Author: Lee Matz

Milwaukee was founded as a city of immigrants, with traditions embedded into the culture and passed down for generations. The population grew in 19th century, as industrious people from predominately European nations sought better economic opportunities. But by the 20th century, the influx of immigrants came as a matter of survival for many who sought refuge after being displaced by a war. With each ethnic wave to arrive, Milwaukee neighborhoods took on the distinct flavor of a distant homeland that had been left behind. Industry first made Milwaukee an international city, while its later economic loss exposed entrenched racial...

It would be overly dramatic and an inaccurate stretch to say that I always knew Cavalier Johnson would become Mayor of Milwaukee. But from the beginning I had the feeling that he was going somewhere special in his political career. In my early career as a photojournalist in Milwaukee, I really enjoyed not knowing who people were. It allowed me to focus on anyone, regardless of social rank or station, to capture their humanity in images. In the years since, I have obviously learned more about who is who in the city, which is an unfortunate necessity for prioritizing...