Faithe Colas, the wife of late Milwaukee journalist and commentator Eric Von, recently hosted an annual meet and greet for the sixth Von fellow, Nadya Kelly, at America’s Black Holocaust Museum. Pictured from left to right are David Lee, general manager of WUWM; Kelly; and state Rep. Supreme Moore Omokunde. (Photo provided by WUWM)
By Faithe Colas
This story was originally published by Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service, where you can find other stories reporting on fifteen city neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Visit milwaukeenns.org.
Eric Von, a highly respected journalist and commentator from Milwaukee, passed away in 2016 after an illustrious career in radio spanning over 25 years.
Throughout his time in the industry, he was known for his exceptional reporting and engaging talk shows, where he facilitated discussions on crucial community matters with influential local, national and global figures and unsung Milwaukee heroes.
Eric worked with various commercial radio stations, Radio One in his hometown of Washington D.C., 1290 WMCS, and WNOV 860 AM. His final years involved collaborating with WUWM 89.7 FM, 371 Productions, and AIR’s Finding America on the Precious Lives project. This two-year endeavor consisted of a hundred weekly radio episodes addressing the prevalent issue of gun violence among young people in Milwaukee.
To commemorate Eric’s memory, WUWM allows aspiring journalists a paid experience to hone their skills and carry on his legacy through the Eric Von Broadcast Fellowship.
The Eric Von Broadcast Fellowship has launched the careers of six college graduates. Recently, Faithe Colas, Eric‘s wife, hosted an annual meet and greet for the sixth Von fellow, Nadya Kelly, at America’s Black Holocaust Museum.
WUWM staff, donors and supporters of the Von Fellowship enjoyed the intimate evening, complete with remarks from David Lee, the general manager of WUWM; Teran Powell, the first Von Fellow and now the Race & Ethnicity reporter for WUWM; and Colas. Ready To Roll catered the evening.
Lee said he believes the Von Fellowship is one of the most important things that WUWM does. And if the station becomes known as the training ground for the next generation of diverse journalists in public media and beyond, that would be an incredible legacy for both WUWM and Eric.
Also present was Helen Ambuel, whose generous gift started the endowment for the Eric Von Broadcast Fellowship.
To learn more about the WUWM Eric Von Broadcast Fellowship and the Von Fellows, visit https://www.wuwm.com/eric-von-broadcast-fellowship.