Editor, Author at Milwaukee Independent

Photo Essay: Seeing the Nation’s Capital with Milwaukee Eyes

Posted by Editor | Nov 16, 2017 |

Images from Washington DC as Veterans from Milwaukee toured the city during the week of November 7 to 11. The ongoing political turmoil surrounding the administration of the 45th President has had direct impact on the lives of many Milwaukee residents, particularly the city’s large hispanic community. While the capital city seems far away and its mention is usually reduced to headlines, these images offer a ground level look at familiar historic sites. The photographs were taken over the course of several days during the Veterans Day Memorial Week, as part of former Army Combat Medic George Banda’s memorial...

Lynn Novick: A discussion about her Vietnam War film on Veterans Day

Posted by Editor | Nov 15, 2017 |

Emmy and Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Lynn Novick, held an informal Q&A with veterans about the 18-hour documentary series she co-directed with Ken Burns at The Hamilton on Veterans Day 2017. “The Vietnam War” tells the story of one of the most consequential, divisive, and controversial events in American history. Both visceral and immersive, the series explores the human dimensions of the war through revelatory testimony of nearly 80 witnesses from all sides. The personal collection of stories included many Americans who fought in the war or opposed it, as well as Vietnamese combatants and civilians from both the...

Patrick Jones: Milwaukee’s struggle for racial justice as the Selma of the North

Posted by Editor | Nov 8, 2017 |

The Milwaukee County Historical Society (MCHS) hosted a “200 Nights of Freedom” event on November 3 with author Patrick Jones, who discussed his book about Milwaukee’s Open Housing Marches of 1967-1968. Stories about the Civil Rights era of the 1960s traditionally focus on events in cities like Selma, Birmingham, Montgomery, and Greensboro in the South. They are an important part of the movement’s narrative, but by overlooking what was going on in the North at that time a vital part of the history is missing. The City of Milwaukee was central to the struggle of urban crisis, and foreshadowed...

Unknown vandals deface social justice mural at Black Cat Alley

Posted by Editor | Nov 8, 2017 |

“My piece deals with the history of mass incarceration in Wisconsin, which has the highest rate of black male incarceration in the nation. One out of eight African American men in the State of Wisconsin, or 12.8%, is currently incarcerated. It’s an issue that we have not solved and it’s an issue that we rarely address as a community. I think we must open that dialogue up of what’s happening in Milwaukee to a wider audience. We need to think about it, and we need to create solutions.” – Adam Stoner, artist of the “Devontay” mural The iconic “Devontay”...

“Oberwise in China” gains global attention with Shanghaiist article

Posted by Editor | Oct 31, 2017 |

Based on the exclusive coverage by Milwaukee Independent, “Vintage color photos provide a fascinating window into life in Shanghai in 1945” was published as a headline news report in Shanghai, bringing the Lyle Oberwise story to millions of Chinese in that historic port city and beyond. Shanghiist is one of the top city-centric websites in the world that focuses on news, events, food, culture, and all things related to Shanghai and China. It is a must read for the international community wanting a window into Chinese society, and the go to site for expats and China watchers. When the...

Long forgotten Lyle Oberwise photos show life in 1945 Kuomintang China

Posted by Editor | Oct 27, 2017 |

The social media post to a veterans group and a commemorative marker along Old World 3rd Street connected one of Milwaukee’s most famous photographers to a rare and unexplored history in the Orient. Read the featured article, view the historic photo essay, and listen to the audio interview that were produced for this news report. Displayed in the obscurity of plain sight, on the former Hotel Wisconsin building, is a 1963 dedication to the 1948 creation of the World War II China-Burma-India (CBI) Veterans Association. It was the only national organization representing veterans from the entire CBI theater...