Author: NNS

Social media lit up last week with news that a section of Reynaldo Hernandez’s iconic South Side “Mural of Peace” was missing. Even the artist was surprised. Although Hernandez knew that the building was being renovated, he didn’t realize that a large vertical section of the mural had been removed. He said he found out “by accident” at a meeting about a different project earlier that day with Sean Kiebzak, director of programs at Arts @ Large. Hernandez’s family also called to share their concern about the mural, he said. The city foreclosed on the Esperanza Unida International building,...

Brigid McGeehan started selling her homegrown vegetables at the Fondy Farmers Market in 2011 after a 20-year career at Johnson Controls. “I fell in love with it really. One of the things I really like (about the market) is the diversity of the customers. There is an opportunity to grow many things because of that diversity,” said McGeehan, who emigrated from Ireland in 1988. One of many in the Fondy Food Center community who was surprised by executive director Young Kim’s recent departure after 13 years, McGeehan said Kim was a true leader who was able to form strong...

Ex Fabula Fellow Cris Siqueira originally shared this story at “Race in the Workplace,” an event on March 24. Ex Fabula Fellows tell personal stories to inspire community-led dialogue around some of the most pressing issues in the Greater Milwaukee area — segregation, and economic and racial inequality. “You just love to struggle, don’t you? You gotta get rid of that cloud,” the bank manager said to me last year, when I found out a client was late making a payment. With ten dollars to my name and an avalanche of bills coming up, I didn’t need that lady...

Jeanne Henry, a Milwaukee writer and a consultant, is calling for a permanent memorial to honor the historical importance of the fair housing marches that took place on the James E. Groppi Unity Bridge. While we keep shaking our heads on social media at the persistent inaction in Congress, the members have managed to recognize a group of people who changed the course of America’s history for the better. On Feb. 24 they awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to the Foot Soldiers 1965 March from Selma to Montgomery for Voting Rights. After almost 50 years it’s time to honor...

People living with a mental health condition also endure the social stigma that accompanies their diagnosis. As Brenda Wesley knows, stigma is a silent stalker that threatens to poison virtually every relationship and encounter with family, friends and co-workers. “Who wants to be known as crazy, or as a nut, a lunatic or a loon,” she asked, her voice rising, but tempered with resignation. Wesley’s understanding of mental illness comes as a mother living with a son diagnosed with schizophrenia. She is also a member of the Milwaukee County Mental Health Board and the director of education and outreach...

Jeanne Henry, a Milwaukee writer and a consultant, is calling for a permanent memorial to honor the historical importance of the fair housing marches that took place on the James E. Groppi Unity Bridge. Voces de la Frontera’s brilliant organizing brought a huge turnout to Madison recently to make visible widespread concern about the negative impact of two Republican-sponsored bills. The action also had a valuable bonus. It provided young people with an extraordinary educational experience. One of the bills in question, SB 533, places restrictions on local governments’ ability to issue local identification cards to people who cannot...