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Articles by Vianca Fuster
This Milwaukee journalist is trying to collect 1,000 books written by authors of color. It's all for MPS.
Published: 2019-04-22T14:25:44+00:00 Modified: 2019-04-22T16:59:24+00:00 Nyesha Stone is tired of reading books that don’t represent her. She spent her youth reading stories she couldn’t relate to. “I could hardly understand Shakespeare,” said Stone. “But to read a book like The Hate U Give and really understand the dialect…that’s beautiful.” Listen to the audio story below to learn about Stone’s “Authors of Color Book Drive,” inspired by #1000BlackGirlBooks.
They've been victims of gun violence. Now, a new project is giving them voice through art.
Published: 2019-04-18T13:36:34+00:00 Modified: 2019-04-18T15:46:22+00:00 A new community-based research project explores how art and discussion can support young men of color who have a spinal cord injury, specifically as a result of gun violence. Listen to the audio story below to hear from Project Manager Moriah Iverson and Michael Wolfe, one of the project participants. The project gathered five individuals for weekly programming consisting of open discussions and physical and arts activities.
This job fair introduces environmental organizations to Milwaukee youth
Published: 2019-04-15T12:53:18+00:00 Modified: 2019-04-15T13:03:34+00:00 Meet Cream City Conservation and Youth Green Jobs Summit Founder August Ball, plus a student attending the summit, in the audio story below. Ball is an environmental activist who founded Cream City Conservation. It is a Milwaukee organization with two main goals — create representation and equity in the green industry, and help organizations become more inclusive.
A peek into the walls of True Skool shows what youth fighting for justice in Milwaukee looks like
Published: 2019-04-02T11:01:30+00:00 Modified: 2019-04-02T11:01:30+00:00 On March 30, True Skool hosted its third Youth Fighting 4 Justice Action Day. True Skool invited its students, local activists and youth from neighboring organizations to learn about what it means to organize and be active in social justice issues.
This Milwaukee teen is sharing her story to encourage donors for National Donate Life Month
Published: 2019-04-01T12:50:56+00:00 Modified: 2019-04-02T09:41:35+00:00 Aaliyah Milledge’s medical journey is a miracle. After a mysterious lung condition put her life in danger, a double lung transplant from an organ donor saved her life. Today, she breathes life into new lungs and shares her story to advocate for more organ donors of color for National Donate Life Month.
For Disability Advocacy Day, hundreds of Milwaukeeans make their voices heard at the State Capitol
Published: 2019-03-25T15:23:31+00:00 Modified: 2019-03-25T15:23:31+00:00 On March 20, hundreds of people around Wisconsin collectively gathered at the Wisconsin State Capitol to advocate for people living with disabilities. On this day, citizens have face-to-face conversations with state representatives to discuss the issues and barriers faced by people living with disabilities.
The Milwaukee Visionaries Project is creating the next generation of filmmakers
Published: 2019-03-19T09:30:23+00:00 Modified: 2019-03-19T09:49:04+00:00 Milwaukee-area youth are getting a once in a lifetime opportunity: to see their film work on the big screen. Through an after school program called Milwaukee Visionaries Project, middle school and high school students are learning the art of storytelling and the craft of filmmaking.
Meet the 'Boss Ladies' bringing women entrepreneurs together in Milwaukee
Published: 2019-03-13T10:53:33+00:00 Modified: 2019-03-13T11:03:38+00:00 In honor of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day, Radio Milwaukee has been highlighting stories about empowering and inspiring women in Milwaukee. We’ve introduced you to the women of 88Nine and our very own Dori Zori did a DJ takeover playing only music by women.
Milwaukee's mobile legal clinic is getting the wheels of justice turning in local communities
Published: 2019-03-11T10:58:08+00:00 Modified: 2019-03-11T10:58:08+00:00 The Milwaukee Justice Center is teaming up with the Milwaukee Bar Association and Marquette University Law to get the wheels of justice turning in local communities—literally. Their mobile clinic takes volunteer attorneys and law students into Milwaukee neighborhoods to provide free legal advice and other referral assistance to low-income community members with a law office on wheels.
The story of Nearest Green, the first African-American master distiller who taught Jack Daniels everything
Published: 2019-02-25T10:45:02+00:00 Modified: 2019-02-25T10:45:02+00:00 Jack Daniels wasn’t born with the ability to make whiskey—he had a little help from a man who went by the name of Uncle Nearest. Fawn Weaver, the CEO and Chief Historian of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, has been piecing together his life story and it has led to fascinating discoveries and new truths.
Some Wisconsinites travel hours to Milwaukee for medical care. Kathy's House offers them a place to stay.
Published: 2019-02-18T11:09:31+00:00 Modified: 2019-02-19T07:23:33+00:00 Not everyone in Wisconsin has quick access to hospitals like we do in Milwaukee. It’s more of luxury than we know. People living in rural Wisconsin travel hundreds of miles to Milwaukee for medical care, and a Milwaukee organization is working to help those families out when they arrive. The patients are invited to stay at Kathy’s House.
Meet Max Zuleta, the man turning ice into art around Milwaukee
Published: 2019-02-18T15:01:43+00:00 Modified: 2019-02-19T09:50:45+00:00 Ice sculpting is no joke a cold business – just ask Guiness World Record holder Max Zuleta. Zuleta is a career ice sculptor and his work has taken him to competitions and events all across the world. His newest studio is right here in Wisconsin, and he’s carving interactive ice sculptures all over Milwaukee. Listen to the audio story below to meet Max Zuleta, the owner of an ice sculpting business called Art Below Zero.
It's the first Gun Violence Survivors Week. Milwaukee survivors tell their stories.
Published: 2019-02-05T12:51:09+00:00 Modified: 2019-02-05T14:49:49+00:00 This week marks the first ever observation of Gun Violence Survivors Week. From February 1 to February 8, survivors across the nation and in Milwaukee are coming together to open up about their gun violence experiences and push for support and action to keep families and communities safe in America.
Meet the music instructor who runs the annual Latino Arts Guitar Festival to mentor youth guitarists
Published: 2019-02-04T11:29:28+00:00 Modified: 2019-02-04T11:59:26+00:00 The sixth annual Guitar Festival at the United Community Center invites internationally recognized strings musicians to work with young Latino guitarists in Milwaukee. “There’s not many competitions like this for youth,” says Jone Ruiz, a guitar instructor for the Latino Arts Strings Program.
This new Milwaukee VA program and partnership could save veteran lives
Published: 2019-01-28T11:55:59+00:00 Modified: 2019-01-28T12:19:27+00:00 The Milwaukee VA Medical Center serves 24,000 veterans, a quarter of which come to the VA for mental health crises. “This is their medical home, most of them have been coming here a long time,” said Ben Thelen, a former EMT and combat medic in Iraq, who now works for the VA. He’s behind a new program that is training EMTs to identify and handle mental health crisis situations when responding to veterans’ 911 calls.
What an hour can do to end hate in Milwaukee
Published: 2019-01-21T12:26:02+00:00 Modified: 2019-01-21T12:26:02+00:00 Intolerance still exists in a big way in our city. Local media has reported on a number of racist incidents in neighboring suburbs that remind us we still have a lot of work to do. The Milwaukee Jewish Federation has created a program aimed at stopping hate and bigotry and promoting respect across all cultural lines.
The new soccer legends of Milwaukee
Published: 2019-01-16T13:56:28+00:00 Modified: 2019-01-16T13:56:28+00:00 There’s a new soccer team in town – the Brew City Legends. The professional indoor soccer team made its competitive debut at the end of 2018 and is off to a winning start this month. The team was founded by Milwaukee native and former soccer pro Denzel Pettigrew, making the Legends the first ever Black-owned professional indoor team.
How one woman is helping Latino patients get better care in Milwaukee
Published: 2019-01-14T16:12:40+00:00 Modified: 2019-01-15T12:37:39+00:00 After her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, Carla Echeveste was inspired to change the entire course of her life. She turned down an accounting job at her dream financial firm and went back to school to study medicine. Today, she researches and advocates for equity on behalf of Milwaukee’s Latino community.
Free AIRA service is expanding to other Milwaukee County buildings
Published: 2019-01-08T12:19:18+00:00 Modified: 2019-01-08T12:26:23+00:00 Free AIRA service for the blind and low vision was made accessible at Milwaukee’s airport back in November through a new partnership between AIRA and Mitchell airport. Now, the service is expanding to include a number of other Milwaukee County buildings and locations; an initiative led by Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele.
The Benedict Center is keeping homeless women warm and fed this winter
Published: 2019-01-08T16:30:34+00:00 Modified: 2019-01-08T16:30:34+00:00 The Benedict Center is a non-profit organization working with women in the criminal justice system. They have a variety of programs servicing women who are homeless, working in prostitution, are being trafficked, or are transitioning out of the criminal justice system. They offer substance abuse and mental health treatment, education, employment training and a number of other services meant to help women thrive in Milwaukee.
When school funding for arts programs in Milwaukee got cut, Jazale's Art Studio created its own
Published: 2018-12-19T01:00:17+00:00 Modified: 2018-12-20T15:34:13+00:00 When art programs began getting slashed across schools in Milwaukee, two hometown brothers decided to found a program for the many inner-city youth who were losing access to arts education. In 2012, Darren and Vedale Hill founded an arts education program for inner-city youth called Jazale’s Art Studio.
The Milwaukee Youth Arts Center is home to First Stage Theater, MYSO and many future performing artists
Listen to the audio story below to hear from MYAC’s Executive Director Del Wilson, who also had a hand in building the MYAC space. In the 15 years MYAC has been around, they just recently named their first ever-executive director – Del Wilson. Wilson was involved in the early stages of MYAC, as his former architectural firm helped find and build the space MYAC lives in today on Walnut Street. First Stage is a theater and performance education program founded in 1987.
The Milwaukee Art Museum makes going to a gallery a hands-on experience for families
With 2018 coming to a close, community stories will be focusing on the importance of arts education in Milwaukee. For some of our audio and video community stories, we’ll highlight the people and organizations providing arts education to the Milwaukee community. Listen to the audio story below to hear from Emily Sullivan, the Director of Youth and Family programs at the museum, as well as fifth grader Edmund, who has visited the museum countless times with his father for Family Sundays.
Meet Milwaukee's newest patron of the arts, the Saint Kate Arts Hotel
Saint Kate Arts Hotel reveal, photo by Nate Imig Amenities are no longer enough, and continental breakfasts and swimming pools aren’t cutting it as consumers are becoming obsessed with experiential hotels. “It’s about creating an experience,” said Greg Marcus. “They don’t want to just go to a regular hotel, they want an experience.” With experiential hotels trending, especially arts-focused hotels, Marcus thought it was time for Milwaukee to get its own.
This is what STEM education and discovery should look like
COA Youth & Family Centers was awarded a grant of $375,000 by Kohl’s Cares and they’ve used the grant to fund their after-school STEM program. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and math. COA’s STEM programming makes STEM education accessible to over 6,500 Milwaukee youth – many of whom come from low-income communities. COA celebrated their program – as well as National STEM Day – on November 8 at its Goldin Center location.
How one Milwaukee organization is working to increase black voter turnout for the midterms
How one Milwaukee organization is working to increase black voter turnout for the midterms Black Leaders Organizing for Communities is putting in overtime to boost black voter turnout for the midterm elections in Wisconsin. Through educational programming, fostering civic engagement between black residents and political leaders and even offering free rides to the polls, BLOC has committed itself to giving black and brown communities in Milwaukee a seat at the local politics table.
The shop that's been cultivating Milwaukee’s skateboard scene for the past 30 years
Sky High skate shop is celebrating 30 years of service to Milwaukee and Racine’s skateboarding community. Meet Aaron Polaski—the shop owner since 1999. Listen to him tell his story on how Sky High made it to 30 years and how it will continue to serve Milwaukee’s skate scene for years to come. Sky High first opened its door in 1988 in Racine and Aaron Polaski began working there in the early 1990s.
Vincent High School students bring their farm to tables at a benefit dinner for their agriculture programs
Vincent High School is raising money through a farm-to-table fundraiser using ingredients they raised and grew in their backyard farm. Watch the video below to hear how they did it from Monica Gahan, Vincent’s Agriculture Science teacher and CJ Cunningham, a senior student and football player. Vincent High School’s agriculture program teaches a variety of concentrations such as agriculture business, culinary arts, food science, environmental science and more.
Public housing in Milwaukee goes smoke-free, and it's working
On July 31, all public housing across the nation went smoke-free. Since the federal Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued the new rule banning tobacco use in and near public housing, Milwaukee has started to witness success stories. Meet Dorise Hardin, an African-American woman who started smoking at a young age and just successfully quit, thanks to this new initiative to keep public housing residents tobacco-free.
Milwaukee designer Elena Velez's fashion collection hits the runway at New York Fashion Week
Elena Velez is a fashion force to be reckoned with—and she’s from Milwaukee. Her passions for sustainability and post-war destruction come together in a collection that was on display at this year’s New York Fashion Week. Next, her collection is making its way to the runways of London Fashion Week. Learn more about Elena’s journey to New York Fashion Week and her collaboration with other Milwaukee artists in the video below.
Running from Los Angeles to New York to end Multiple Sclerosis
MS Run the US is a 3,100-mile long relay race from Los Angeles, California to New York. The run was started in Brookfield, Wisconsin in 2009 to raise awareness and research funds for Multiple Sclerosis. The organization also raises money to assist those currently living with MS. Ricardo Contreras, who studies Exercise Science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, participated in last month’s run as a road crew member.
The JobLines bus route gets many Milwaukee commuters to work. What will happen if it's cancelled?
Rosa Yeh is a New York-turned-Milwaukeean who has depended on public transportation her entire life. She came to Milwaukee to attend Marquette University, and when she graduated, the job market was rough. Though it took a lot of work and patience, Yeh found a job in Menomonee Falls. For the last five years, she has relied on Milwaukee County Transit Services to get her from the South Side of Milwaukee to the village in Waukesha.
The Milwaukee VA is a leader in sustainability
How often do you think about how your shopping and dining habits may have an impact on our planet? We’re being asked to consider it more and more as cities like Chicago have implemented plastic bag taxes to reduce use of plastic, but it’s also understandable that environmental impact is not an everyday thought for people. The Milwaukee VA Medical Center is striving to be a leader in the community when it comes to reducing environmental impact.
Rescue Gang is road-tripping across the country to save doggos left homeless by Hurricane Harvey
Published: 2018-08-15T13:22:53-05:00 Modified: 2018-08-15T14:23:20-05:00 Rescue Gang is helping doggos find their furever homes. Cheesy, I know, but I couldn’t help myself. Ryan Olson founded the volunteer-run organization three and a half years ago with the hopes to just “rescue a few dogs.” Today, Rescue Gang has saved 500 animals and they’re driving all the way down to Texas to save them.
The future (of STEM) is female at UW-Milwaukee's engineering summer camp
Published: 2018-08-13T09:00:56+00:00 Modified: 2018-08-13T15:18:28+00:00 In 2015, a report by the United States Department of Commerce found that women fill only 24 percent of jobs in the STEM field. The STEM field is made up of jobs in science, technology, engineering and math. And although women are graduating with more degrees than men, they aren’t pursuing the STEM field at the same rate.
The beauty of Brown Boys Bonding Thru Books in Alice's Garden
“It’s really a beautiful experience…to be surrounded by young minds in a beautiful garden, it’s a great experience,” said Jeff Brown, as we were surrounded by the same garden he mentioned. I met Brown at Alice’s Garden on a Thursday evening for Brown Boys Bonding Thru Books,”a community program that Brown inherited from the owner of the garden, Venice Williams. Listen below to experience an evening at “Brown Boys Bonding Thru Books.” Brown was born and raised in Milwaukee.
Telling Milwaukee's Italian history through collections of family photos
The craze of Summerfest has settled and Milwaukee’s cultural festivals are starting to take over. This weekend, the festival grounds hosted Festa Italiana. From The Rat Pack cover bands to your choice of pastas, the festival continues to serve the city an intimate weekend in Italy. Christine Conley, whose grandparents are from Italy, has been a festival-goer and volunteer from just about the beginning.
Community Stories | 88Nine Radio Milwaukee
A handfull of the current Bucks players are expected to attend the ceremony, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, Eric Bledsoe, Donte DiVincenzo, Thon Maker, Khris Middleton and D.J. Wilson. The players will be joined by additional alumni players, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver, owners and elected officials. “We are thrilled to open our doors to the community on Sunday,” said Bucks President Peter Feigin.
‘WI, We Need to Talk’ is the conversation we need to have about youth trafficking
Last week, the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DFC) launched a new campaign to address youth human trafficking in Wisconsin. New bus advertisements and posters reading “WI, We Need to Talk” are hitting Milwaukee bus stops and businesses to promote dialogue between adults, parents and children about some of the dangerous things happening to Wisconsin’s children.
A.W.E truck studios hit the road with free art projects in Milwaukee parks
Last week marked the first of six weeks for A.W.E’s truck studio programming. Every weekday, a team of artists is dispatched to a different park from noon to 3 p.m. While at the park, they park their truck or van on the grass and begin to build an outdoor studio. With a few tables, benches and a tarp on the ground, the teachers are ready for an eager line of small children whose parents are signing them in. The programming consists of three art projects throughout the three hours.
A Milwaukee marketing professional by day and sci-fi prop builder by night, meet the man behind Valor Replicas
Steve Radtke has always been a maker. When he thinks about his first memories, he sees himself in the basement of his childhood home with his dad building random things. Radtke grew up during a sci-fi film renaissance. He grew up around the characters and futuristic technologies in “Star Wars,” “Star Trek,” “Ghost Busters” and more. His love for these stories and characters would become a lifelong fascination with recreating the different gadgets he was seeing on-screen.
88Nine Radio Milwaukee
Shawn Dekay and Flow Johnaon are both owners of creative spaces in Milwaukee. Dekay owns Dream Lab, a café and studio located on 5th and National and Johnson owns After Gallery in Riverwest. Together, the duo gathered volunteers in Milwaukee to participate in #HashtagLunchbag, a national movement to end hunger, one brown paper bag lunch at a time. Listen to the audio story below to pass out lunches with Milwaukee’s volunteers.
HPGM scholarship inspires a boost in Latino representation
On Saturday, May 12, the Hispanic Professionals of Greater Milwaukee (HPGM) will host their annual HPGM Five Star Gala to raise money for resources and scholarships that Latino students in Milwaukee can greatly benefit from. Listen to the audio story below to learn more the HPGM organization. HPGM’s mission is to guide Latino students through college and graduation. The 18-year-old organization provides services to college Latinos based on their needs.
Minorities Suffer More Pedestrian Deaths
Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee Newly released statistics concerning pedestrian deaths in Milwaukee during 2017 show a slow but steady increase in pedestrian deaths, with a majority of them occurring in low-income communities, according to local advocacy group MilWALKee Walks.
Dangerous Streets Often Hurt Low-Income Neighborhoods the Most
Wineberg says one of the fatal flaws could be that our streets were designed with a different population in mind. “Was there an error in the way streets were designed 50 years ago? Yes, absolutely,” said Wineberg. While the city has seen small bumps of population growth throughout the 2000s, overall, the population in Milwaukee has decreased since the 1960s by nearly 200,000 people. “There are streets that were built for when we had 200,000 more people,” said Wineberg.
Girls Academy prepares high school girls for careers in STEM
According to Catalyst, women make up less than 28 percent of the employees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. Women of color come in even lower at less than 10 percent of STEM employees. But, an after school program called Girls Academy is looking to change those statistics. Hiba Mousa is a senior at Veritas High School. She’s Arabian-American, and aspires to diversify representation in the STEM field.
50 Shades of Black at COA celebrates Milwaukee's black history and black present
February is Black History Month and I couldn’t let the month end without sharing a story about Milwaukee’s black history. Although to be fair, I celebrate black and Latino history every day. Milwaukee COA Youth & Family Center organized a Friday evening celebration of Milwaukee’s black history and black excellence called 50 Shades of Black. I spoke with the Nicole Franklin who organized the event to hear how they would be celebrating.
MCC's YouthBuild teaches carpentry to young adults
The Milwaukee Christian Center has been a south side pillar for 100 years. The organization has moved around the south side and now calls 14th and National home. Through a variety of programs, MCC provides a number of housing, wellness and career resources for people of all ages and ethnicities. One of those resources is YouthBuild, a program for young adults ages 18 to 25 that teaches students carpentry skills while earning their GED. Jeremy Reid graduated from South Milwaukee High School in 2012.
Martin Luther King Jr.’s Legacy Celebrated at MLK Library
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be turning 89 this year. While some people relish in having a day off from work or school, for many communities of color, it is a day on. Dr. King’s message and legacy is one that resonates with just about everyone. As a Latina, I admire his work with Cesar Chavez. I idolize photos of Dr. King delivering speeches in Puerto Rico.
Russian Transport: A Platform for a Conversation on Human Trafficking
Renaissance Theater Works is presenting a new play on January 19 titled Russian Transport. The play takes place after a Russian family immigrates to the United States after living through the fall of the Soviet Union and corruption in their homeland in the 1990s. Like many early immigrants, their search for freedom brings them to New York City, Brooklyn to be specific. This family of four (a mother, father, their 18-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter) is struggling to make ends meet.
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