Guest, Author at Milwaukee Independent

A Spectrum of Racism: Milwaukee culture is more than black and white politics

Posted by Guest | Oct 11, 2017 |

The thesis is simple: over the past two decades there has been a steady infiltration of racism and racist thought into the entire American political spectrum, and that until the public understand the enormity of what has happened, they won’t be able to combat it successfully. Racialized thought has become pervasive at all points along the spectrum, to the degree that there are now points upon which the Alt-Right and the Liberals/Progressives actually touch. Here is the spectrum, which is not a perfect measure but serves as a basic framework: The Alt-Right version: White civilization is being extinguished This...

Super Moms with Sickle Cell are everyday heroes in Milwaukee

Posted by Guest | Oct 6, 2017 |

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. People with the genetic condition have abnormal hemoglobin in their red blood cells. Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. The most common type is known as sickle-cell anaemia (SCA). It is responsible for a number of health problems, such as attacks of pain, swelling in the hands and feet, bacterial infections, and stroke. Long term pain can develop as people get older, with the average life expectancy between 40 to 60 years. My name is Leathia Boyd and...

Local Rohingya Muslims plead for help to stop Myanmar genocide

Posted by Guest | Sep 19, 2017

“If the political price of your ascension to the highest office in Myanmar is your silence, the price is surely too steep!” – Desmond Tutu Archbishop Desmond Tutu criticizing Mynamar leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi as she callously ignores the ethnic cleansing of Rohinga Muslims by Buddhists and the military of Myanmar (Burma). On September 15, more than 150 protesters, mainly Rohingya refugees, lined the street on 3rd and Wisconsin Avenue to urge elected officials to help put an end to the Genocide of Rohingya Muslims, also known as Burmese. Refugees from Burma are...

The Muslim Mind: Hate groups change tactics to fill Milwaukee with fear

Posted by Guest | Sep 10, 2017

This essay is part of a series that explores the Muslim community in Milwaukee. The Milwaukee Independent previously published an extensive interview with Janan Najeeb. It was an effort to help our readers better understand the people of Islamic faith who live in the city, and address questions that were not the usual fear-based reactions to news events. As a result of the positive impact and popularity of Najeeb’s profile, the Milwaukee Independent invited her to offer a continuing editorial voice about our Muslim neighbors and their shared stories from the community. On September 9, a hate group had...

Eid al-Adha brings prayers and support for victims of Hurricane Harvey

Posted by Guest | Sep 4, 2017 |

As thousands of Milwaukee Muslims gathered for prayer at the Wisconsin Center on September 1, their most important religious holiday of the year became a call to action. Eid al-Adha commemorates Prophet Abraham’s spirit of sacrifice and his intense devotion to God. With images of Hurricane Harvey victims weighing heavily on the nation, the Islamic Society of Milwaukee called on attendees to donate generously of their time and their money to help the thousands of displaced families in Texas, reminding everyone that serving people was an act of faith. The collected funds will be sent to the Islamic Society...

The Muslim Mind: An Interfaith Prayer at Wisconsin State Assembly

Posted by Guest | Sep 1, 2017

On August 17, the Wisconsin Assembly voted unanimously on a resolution that condemned the violence during a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12. Milwaukee native and president of the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition, Janan Najeeb, was invited to participate with a collection of interfaith leaders to offer prayers before lawmakers took a vote on the resolution. Wisconsin Eye filmed the presentation of prayers, and the entire legislative session. That footage has been edited to present Najeeb’s segment, which is included with the text of her prayer. The material is published here in an effort to express...