Editor, Author at Milwaukee Independent

Will Allen awarded community recognition at Marketplace 2016

Posted by Editor | Dec 19, 2016 |

Urban Agricultural legend Will Allen was honored with two awards during the Breakfast for Champions, during the 35th Annual Governor’s Conference on Minority Business Development on December 14. As farmer and founder of Milwaukee-based Growing Power Inc., Allen has been recognized as a preeminent leader of urban agriculture in America and throughout the world. Along with related honors for ReDonna Rodgers of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Jeff Bowman of Bay Bank, Allen was given the 2016 Community Economic Development Award, in recognition of outstanding accomplishments and leadership in urban and rural agriculture and food policy. Additionally, Wisconsin Senator...

Photo Essay: Where our charity fails

Posted by Editor | Dec 16, 2016 |

The faces that are ignored each day as we pass by on the street. Behind those who we look away from are people, they remain our sons, brothers, uncles, cousins, schoolmates, and kindred spirits. While charity is strong in Milwaukee, it often feels reduced to a few weeks a year around the holiday season. It is easy to show goodwill when it aligns with faith-based celebrations. But that makes Christian charity the equivalent of Black History Month. Just as people of color should be remembered for their contributions to our country beyond 28 days in February, so should the...

Elana Kahn: Hatred of Jews as a social bellwether

Posted by Editor | Dec 9, 2016 |

After leaving the Jewish community of Milwaukee, where her grandfather owned a grocery store in Bronzeville, growing up in Salt Lake constantly showed Elana Kahn just how different she was. The experience taught her to become comfortable as both a Jew and an outsider, and how to celebrate “others” as a process for building a more inclusive Milwaukee. | Q&A with Elana Kahn Milwaukee Independent: How was faith an influence during the formative years of your youth? Elana Kahn: I would divide the question into two parts, about faith and faith identity. About faith, I went through a very...

Play by Sheri Williams Pannell welcomes you to Bronzeville

Posted by Editor | Dec 8, 2016 |

Local playwright and director Sheri Williams Pannell was commissioned to produce a new play for First Stage children’s theater. Sheri Williams Pannell sought input from community elders to bring this story to the stage, celebrating the history and culture of Milwaukee’s beloved Bronzeville neighborhood. “It’s a time when the businesses in Bronzeville were not just successful, they were thriving. And many of the African American men worked in industries such as steel mills and foundries in Milwaukee,” said Williams Pannell. “This play is about a family living in Bronzeville with a young teenage son, coming of age and making...

Photo Essay: Santa Cycle Rampage rolls into town

Posted by Editor | Dec 5, 2016 |

Hundreds of Santas rode bicycles across Milwaukee on December 3, participating in the annual Santa Cycle Rampage that has attracted visitors from as far away as Boston. The route began at Cranky Al’s Bakery at 69th and North Avenue and finished at the Lakefront Brewery along the Milwaukee River. The slow, 5.5 mile group ride down North Avenue started 16 years ago and has continued to grow in interest and participation. The tradition of people riding around Milwaukee dressed in Santa suits has spread holiday cheer through neighborhoods and communities along the route. The idea originated to get riders...

Photo Essay: Inside the Germania Building

Posted by Editor | Dec 2, 2016 |

Designed by German-trained architects Schnetzky & Liebert, at the time of construction the Germania was the largest office building in the city of Milwaukee. On its 120th anniversary this year, it remains one of the oldest structures downtown, built a year after City Hall. “When we looked at projects that can be true to the community and offer a benefit, we have never found a project like Germania. It’s not just bricks and mortar. We do build buildings, but we prefer to build opportunities. We prefer the build up people, we prefer to give them hope. This building mean...