By Jacqualine S. Williams
African World Festival made an impressive comeback last Sunday after recovering from financial difficulties and a violent incident that cast an uncertain cloud over the future of the successful family event.
With a new board of directors led by Milwaukee businessman, Mark Wade, organizers took a two-year hiatus to fundraise, re-group, conduct community outreach activities and strategically plan the one-day event.
The opening ceremony moved from the Cultural Area to the Miller stage, the main stage for the festival. “The festival is all of ours . . . We …

Will Perkins, Sr. and his wife Mildred were honored by ACT Business Improvement District for the Perkins Family for their more than 42 years of contributions to the neighborhood. Shown here with a plaque presented to them during last week’s celebration. Ald. Hamilton said, “This area has a dedicated group of residents, active in the success of their community and I commend the Northwest Side CDC for helping propel the strengths of the BID. Honoring the Perkins family in this way honors the community and it’s an excellent cause for …

State implements law prohibiting all workplace smoking including inside bars and restaurants
People across Wisconsin are breathing easier this week as the state officially marked the start of its smoke-free law on July 5, 2010. The law eliminates smoking inside all Wisconsin workplaces including bars and restaurants as a matter of public health.
“Today is the first day toward a future with less cancer, less heart disease and less serious respiratory illness in Wisconsin,” said Allison Miller, spokesperson with the American Cancer Society in Wisconsin. “It is also the first day that …

By Congresswoman Gwen Moore
My favorite President had always been Lyndon Baines Johnson, champion of the Great Society, until Barack Obama was elected.
President Johnson was on the frontlines in our battle for civil rights. And he understood – before so many others did – that education is a civil rights issue. He made elementary and secondary education the cornerstone of the War on Poverty. He understood that our entire society benefits when every child has a chance to succeed.
The call to continue this work is as strong today as ever because …

The Wisconsin Association of African-American Lawyers (WAAL) held their annual “VelanDale” Scholarship Award Dinner Thursday, June 3, 2010 at the Italian Community Center in downtown Milwaukee . Representatives from Hupy & Abraham , S.C. were in attendance along with other noted dignitaries and community leaders. United States Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Representative of the Fourth District of Wisconsin delivered the keynote address.
WAAL is an association of African-American attorneys primarily in Milwaukee who are dedicated to encouraging the participation of African- American attorneys in the legal profession. They are working collectively with …

Teachers and parents held a rally Monday afternoon in support of the hundreds of Milwaukee Public School teachers who are losing their jobs. Organizers want emergency federal funding to keep more teachers in the classroom.
The district mailed out layoff notices to 482 teachers, 600 substitute teachers, and 233 educational assistants. Including Mayor Barrett’s wife Chris, who is a teacher. The teachers union is fighting the cuts.
Organizers of the rally put 700 pairs of shoes on the steps of the federal building to symbolize the number of teachers laid off. “Who …

Milwaukee Builds Recruitment began with using a list of candidates from the Urban Forestry Program and graduates from the Milwaukee Youthbuild. The program officially launched May 24 with a press conference. This project will include rehabbing 15 Housing Authority scattered site units. Milwaukee Christian Center and Northcott Neighborhood house are vendors for this activity. This program will provide skilled labor apprenticeships to the building trades utilizing on-the-job training and a Department of Labor-approved educational and certification curriculum.
The target population is low-income, unemployed adults (24 years of age and older). This …

By U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore
The benefits our community gets from the Census are far from abstract. We’re talking about real things that touch our lives every day – from our schools to our roads to Medicare and Medicaid. We deserve to have what we need here for all of our people including our children and our seniors.
This year’s census determines how funding and resources will be allocated until 2020. It is absolutely crucial that we get an accurate count because every single person uncounted means lost funding. Every 100 people …

By Lynda L. Jones,
Editor
Milwaukee kicked off one of its efforts to help prepare people for the 2010 Census with a rally that was held on Monday, March 1, 2010 at the Italian Conference Center. The event featured entertainment with music and a skit performed by students from the Milwaukee High School of the Arts demonstrating the pitfalls of being under counted for the census.
Congresswoman Gwen Moore, Mayor Tom Barrett and Common Council president Willie Hines, Jr. also participated in the event.
Congresswoman Moore informed the crowd that the city of Milwaukee …