And that only includes the people that reached out to the police. There are many individuals in the city who are deeply invested in this issue, but one person who deserves the spotlight is Dana World-Patterson, founder of Foundations for Freedom, Inc. The mantra of the organization says it all: “One less victim in Milwaukee. One less victim in the world.”

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Lea Denny’s HIR Wellness Institute Works to Heal Intergenerational Trauma

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Our mental health systems were never meant to help Indigenous and marginalized communities because they have been built inside a system of patriarchy and colonialization, according to Lea Denny, founder of the Healing Intergenerational Roots (HIR) Wellness Institute. For the last few years, Denny has been working nonstop to build an organization specifically for the healing of Indigenous people who have suffered from trauma passed down through generations. To effectively heal people who have been subject to oppression, she knew she had to look at mental health services in a new way and build her organization in a way that doesn’t mimic the power structure of this country’s mental health system.

MPS’ Linda Langen Connects Native Americans to Their Culture

For many people with Native American heritage, finding a connection to their history and customs is a healing process and an identity that they can carry on from their ancestors. Linda Langen felt this way when she finally discovered her Oneida heritage as an adult. She found a support system in the Milwaukee Native community and made it her life’s work to help children and adolescents do the same. While finishing her master’s degree in School Counseling, she worked at the First Nation’s Studies Program at Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS), helping students understand the customs and history of their tribes. Now a full-time school counselor in MPS, she continues to work with students to help them develop their identities.

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MCW’s Syed Ahmed Partners with the Community to Address More than Symptoms

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Dr. Syed Ahmed is a long-time physician and academic who has dedicated his career to treating patients through community engagement. He takes time to get to know his patients and determines his diagnosis once he understands their daily concerns as well as their symptoms. Based on years of research at the Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW), he finds it is crucial to learn about his patients’ background and life situation in order to effectively improve their health.

Community engagement is a concept that is becoming more widely used in medical institutions around the country. The idea is that institutions can better improve the health outcomes of people by actively partnering with the communities they are working with. Academics and doctors tend to be removed from the populations they are treating. “What we do in the hospital system is very important and valuable, but it impacts only 20% of the outcome. Eighty percent of the outcome is connected to where the people are coming from,” says Dr. Ahmed.

The Muslim Women's Coalition Builds Bridges of Understanding

The Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition (MMWC) sits on the South Side of Milwaukee, run by a group of influential Muslim women who have worked to educate people about Muslim culture for the past 25 years. The idea for the organization started to take shape when the group would meet regularly to discuss the prejudice and disparaging comments they were experiencing at work. Upset about the remarks made about their hijabs and customs, the women decided that teaching others about their culture was the solution.

“The vast majority of people are not racist by nature, but their racism is manifested as a result of fear of the unknown,” says president and founding member Janan Najeeb. “If we can work to help them understand and to help them address those fears by creating opportunities to engage with them, then I think we will do a tremendous job of dismantling a lot of these hatreds that are out there.”

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Mark Denning Lifts Native Voices with a Traditional Fire Ceremony

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“For much of America, Milwaukee included, Native people are invisible. We are here and we exist,” states Mark Denning, who is an educator and community organizer of Native descent. To this day, Native people are still left out of the equation in American society. That becomes obvious when looking at the minimal amount of research studies and newspaper articles written about them. But Denning and his community refuse to let their voices be overshadowed. They are speaking up in the ways they know how—through fire ceremonies and shared offerings.

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One Person Can Really Make a Difference

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Of the many heroes in our city, Camille Mays stands out because of the tireless work she has committed to violence prevention and speaking out for our city’s underrepresented neighborhoods. She is a hero because dedicates every free moment she has to helping others. Whether she is supporting families of victims of gun violence, organizing a protest or assisting people to register to vote, she puts her community first.

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Vaun L. Mayes Demands Change in Milwaukee

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We are in the midst of a movement that is different than any other from the past, according to Vaun L. Mayes, a local activist in Milwaukee. People are organizing communities and marching on the streets to demonstrate the unequal opportunities that people of color have had in this country and to demand that our governmental systems change. “I think people’s involvement and enthusiasm about changing things is different this time. And this is one of the only times in history I think that most people agree that change needs to happen or that what we all saw was wrong,” says Mayes referencing George Floyd.

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Keisha Robinson Reaches Out to Voters Year Round

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Keisha Robinson grew up on the north side of Milwaukee and like many people in her community, she experienced hardships like poverty and discrimination while job searching. She eventually worked her way up to her current role as Program Director at Black Leaders Organizing for Communities (BLOC) where she uses her personal experiences to help the people in her neighborhood get involved in the political process. The team at BLOC believes that change needs to happen from within the community because sharing experiences creates a deeper level of trust.

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Vivian King Leads Riverwest’s Kneel in Solidarity for George Floyd

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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.

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Devin Anderson Calls for a Liberated Milwaukee

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In March of last year, Devin Anderson joined Wisconsin Voices as the Lead Organizer. In that role, he has motivated underrepresented Milwaukee residents to participate in the political system. Wisconsin Voices is an organization dedicated to harnessing the collective voices of citizens by helping them engage in their democracy. When Anderson joined the team, he fit right into a group of strong outspoken individuals. And now Anderson and the team are demanding reform for George Floyd and black lives through their campaign called Liberate MKE.

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Juneteeth, the Day of Freedom and a Shout Out to Some of Milwaukee's Heroes

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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

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Valerie Carter is Helping Patients on the Front Line

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Valerie Carter MD works as a hospitalist in Internal Medicine at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. The job has its challenges on a regular day: determining the right treatments for severely ill patients and keeping them calm during uncertainty. But in the middle of a pandemic, Carter’s job has become drastically harder because she also has to manage her own anxiety. “It was a whole different ball game when this started because we didn’t know what this was and what the right treatments would be,” says Carter.

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Groundwork Milwaukee's Deneine Christa Powell

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Since 2007, Groundwork Milwaukee has been an organization in the city that is fundamental to the development of urban green spaces, urban farming and sustainability-focused programming for youth. During this time of crisis, their Urban Farm Program is the initiative that is changing lives by growing food and donating it to people in need.

Kenyette Edwards' Graduation Day

In the midst of a pandemic and a father battling stage four lung cancer, a family finds a way to celebrate the high school graduation of Kenyette Edwards. The Menomonee Falls High School virtual graduation is scheduled for the end of June, but Kenyette and her family knew that her father, Kenyatta Edwards may not live to see that day. Having never missed a graduation, the family was determined not to let him miss this one.

It didn’t take long for Kenyette’s mother, Natasha Dotson to organize a graduation in the front yard of Kenyatta’s home, where he is spending his hospice care. He sat outside on his porch as family members rolled out a red carpet and blew up balloons for the graduate. Aunts, uncles, cousins and friends gathered around the makeshift stage with masks covering their smiling faces.

Surrounded by a cheering family with cameras in their hands, Kenyette walked down the front porch steps to receive her diploma. Bob Vitale, principal of Menomonee Falls High School and a longtime mentor to the family, was there to present the diploma. “I’m so proud of her,” says Vitale as he holds back tears in his eyes. “We go way back; this is a really awesome family.” He helped Kenyette and her older siblings with hardships through school and made sure he was present for this special occasion.

After posing for photos, Kenyette walked up the front porch steps to her father to hug him and show him the hard-earned diploma. “This was better than doing the regular graduation because my daddy wasn’t even going to be able to make it so I’m actually happier that we did this instead,” says Kenyette. The intimate setting was filled with laughter that could be heard across the neighborhood. In this story of resilience, support and unconditional love, a smiling father got one more chance to tell his daughter how proud he is.

See the published article on the Shepherd Express.

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Ryan Povlick, Ice-cream Maker and Mentor for Recovering Addicts

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Ryan Povlick is becoming well-known around Milwaukee for his success with Scratch Ice Cream, but his road to success has not been an easy one. He struggled with heroin and other substances for about 10 years and had a long road to become sober.  Once he was back on his feet, he began putting his energy into helping others with drug addictions. At the same time he started Scratch, he also opened his own sober living house to help men like him get sober. As Povlick continues to build his ice cream business, he is always looking back at his experiences and helping men like him find success.

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Michelle Cannon of LarryVille Gardens

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Michelle Cannon is the sole owner of LarryVille Gardens, living on her gorgeous 11.5-acre farm in Burlington Wisconsin.  On any given day at the farm, you will see her two dogs running around the fields kicking up dirt behind them.  Throughout the year, she relies heavily on summer and winter farmers markets which are now closed due to COVID.  But she has adjusted her delivery methods and is currently delivering to the Fondy Food Center in Milwaukee and offering pick-up orders at the farm.  The hardest part of all this, she says, is the community that she is unable to interact with.  For her, the people she gets to meet and talk to are one of the most important parts of her farm.   

You can contact Michelle to order produce at www.larryvillegardens.com.