YIR 2024 Podcast: A “Deep Dive” into the nature of social connectedness through lifelong friends

2024 marked yet another year of profound social change and uncertainty for residents across Milwaukee. While the pandemic had faded into the background of public consciousness, the emotional and financial impact of COVID-19 continued to ripple through the local communities in Wisconsin and beyond.

2024 saw ongoing threats to democratic institutions in the United States, with election-year politics hitting new depths of public division. Those toxic tensions could be seen during the Republican National Convention, which the city of Milwaukee hosted to its economic detriment. That was contrasted by a series of optimistic and uplifting rallies hosted by Democrats to engage a coalition of voters to help save America’s Constitutional democracy.

2024 completed the ninth full year of news features published by Milwaukee Independent. The editorial features covered stories from local neighborhoods that follow current events, and the extended journey of foundational immigrant communities, offering insight into their lives, struggles, and contributions to the city’s cultural fabric. With this focus, Milwaukee Independent produced two significant editorial series in 2024, continuing its tradition of connecting local issues to overseas events with on-the-ground reporting.

In a year filled with increasing and overwhelming natural disasters, Milwaukee Independent staff returned to their hometown in Japan on the anniversary of the 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdown. The series documented the continued trauma and hardships after a decade, and their lessons for Milwaukee.

Milwaukee Independent also published a 72-part series about Milwaukee’s Korean diaspora, linking local people and their stories back to regions across South Korea. The landmark editorial work explored the search for identity in Milwaukee through historical sites and cultural traditions from the Korean Peninsula. It covered diverse experiences, from Korean War veterans in Milwaukee to adopted South Korean children, and the stories of South Korean immigrants raising families in the city highlighting the deep connections between Milwaukee’s Korean community and its homeland.

Instability in the Middle East continued over 2024 and held a particularly harsh grip on Milwaukee, with both humanitarian and political situations. While Milwaukee Independent has deployed war correspondents in the past to overseas conflicts, the Gaza situation came with a guaranteed probability of fatality due to Israeli forces specifically targeting journalists. Through partnerships with international organizations, the award-winning daily news magazine was still able to provide in-depth coverage of the region’s ongoing humanitarian crises and their impact on the lives and communities in Milwaukee.

The Year In Review (YIR) series has evolved from a simple annual feature that highlighted top stories of the past 12 months. It has become a more summarized presentation of important themes packaged together for readers. This collection of editorial content presents the work of Milwaukee Independent over 2024, in a way that helps educate and inform the public who may have missed the stories originally, or want to see how the dots were connected on related subjects over the past year.

This 2024 compilation continues to reflect the transformational mission of Milwaukee Independent, in a format that explores deeply personal issues and documents those inspirational stories that serve as an example for the community.

The Deep Dive podcast by Milwaukee Independent takes a closer look at the stories that matter most, uncovering the layers of complexity behind today’s pressing issues.

From groundbreaking research to critical social movements and the intersection of local and global events, the podcast goes beyond surface-level coverage. Each episode connects the dots, explores nuances, and offers fresh perspectives on the issues influencing Milwaukee and the world. With a commitment to thoughtful analysis and meaningful storytelling, Deep Dive invites listeners to engage with the deeper truths behind the headlines.

• This episode includes a heartfelt reflection on the essential nature of social connectedness, inspired by Luke Waldo’s column A reunion in Spain with lifelong friends shows the essential nature of social connectedness. We explore how meaningful relationships and shared experiences enrich our lives, with insights drawn from a personal journey of reconnection.