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 …

In Wisconsin, we have a proud tradition of honoring the brave men and women who selflessly serve our country. One of the most important ways to honor that service is to ensure veterans receive the benefits they have earned through their courageous service to our nation.
This year, I helped pass legislation to help service members transition back to civilian life. This new law will provide grants to communitybased entities, including state and local governmental entities, to conduct outreach to veterans and help them obtain the care and benefits to which …

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 …

This week, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution honoring civil rights pioneer Ruby Bridges based on the efforts of a first grade class in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) and Congresswoman Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) introduced resolutions in the Senate and House of Representatives, respectively, after hearing about a classroom project at Barton Elementary School in Milwaukee to honor Ruby Bridges’ efforts to integrate schools and improve public education.
Bridges was the subject of the famous Norman Rockwell painting “The Problem We All Live With,” of a young African American girl …

Feingold Column
Education is often one of most frequently raised issues at these town hall meetings. With Congress set to take up education legislation next year, I am committed to making responsible education reform a reality. Since No Child Left Behind (NCLB) was signed into law in early 2002, I have heard from numerous Wisconsinites concerned about federal testing mandates and how those mandates too often drive academic instruction in Wisconsin schools.
While standardized testing does have a role to play in measuring student achievement and holding schools accountable, the federal one-size-fits-all …