Editor, Author at Milwaukee Independent

Anja Notanja Sieger: Like life, typewriters have no undo button

Posted by Editor | Mar 10, 2017 |

As a creative free-spirit who is loathe to be categorized for her artistic talent, Anja Notanja Sieger is best known for her poetry, storytelling, and performance therapy. With a passion for typewriters, the archaic machines symbolize her drive to create messages without the safety of an undo button, and her articulate fascination with the minutia of daily life brings an unacknowledged reality to light for the Milwaukee community. Editor’s Note: This is the first illustrated interview produced by the Milwaukee Independent, because the innovative approach reflects the personality and work of Anja Notanja Sieger. Video segments were also produced for this feature....

The Milwaukee Dividend: Economic progress generates state revenue

Posted by Editor | Mar 7, 2017 |

Mayor Tom Barrett delivered the 2017 State of the City Address on March 6 at the Harley-Davidson University and Conference Center. The Mayor’s speech highlighted Milwaukee’s progress and growth. Barrett emphasized the City’s efforts in strengthening neighborhoods, creating jobs, building healthier and safer communities, and improving educational initiatives in Milwaukee. “Milwaukee is a City with 600,000 stories,” Mayor Barrett said. “The state of our City is the sum of all our stories. And, together, we are defining what’s next for Milwaukee.” Mayor Barrett highlighted the City’s contribution to Wisconsin’s prosperity. In 2015, the Wisconsin Department of Revenue calculated that...

Jacqueline Olive: Filmmaking when racial terrorism is always in season

Posted by Editor | Mar 3, 2017 |

As a director and producer who uses filmmaking to tell nuanced stories of the people and cultures in our diverse world, Jacqueline Olive is currently developing the documentary Always In Season to explore the intimate personal accounts of African American lynchings. She was the keynote speaker at the Founder’s Day Gathering for America’s Black Holocaust Museum (ABHM) in Milwaukee, where she showed a preview of her film with Danny Glover and spoke about the century of racial tеrrоrism that still impacts Americans today. Olive gave the Milwaukee Independent an exclusive interview about racial repair and reconciliation. | Q&A with...

Sheriff Clarke ruled exempt from releasing immigration records

Posted by Editor | Feb 28, 2017 |

Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned rulings by a Circuit Court judge and a unanimous Appeals Court about public access to local immigrant deportation information. The 4-2 decision from the court’s conservative majority on February 24 reverses lower-court decisions that ordered Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke to disclose the information under the state’s open records law, following a request from the immigrant advocacy group Voces de la Frontera. The ruling allows the sheriff to withhold information about detentions at his jail for federal authorities. “It is time for this pro-illegal immigration group to embrace the rule of law in this country...

Milwaukee legends honored at celebration of Black History

Posted by Editor | Feb 27, 2017 |

The public gathering was a culmination of a 28 day initiative that recognized Milwaukee residents who made notable contributions to local Black History. Black History is honored during the month of February, but usually in recognition of past accomplishments. This year, Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs and Alderwoman Chantia Lewis decided to create a program that focused on individuals who had significant roles in forming Milwaukee’s African American legacy. The inaugural program was held at City Hall on February 24. More than two hundred visitors attended, packing the rotunda to watch African drumming and dancing, speeches and poetry, and an...

George Banda: The Humble Hero

Posted by Editor | Feb 24, 2017 |

“What does a hero feel like? I was just doing my job, it was what I was trained to do. That’s what I did, and I was lucky enough to survive. So I feel uncomfortable and a little embarrassed to be called a hero.” – George Banda Celebrated as an American hero for his service in Vietnam, Milwaukee native George Banda has always been uncomfortable with any titles of honor. In a reflection of his humility for being awarded the Silver Star and Bronze Star as an Army Medic, he says he was just doing the job our country...