Milwaukee
Milwaukee is the largest city in the state of Wisconsin and the home of America’s Black Holocaust Museum. Originally settled by German immigrants, Milwaukee became more of a melting pot during subquest immigration waves. The city was well known for manufacturing materials and beer, and local sports teams such as the Brewers still pay homage to those roots. Milwaukee’s Bronzeville neighborhood, of which America’s Black Holocaust Museum is a part, was originally settled by Germans before becoming the African-American center of the city.
Currently, Milwaukee has 1.18 more Black or African American residents than any other race. Racism is often prevalent, and Milwaukee is also known as the most segregated city in the country. The economic disparities are especially dire, with Black Milwaukeeans experiencing poverty at five times the rate of their white counterparts. Racial issues in Milwaukee made the city important in conversations about race during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Milwaukee is more politically liberal than much of Wisconsin, perhaps because of the demographics of its residents. Due to political lean, some politicians have attempted to influence politics by closing polling places in the city, much like they attempt to control elections by changing polling maps.
Nevertheless, the Black community and culture survive and even thrive in Milwaukee. The city welcomes speakers, organizations, and events recognizing and celebrating Black culture, including an annual weekly celebration of the Bronzeville neighborhood, which includes America’s Blakc History Museum. Mayor Cavalier Johnson is the city’s first Black mayor, while the city recently inducted its first Black woman as deputy fire chief.
Posts Tagged ‘Milwaukee’
George Marshall Clark: Unmarked Grave of Milwaukee Lynching Victim Gets Headstone After 160 Years
Nearly two centuries after his brief life and brutal death were entered into public record as the only recorded lynching in Milwaukee history, George Marshall Clark’s unmarked grave was memorialized with a granite headstone during a special ceremony at Forest Home Cemetery on September 8. The moving event was sponsored by ABHM and Forest Home Cemetery.
Read MoreNearly 160 years ago, George Marshall Clark became Milwaukee’s only lynching victim. Now, a respectful grave marker is planned.
A victim of lynching nearly 160 years ago has finally received recognition, as the only lynched man in Milwaukee receives a grave marker.
Read MoreMilwaukee helping shape a national conversation on racism as a public health crisis
Inequality can be deadly.
Milwaukee was among the first counties to reveal how deadly when the coronavirus pandemic struck just over a year ago. By tracking and publicly sharing demographic data, officials here quickly recognized what soon became a troubling national trend: COVID-19 was devastating Black and Latino communities. Milwaukee County was one of the very first in the country to explicitly track this data based on race.The data has helped determine where resources would be directed, including when it came to testing and vaccinations.
Read More‘We’re not given the option to get vaccinated’: Advocates work to narrow racial and ethnic disparities in Wisconsin
Some of Wisconsin’s most vulnerable populations struggle to access COVID-19 vaccines, and volunteers and community groups are trying to erase barriers.
Read MoreSpecial News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – Police deployed potentially lethal chemical during Black Lives Matter protests
Even if federal agents and police never again fill the streets with clouds of toxic zinc chloride, the consequences of its prolific deployment may haunt cities for many years to come.
Read MoreOld World Third Street likely to become Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive with unanimous Milwaukee Common Council support
Old World 3rd St. in Milwaukee, from W. McKinley Ave. to W. Wisconsin Ave. in Milwaukee’s downtown, would finally be renamed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.
Read MoreABHM and WBHS Combine to Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2021
Clayborn Benson, Director of the Wisconsin Black Historical Society, and Dr. Robert S. Smith, Resident Historian at America’s Black Holocaust Museum, converse about Dr. King’s travels to Milwaukee and Wisconsin. They also discuss his brilliant intellect and simple but not simplistic ways of articulating the call for civil rights.
Read MoreInitial data show majority of COVID-19 vaccine doses in Milwaukee County have gone to white, younger residents
The vast majority of people being vaccinated right now are white and in younger age groups — figures that need to change in the coming weeks.
Read MoreSpecial News Series: Rising Up For Justice! – ‘We’re not stopping’: Community organizers are focusing on local policy changes for 2021
Entering into the new year of 2021 Wisconsin’s community organizers have vowed to keep pushing for meaningful, local change.
Read MoreContest Allows Students to Pitch Ideas on Improving Educational Outcomes for Black Males
The “Design Your Future” contest seeks to improve the educational outcomes of young Black males in Milwaukee. Individual students or student groups may enter proposals. Once five proposals are selected in January, the ideas will be implemented next school year after being developed over the spring and summer.
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