Author: Editor

Royal Capital celebrated the start of its $22 million redevelopment of the former Phillis Wheatley Elementary School, located at 2442 N. 20th Street in Milwaukee on May 13. Closed in 2005, the school was named for Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784), who, despite being enslaved, was one of the best-known poets in pre-19th century America.

Family, friends, faith leaders, activists, and members of the community gathered on the seventh anniversary of his fatal shooting to remember the tragedy that affected the social fabric of Milwaukee. Every year on April 30, known as “Dontre Day” since 2018, the community comes together for a vigil in Red Arrow Park.

A Wisconsin coalition called for legislation and funding for commonsense gun violence prevention after six people were shot and three killed in Kenosha’s Somers House tavern on April 18, a tragic event that occurred among a spike in recent mass shootings nationwide.

The first walls were raised on an affordable homeownership initiative at 3455 N. 3rd Street in the Harambee neighborhood on April 7, ushering in a new phase of community development for the area over the next several years. Mayor Tom Barrett, CEO of Bader Philanthropies Dan Bader, and City Development Commissioner Lafayette Crump joined Milwaukee Habitat Executive Director Brian Sonderman to kick off the initiative during a press conference at the work site where one of three new homes were actively under construction. The milestone event concluded with a ceremonial wall raising, and a signing of well wishes on...