Reading Time: 4 minutes

Monday afternoon brought the Milwaukee community together to honor late baseball icon Henry “Hank” Aaron.

The day’s festivities included a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new mural featuring Aaron and a proclamation from Mayor Cavalier Johnson recognizing July 20, 2026, as Henry Lewis “Hank” Aaron Day.

Hammerin’ Hank’s history

Aaron, who died on Jan. 22, 2021, spent the first 12 years of his career playing for the Milwaukee Braves, before the team moved to Atlanta.

His love for Milwaukee brought him back to the city to play his last two professional seasons for the Brewers.

“I knew how much he loved this place, this community and these people,” said his wife, Billye Aaron.

Billye Aaron continued to appreciate all that Milwaukee had done for Hank.

“Thank you to each of you for the love that you showed him and for the legend that you continue on his behalf,” she said.

It was in Milwaukee 50 years to the date when Aaron hit the 755th and last home run of his career. At the time it was the most ever hit by a player.

Aaron’s 755 home runs are still the second most hit by a player all-time in Major League Baseball. Brian Anderson, the voice of the Brewers, said Aaron is still the all-time home run king. His monstrous home runs earned him the nickname of “Hammerin’ Hank.”

For those who he impacted, his legend grew beyond just the name of baseball. 

“The number 755 represents much more than a milestone. It represents perseverance, excellence and strength in the face of adversity,” Anderson said.

City figures chime in

Politicians and other public leaders were also in attendance for Monday’s celebration and mural unveiling.

They underlined the importance of celebrating Hank Aaron as not only a baseball player but a Milwaukee icon.

“His legacy reminds us that greatness isn’t measured only by records and awards, it’s measured by character, perseverance and service,” said Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley. “Those are the values that continue to define our community in Milwaukee.”

Johnson also touched on the vitality of Aaron’s Milwaukee presence.

“It’s a lasting tribute to a man whose story belongs in the hearts of people right here in neighborhoods like this,” he said.

Bud Selig, former commissioner of Major League Baseball, also attended the ceremony. Selig, a friend of Aaron’s for over 60 years, was instrumental in returning baseball to Milwaukee after the Braves left for Atlanta in 1966.

“I will always be very grateful. He was the greatest player of our generation and maybe the greatest human being of our generation,” said Selig.

Inspiring the future with art

The new mural of Aaron unveiled during the ceremony is completely textile fabric. Milwaukee artist Rosy Petri created the piece as a part of a series that celebrates African American cultural contributions through baseball. She interweaved traditional African patterns and used kente cloth. The version that hangs above the Clinton Rose Senior Center, 3045 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, is an installation version of Petri’s textile art.

“I made it for myself, but I hoped that someday it would end up some place where people could see it, appreciate it and learn from it,” said Petri.

Now, it hangs high in Bronzeville – her own neighborhood.

Throughout her creative process, she said she made sure to portray an aura that doesn’t normally attach itself to Aaron’s legacy.

“They talk about him as a humble man and very down to earth, but I wanted the piece to have some swagger to it,” Petri said.

That swagger plays out in the bold white and black color contrast and Aaron’s stance.

Petri hopes that kids playing baseball in the park across the way can see it and be inspired.

“They’ll know that there was somebody else that came before them and did the thing,” Petri said.

Despite the many years since Aaron crushed his last home run, his figure continues to live and inspire in Milwaukee and beyond. 

“When we celebrate icons like Hank Aaron, we’re not just looking back on history, we’re inspiring the next generation of leaders,” Crowley said. 

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Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

Fifty years after his final home run, Milwaukee honors Hank Aaron with new mural is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

This story was originally published by ICT.

Stepping out of a traditional dugout canoe, called Maeqtek-ōs in the Menominee language, canoe creator Wayne Swett raised his fist high in the air and proudly proclaimed: “We made history.” 

Until Wednesday, no one could remember the last time Menominee people paddled a dugout canoe down the Menominee River. That very question drove a group of Menominee water protectors, led by Dawn M. Wilber and Swett, to launch a dugout. 

Making history on the Menominee River

Since June 15, Wilber, Swett and several community members have camped on the banks of the river, burning, scrapping, debarking and sanding a 17-foot-long pine log into a traditional canoe. They did their work in the Chappee Webster Learning Center, a historic 1824 trading post located in their ancestral homelands in a place that is central to Menominee culture. 

“(This) has been a long time coming,” said Oralann Caldwell, a Menominee and Anishinaabe elder who traveled over 60 miles from Keshena, Wisconsin, to attend. “It’s about time that door is reopened.”

To the north are Menominee burial mounds, a traditional dance ring and the largest Indigenous agricultural site in the eastern United States. To the south is the Menominee peoples’ birthplace, the mouth of the Menominee River where it meets Lake Michigan.

“I am beyond excited,” Swett said. “The ancestors are happy. The river’s happy. The fish are happy. The creator’s happy. Everybody’s happy. I’m beyond happy because my work is done.”

The canoe’s construction took two weeks longer than scheduled, delayed by intense heatwaves gripping much of the Midwest. Overall, it took exactly one month to complete the massive boat. 

“It was definitely a test because we had to deal with the heat, 100-degree heat,” Swett said. “We had to deal with storms. There’s times where we had to call a rain day and then a heat day. … It’s a weight off my shoulders.”

The canoe belongs to the community, Wilber said.

“I’m thinking about our ancestors, I’m thinking about what they did, how much time that they would put into stuff like this, and how they would sacrifice themselves because a canoe is communal,” Wilber said. “When it’s made, it doesn’t take ownership. It’s for everybody, everybody to use in the community. So it wasn’t just like yours or mine. That’s the purpose of it.”

Prior to launching, a group of roughly a dozen community members gathered for a water ceremony to send the canoe off properly. Following the ceremony, canoe creators Swett and Wilber climbed into the canoe to be the first to paddle it. To their surprise, there were absolutely no leaks in the canoe. It floated perfectly.

“I didn’t realize how emotionally beautiful it was. That’s what got me is the emotion,” said Wilber, who is Menominee. “Not just looking at her but feeling her and being able to give her her first drink today before we put her in the water.”

Wilber and Swett paddled the canoe around the river before allowing community members to take it for a spin.

Prior to colonization, countless Menominee families navigated the river in dugout canoes each day — as did countless other Indigenous families in the North American eastern woodlands.

Initially, Swett and Wilber said, they planned to take the canoe out on the eighth annual canoe journey organized by their group, Protectors of the Menominee River. However, because of weather-related delays, Swett stayed and continued to work on the canoe during the four-day journey. 

After a solid month of carving, burning and shaping the pine log into a full-fledged canoe, the end result was far more beautiful than anyone had anticipated. The sanded and finished inside revealed silhouettes of different woodland animals, a sign of all the animals who interacted with the tree during its century of existence, Caldwell said.

“It’s like an imprint, a reflection to us,” Caldwell said. “The spirits of all those animals were out there. It’s a love, an honor, a respect. It’s a love for our culture, for our mother (earth).”

Caldwell said inside she spotted silhouettes of a wolf, a bear, a snake and a red-tailed hawk. Other community members pointed out different animal shapes as well, she said.

“The animals: birds, four leggeds, were all with us,” Caldwell said. 

She said she and Wilber were struck by the sheer number of community members who supported them during their journey and helped work on the canoe.

“All of the love, all of the gratitude, all of the giving, all of the sharing, everybody, and just everything that everybody has done for us,” Wilber said. 

Later this year, the Protectors of the Menominee River plan to use the canoe to harvest wild rice, Wilber said. 

“We are the original caretakers of the land, and we’re still doing it,” Caldwell said. 

ICT is an independent, nonprofit multimedia news organization covering Indigenous issues and communities. It is supported by foundations, donor contributions, and corporate sponsorships. Follow ICT on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and Bluesky.

‘We made history’: Dugout launch first in recent memory is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: 6 minutes

On Milwaukee’s North Side, women 40 and up are coming together to jump double Dutch. Members say that beyond the ropes they are building a sisterhood, strengthening their health and becoming confident in aging.

40+ Double Dutch Club is a nonprofit founded in Chicago by Pamela Robinson in 2016 that uses double Dutch and other fitness activities to encourage wellness, sisterhood, mental health and more for women over 40.

“It amazes me how God can use something as simple as a plastic clothesline to connect women all over the world,” said Robinson, who is also the group’s CEO and board president. 

Robinson, 55, launched the organization after discussing the idea with her friend Catrina Dyer-Taylor. At the time she was battling depression. 

“My husband and I were about to get divorced, my oldest kids were grown and I just had my youngest one in the house,” Robinson said. “I needed to find a happy place.”

She promoted the meetup on social media, and many of her friends and community members came out to support her.

“I remember telling (Dyer-Taylor) that if no one came then we’d tie the ropes to a fence and jump together,” Robinson said. “However, we never had to do that because our friends came out.” 

Since being founded, the organization has expanded into hundreds of subclubs nationwide, including Milwaukee’s. 

“I knew that God wanted me to do something and it’s given me purpose and he has put me on a path where 40+ Double Dutch is a part of that,” said Angela Scott, captain and founder of Milwaukee’s double Dutch subclub.

Launching the Milwaukee subclub

Scott, 54, established the 40+ Double Dutch subclub in Milwaukee in 2024 after discovering the organization on Facebook. She took weekend trips to Chicago and sometimes Texas to participate with women of the club.

“The feeling I got from the ladies when I entered the gym was like I’ve known them all my life,” Scott said. 

As a breast cancer survivor, Scott said she was glad to have found something that brought her comfort that wasn’t a traditional gym space. 

“Double Dutching is a full body workout, and I don’t like the gym, but I knew I needed something to keep my body moving and to keep cancer out of my body,” Scott said.

Once officially joining 40+ Double Dutch, Scott talked to Robinson about bringing a subclub to Milwaukee.

“She said that they had been wanting one in Milwaukee, they just had no one that was interested and committed,” Scott said.

Milwaukee’s subclub now consists of 37 members. Among them is Scott’s mother, Shirley Tomlinson, 76, who is the first and oldest member.

“I feel like my family has grown here and that’s a very positive thing for a person my age,” Tomlinson said. “It helps keep me feeling young, and there’s a lot of support in it.”

Tomlinson said she joined the club after hearing about her daughter’s Chicago experience and watching the film “Beyond the Ropes: The 40+ Double Dutch Club Documentary.“

Though Tomlinson doesn’t jump double Dutch, she does other things for the subclub like record keeping, videography, planning birthday celebrations and more. 

“I do everything I can because I’m my daughter’s ride or die,” she said.

Reliving childhood memories

Scott said double Dutch gives her a joyous nostalgia from growing up, especially as she learned how to double Dutch from her aunt who was like a big sister.

“If you were a girl that jump-roped, then you know it takes you back to that space,” Scott said. 

When the Milwaukee subclub appears at local events like the Juneteenth parade, residents typically will jump in the ropes with smiles and recall memories as they walk down the streets.

“As you watch us grow, you can see God’s hand in it,” Tomlinson said.

The women of Milwaukee’s subclub meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. every Wednesday at Abundant Faith Church of Integrity, 7830 W. Good Hope Road.

The meet typically begins with a stretch, then leads to open play that includes dances and songs to let them double Dutch, hula hoop or play a rhythmic game. 

One fitness activity recreated by 40+ Double Dutch is African Hopscotch, which includes members jumping to a song called “Double Dutch Bus” by Frankie Smith and sometimes holding pompoms. 

To end the session, members close with a double Dutch hymn followed by a circle of prayer. 

“We hold hands and then we sing the song,” Scott said. “Regardless of what meet you go to each one will have the same format.”

Building a strong sisterhood

Scott said the relationships being built at the club remind her of the organization’s mission. 

“Part of the mission is friendship, fitness, fun and fellowship,” she said. “All of those things resonate with me and in my spirit because it’s a sisterhood that’s based on God’s direction.”

When away from the ropes, members try to support each other in different ways.

“There are several of the ladies in our club that have businesses, and we’ll do anything to support them,” Scott said. 

For Tomlinson, who experienced a few health crises this year, it brought relief knowing that there was a sisterhood standing behind her.

“They reached out to me and let me know they were praying for me,” she said. “It’s like having a big family of daughters.”

Achieving long-term goals

Within the next few years, Scott hopes to see the subclub grow in membership and the women begin to intentionally take more time for themselves.

“I truly believe that a healthy and strong woman makes a healthy and strong world because we are the mothers of this world,” she said. “If the woman is not healthy mentally, physically or spiritually, then the world is not healthy.”

Another goal of hers is to visit with incarcerated women. 

“For whatever reason that they’re there, I just want to take them out of that space for just 30 to 40 minutes,” she said. 

Tomlinson said it amazes her to see her daughter lead, receive support from the community and promote health to other women. 

“It’s been wonderful watching her grow and watching how dedicated she is because that’s a big responsibility,” she said.

How to join 40+ Double Dutch Club

If you are a woman over 40 and interested in joining, click here to find a subclub near you and find details about weekly meetups.

Membership is $120 and includes a digital ID card, access to all nationwide subclubs, subclub support and more. 

Scott said the summer has been the busiest time for the organization and wants to remind women that you don’t have to jump to be a part of it. 

“People are starting to realize we’re in the city and we like it that way because the more women that know then the more that can be impacted by what we have to offer,” she said.

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Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

‘You can see God’s hand in it’: How Milwaukee women are building a double Dutch community through sisterhood and fitness is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

How does one love thy neighbor in 2026?

For the interfaith community in Milwaukee, sharing stories over a communal meal makes the process easy.

On the last Wednesday of every month, the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee hosts the Amazing Faiths Dinner Dialogue. It’s here where people of all religions, denominations and backgrounds are invited to break literal and figurative bread.

Cultivating the conversation

“It’s really one of our most important grassroots programs because we are trying to build connections between people of different faith backgrounds,” said Ahmed Quereshi, executive director of the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee.

Quereshi, a member of the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, was appointed executive director of the Interfaith Conference in April 2023. 

Active since the 1970s, it wasn’t until right after 9/11 that the Muslim community was invited to join Interfaith, according to Quereshi. He said the events of 9/11 sparked the group to become significantly more diverse.

“It was felt that there was a need to reach out and have better connections with religious leaders in the local community as well,” Quereshi said.

That marketplace of ideas and diversity lives on through the Amazing Faith Dinner Dialogue.

But first, we feast

For the last 15 years, people of varying faiths in the greater Milwaukee area have sat down to converse and connect. For a while, the dinners took place in people’s homes, limiting the number of people who could attend. 

Today, the growing appetite for interfaith connection has moved the dinners to large church halls, with over 50 attendees on some nights. Even though the event has expanded, it still features cozy tables of no more than seven people, which gives members a chance to connect with those around them.

As conversations begin, predisposed walls start to fade. 

“When you sit down at a table with people, you realize that somebody put up those barriers,” said Monica Gramling, who said this was her seventh or eighth time attending the dinner. “I never leave one of these dinners without feeling more connected to the other people in the world.”

Quereshi said the importance of the event ties back to his early days and family values. 

“It was always more important about how you treated your neighbor rather than whether your neighbor checked all your boxes,” he said.

Quereshi serves as one of the moderators for his discussion group. Each of the eight tables that span the church hall has its own moderator. It’s the moderator’s job to keep time and the flow of conversation going. 

One of the ways they achieve this is by handing the first participant a unique question. Sometimes it’s faith-related, sometimes not. Examples include “Have you ever been the recipient of unconditional love?” and “What do you believe happens after death?” 

The prompts reader is the only respondent. It isn’t until the person is finished responding that the moderator hands out the next question. According to Quereshi, this practice of listening rather than thinking about one’s own response promotes appreciative inquiry and listening.

Modern-day interfaith importance

In the world’s current state of conflict, interfaith conversation may be more vital than ever, said Irfan Omar, a longtime Amazing Faiths attendee. 

“There’s a lot of perversion of interfaith dialogue taking place right now,” said Omar, a professor of peace studies and theology at Marquette University.

“We have to actually emphasize authentic interfaith relationships where people can talk about spirituality and faith and even challenges that it presents to us. These are the venues where we can do that.”

For many, a shared meal and a conversation end up being more impactful than what first meets the eye. 

“There isn’t as much difference as we want to believe there is. We want to believe we’re the only ones with the right answer, and that isn’t true,” Gramling said after the latest dinner.

The Amazing Faiths Dinner Dialogue’s next event is July 29 at Deer Creek Senior Village in New Berlin. Click here for more information.

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Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

Amazing Faiths Dinner Dialogue sparks interfaith connection is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

The post Solar for Good’s Most Critical Year appeared first on RENEW Wisconsin.

Reading Time: 5 minutes

When 15-year-old Amelia Culotta stepped into the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, her whole world transformed. 

Walking through the airport’s 400-foot display of Atlanta’s role in the civil rights movement and African American culture, she saw her history reflected back at her for the first time.

“There was more history on one wall than I’ve ever had in school,” Amelia said. “Like, ever.”

Growing up in Green Bay, she was used to being one of the only Black girls in her grade and had never visited a city like Atlanta. Seeing the racial diversity among people living there was a culture shock in the best way.

“Before then, I just felt like, ‘Oh, this is how everything goes, my small world is how all the rest of the world is,’” Amelia said. “It didn’t feel real when I was walking off the airplane because I didn’t realize how much life I haven’t seen, and I was missing.” 

Moments like these are why Rhonda Chandler created Lovin’ the Skin I’m In, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting and empowering girls of color in northeast Wisconsin by giving them experiences like Amelia’s.

Small group meetings grow into nonprofit 

When Chandler moved to De Pere with her husband more than a decade ago, they were the first Black family in their neighborhood. For her three kids, transitioning from Charlotte, North Carolina, to a school district with less than 2% Black enrollment wasn’t easy.

“When we sent our children off to school, that’s when they started having a lot of challenges … It started with name calling, all of the things, microaggressions, etc.,” Chandler said. “My oldest daughter … really had a hard time struggling to fit in, finding her people, being accepted.” 

Chandler knew something had to change a few years later when her youngest daughter started experiencing the same bullying and microaggressions.

“I vowed I was going to do something different,” Chandler said. “I was not going to have the same pattern repeated that my older daughter had, so I kind of went into action mode.” 

At first, she started inviting other Black families who shared her daughter’s experiences to her home for monthly meetings in her basement. In 2020, Lovin’ the Skin I’m In was officially established as a nonprofit, motivated by nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice. 

“During George Floyd and Breonna Taylor’s murder is when it was kind of like an ‘aha’ moment for me, and I was like, this is bigger than just my girls, or just keeping it in my basement,” Chandler said. 

A 2014 report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation ranked Wisconsin as the worst state in which to raise African American children based on test scores, employment and poverty rates. Not much has since changed. In 2026, Wisconsin ranked 8th overall for child well-being, but had the worst racial disparities for Black and white children in the country for metrics like children living in high-poverty areas or not graduating on time.

And the school district Chandler lives in – De Pere – still enrolls less than 2% Black students a decade later, according to data from the state Department of Public Instruction. 

Having been a social worker for about 30 years, Chandler strives to provide a welcoming environment that girls may not feel at school. 

Lovin’ the Skin I’m In now runs regular meetings during the school year at local elementary, middle and high schools, providing peer support and cultural education. Guest speakers have taught students about hair care, career development and mental health, and field trips include going to see DRUMLine Live, based on the marching band tradition at historically Black colleges and universities.

The Women’s Fund of the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation awarded Chandler the 2026 Nancy Armbrust Impact Award for her service to over 700 community members in northeast Wisconsin, and her organization continues to grow. Last month, Lovin’ the Skin I’m In launched a weeklong summer camp for elementary and middle school students called the Summer of She. Students learned sailing with Green Bay Sail & Paddle or entrepreneurship at a local Black-owned business, developing new skills and building community.

Having outgrown Chandler’s basement, families meet monthly at Life Church in De Pere. She said the group doesn’t shy away from hard topics in their discussions. 

“We have hard conversations, so sometimes that can be challenging … We talk about how the issues with immigration may affect our families, or what’s happening at school, or the political climate, and the mistreatment in our community and in our world,” Chandler said. “We talk about those things because it’s life and it’s going to affect our family.” 

‘They don’t have to limit themselves’

Prior to her trip to Atlanta, Amelia had been participating in these support groups since elementary school. Now a rising sophomore at De Pere High School and a member of the school’s Black Student Union, she’s seen the program grow up with her in the years since Chandler started it. 

“What we were talking about was just learning about self-confidence and being a part of a (predominantly white institution) … I’ve learned that being an African American girl in Wisconsin isn’t easy,” she said, “but it also gives me the voice to teach and to also learn.” 

Her trip to Georgia in March was part of Lovin’ the Skin I’m In’s second annual cohort introducing a group of a dozen high schoolers to HBCUs such as Clark Atlanta University, Fort Valley State University and Spelman College.

“It was so shocking, just stepping into the airport, the difference in the community … I was like, oh my gosh, I’m in a whole different world,” Amelia said. “And I feel safe for the first time in a long time.” 

As a graduate of Clark Atlanta herself, Chandler facilitated visits with Black sororities and plans to continue working with seniors on college applications, letters of recommendation and scholarships. 

“Some of our girls had never been on an airplane before, haven’t been out of state, any of that,” Chandler said. “So giving them that opportunity and … them being able to go and see those universities where there’s representation and know that they don’t have to limit themselves – they can go to school out of state.” 

The trip was an eye-opening moment that empowered Amelia to keep speaking out against institutional racism. Seeing historical exhibits like the one in Atlanta made her even more aware of the flaws in the education system.

“I think people struggle understanding things because they aren’t taught things, and the problem isn’t because of them, the problem is because of what they’ve been taught … I sit with the remarks and the hate every single day,” Amelia said, “and being a part of Lovin’ the Skin was good because it taught me how to deal with that.” 

Amelia also hopes to continue the legacy of Chandler’s daughter, who was the president of De Pere’s Black Student Union. She wants to help organize an assembly with guest speakers that would teach students about the impact of racism. 

“Do people know what racism is? Not really,” Amelia said. “They know the word. It just sticks out – it’s like a big bad word – but no one really knows what it’s associated to, where it came from, how it impacts people of color. That was never taught.”

This story is part of Community at Work, an ongoing feature series focused on community organizations that make a difference in northeast Wisconsin. Who should we feature next? Email jzvandenhouten@wisconsinwatch.org.

‘I feel safe for the first time’: Brown County nonprofit uplifts girls of color is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

As people across the state mark the 250th anniversary of the country’s independence with parades and fireworks, one Wisconsin community is celebrating a key figure in early American history with a new work of theater. 

Adams, Wisconsin, a small city north of Wisconsin Dells, celebrated America’s 250th birthday with an original play about the city and county namesake — founding father John Adams. 

“In many ways, he’s kind of the forgotten founder,” said Adams County Historical Society President Michael Goc, who wrote the play. “We think of Washington and Franklin and Jefferson, but Adams was there all the time.” 

“Abigail and John: The First Couple of the United States” made its debut at the refurbished movie theater along the town’s main drag in late June, produced by the historical society and Adams Community Theatre.

John Adams was the driving force behind the Declaration of Independence. According to Goc, his influence went far beyond 1776. 

“John was everywhere,” Goc said. “He was involved in every important political event in the revolutionary era from before 1776 and all the way up until he left the presidency in 1801.” 

So, Goc said, it “just made sense” to mount a play about Adams this year as America celebrates its 250th birthday. He started research and writing over the winter. 

As Goc researched Adams, he also learned more about first lady Abigail Adams. In the play, John and Abigail sit at a table, reading letters they wrote to each other over the years. Most of the dialogue was pulled directly from real historical letters from the many years the two spent apart while John worked to establish a new country. 

For Goc, the couple personifies the best parts of American history. 

“They cared about the country, they worked hard, they worked with each other,” he said. 

It’s also a love story, Goc said. 

“They stayed together for 54 years, and as John said, they were ‘like steel to magnet.’” 

John and Abigail played by local married couple 

As the lights came on, actor Aaron Bonnett took the stage in a tricorn hat, greeting the audience. 

“Good day, my fellow patriots, I am John Adams,” he proclaimed. “You know me as the second president of the United States. I am also the namesake of your county, this city, and this theater.” 

Sitting at a table downstage, he began to read. The play includes the story of Adams’ role in the Continental Congress, his time as a diplomat in Europe and his term as president — and how Abigail was there through it all. 

Bonnett said that, along with worrying about founding a new country, John and Abigail’s letters show they dealt with the same problems many married couples face today. 

“250 years later, couples are still dealing with the same thing with family,” Bonnett said. “How much time do you dedicate to your profession, how much time do you dedicate to your family?” 

The comparison is made all the more real for Bonnett by the fact that his real-life wife Tania Bonnett played first lady Abigail Adams. Coincidentally, Aaron, a sixth-generation farmer, played John, a lawyer. Meanwhile Tania, a lawyer and circuit court judge, played Abigail, who ran the family farm for the many years John was away.

She said learning more about the former first lady has been a rewarding experience that she’s been grateful to share with her family. 

“Everyone’s heard of John Adams, and everybody knows what he did for our country, but here there was this really strong woman next to his side advising him, and he really had a high amount of respect for her and turned to her a lot, and I think that’s something that history just hasn’t told us about,” Tania Bonnett said. 

‘The hot hits of the 1770s’

The play’s dialogue took place over four short acts, with songs from a local choir in between. It’s a setlist music director Sandra Swisher-Pheiffer called the “the hot hits of the 1770s.” 

Accompanied by a banjo, the choir sang several verses of “Yankee Doodle.” But the words are slightly different than the audience may know, Swisher-Pheiffer said, because they chose the American version of the song over the British version “that was intended to make fun of the colonials.” 

The choir also performed a period hymn that may have been sung at John and Abigail’s wedding and a campaign song called “Adams and Liberty.”

For Swisher-Pheiffer, the play was a profound experience, especially during tumultuous political times. 

“It can be easy for me to feel a little bit discouraged now, but this gets back to the the importance of honor and of liberty and freedom, and how no one individual should have total power in any sense within the government, and it’s reminded me of where we started, and that’s made me feel good,” she said. 

She hopes audience members felt the same.

This story was originally published by WPR.

‘Abigail and John: the First Couple of the United States’ puts the second president in the spotlight is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

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Strawberries are one of the most sacred symbols in Oneida beadwork, according to the Oneida Indian Nation’s website. Known as the “heart berry,” they represent creation, healing and resilience.

It’s also one of the motifs Mariah Tyakohelahthè Diaz is most drawn to in her beadwork.

Through her business, Ostalókwa by Mariah, Diaz creates traditional and contemporary beadwork, from custom medallions to jewelry to graduation caps, for clients across Wisconsin and beyond.

“I like to do a lot of strawberries,” Diaz said. “The medallions that I make are more custom, and then the hats, more modern.”

But for Diaz, beadwork is about more than creating art. It’s a way of preserving her culture, honoring her ancestors and sharing her Native American identity with future generations.

Learning from traditions

Raised by her grandparents, Diaz grew up between Milwaukee and Green Bay.

“My grandma used to take me to powwows all the time, and I would love to see all the beadwork,” Diaz said.

Although she was introduced to beading when she was younger, Diaz didn’t begin practicing beadwork professionally until 2020. 

She learned from her aunts, Sharon and Carmen, who taught her traditional beading techniques.

“She was always interested in carrying on traditions,” Sharon Diaz said. “I started her out doing daisy chains, because that’s how I learned, and then from there we went on to earrings, and then medallions.”

For Mariah, learning and practicing beadwork was more than a craft; it was a way to reconnect with traditions that previous generations were not always able to pass down.

“My grandma and my grandpa were raised in Catholic schools, and they really weren’t able to direct us into that stuff,” Diaz said. “That really impacted me wanting to learn how to do it.”

Sharing culture through beadwork

As Diaz’s skills grew, so did the impact of her work.

Among her most meaningful commissions are graduation caps, which have become a way for Native American students to celebrate both their academic achievements and their cultural identity.

Carrying traditions forward

Diaz’s audience and confidence grew after creating pieces for former Milwaukee Bucks player MarJon Beauchamp, who is Native American, and current Bucks star Bobby Portis.

“I made a Bobby Portis medallion a while ago. I actually got to give that to him,” Diaz said. “That really improved my beadwork, and me wanting to do more things for others.”

As Ostalókwa by Mariah continues to grow, her focus remains on preserving Oneida traditions.

“Our beadwork and our way of life is still sacred,” Diaz said. “Taking care of the earth, the water, the community, everything.”

The knowledge and traditions passed from Native American community programs to her aunt Sharon Diaz, then to her, are something she hopes won’t stop with her.

“I’d like to teach the youth, so they learn how to bead, and have something to put their minds to,” Diaz said.

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Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

Mariah Tyakohelahthè Diaz is helping carry Oneida beading traditions into the next generation is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

For two decades, one Milwaukee father has been pouring into other fathers on the North Side through his nonprofit, which provides free courses meant to teach them about parenting, manhood and becoming role models. 

Terron Edwards is founder of Fathers Making Progress, which supports Milwaukee fathers with parenting skills, case management, mentorship and more. He launched the organization after previously doing work at New Hope Project focused on advocating for working poor non-custodial parents as well as fatherhood-related work at Northcott Neighborhood House. 

“The work I was doing at Northcott became a passion for me,” Edwards said. “Being a dad saved my life.”

Edwards, a father of five, said growing up was challenging because his father was killed. The pain he felt made him make poor decisions until he became a teen father.

“I decided that I wasn’t going to leave my son the way my father left me,” he said.

Understanding what the program has to offer

After receiving training in various fatherhood curricula, Edwards launched his first 12-week class in 2005, which was later called “Fathers Building Fathers.” 

Participants learned three modules that focus on manhood, navigating different relationships and traditional parenting lessons like discipline, stages of child development and more. 

“We have an alumni network that is made of longtime guys and support groups that focus on different topics, and sometimes there’s no topic,” Edwards said. “Sometimes it’s the opportunity for folks to have a safe space to talk through stuff.”

The organization began as an independently funded movement but was incorporated as a nonprofit during the pandemic in 2020.

Building brotherhood through vulnerability

Demetrius Simmons, 27 and a father of seven children, participated in 2019 before the program became the nonprofit Fathers Making Progress.

“I made a promise to all my kids that I wasn’t going to miss out on any days, I was going to be there and take my role as a father seriously,” he said.

Simmons said he loved how the initiative showed him what brotherhood was and created a safe space. 

“That’s a space to be vulnerable without judgment,” Simmons said. “I found that unique because a lot of times the world doesn’t show us the other side of places you can go and there will be people who will understand you.” 

Simmons had his first child at 18 in 2016, which resulted in him choosing to work and gain experience and provide over school. 

“By the time I had my second child, I had a system down packed,” Simmons said. “Then I got married and had a third child and was able to correct some of my mistakes I made from my first two.”

Chris Harris, 39 and a father of four, participated in the organization in 2011 after being invited by Edwards to attend a session. 

During Harris’ first visit he saw men sitting in a circle and venting about their personal situations. 

“That was very interesting to me because I had never seen that before,” he said. “I’ve been a member ever since.”

Harris describes his fatherhood as great even though it comes with its challenges. 

“Life is full of challenges so you can’t escape those with being a parent,” he said.

Building stronger generational cycles

Edwards’ other focus with Fathers Making Progress is ensuring that fathers develop strong generational cycles, which help them pass down patterns, behaviors and beliefs to the next generation. This can help them maintain a steady relationship with their child. 

One way to build strong generational cycles is through having a good coparenting system. 

“We have to be serious about coparenting, especially with the fact that marriage is already on a decline and divorce is on the rise,” Edwards said. “Dads can have all the tools in the world, but if they don’t have the access because of bitterness and other things then our work doesn’t mean anything if relationships aren’t strengthened.”

Harris said one of the challenges the organization helped him overcome was raising his children in different homes.

“They helped me to understand what it takes to be a better co-parent and how to do it effectively without leaving the other parent out,” he said.

Fathers Making Progress also builds stronger generational cycles through an initiative called “Boys to Leaders,” where men from his organization visit local schools to offer intergenerational workshops, mentorship and other free services.

“We help young men quantify what positive manhood is and what healthy relationships look like,” Edwards said.

Taking in all the lessons and sharing advice

Simmons said his greatest lesson is knowing that being a present father is everything.

Simmons remembers the emotions he felt after missing the birth of his middle son due to incarceration.

“That’s what really made me open my eyes up to a lot of stuff about fatherhood,” he said. “For the other two, I was actually there to cut the umbilical cord, but I wasn’t there for my other child and it made me feel some type of way.”

Simmons said he’s raising two bonus children who are from broken homes, but with support from the organization, he’s confident in not making the same mistakes again. 

Edwards also said that being present is his top lesson. 

“We don’t have all the answers and we don’t have to be the richest, but to show up intentionally for our children will mean the world to them,” Edwards said. 

He advises fathers to develop an understanding of what their beliefs and values are so they can pass it to their children.

“It’s essential that you are living by those as closely as possible,” he said. 

For co-parents, Harris advises them to learn how to work together before the baby is born to avoid confusion and disorganization.

“That’s going over child care, work schedules and things of that nature,” he said. 

Simmons, now a facilitator for Fathers Making Progress, wants young fathers to know that they shouldn’t let their situation define who they are. 

“You can always make your situation better,” he said. “What you put out in the world is what the world is going to give, so try your best to put as much good stuff in the world so you can receive just as much.”

Interested in participating or learning more?

If you are a father interested in taking free courses through Fathers Making Progress, click here to submit a request. 

The course will include meals, activities, gifts and more. 

Click here to view and sign up for other initiatives through the organization that spark your interest. 

‘Being a dad saved my life’: How a Milwaukee fatherhood program is changing the narrative is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: 5 minutes

As a daughter of Milwaukee, Koren Dennison has always been passionate about her community. 

Looking out for others is the way she was raised. 

But it wasn’t until she lost her job last November that she sat and started to think about what her role in the city was. That’s when she formed My Kousin’s House. 

My Kousin’s House is an intergenerational community space, out of her Metcalfe Park home, focused on family literacy building. The community space is activated through a series of events meant to be fun, community-building and thought-provoking. 

“I want people to leave My Kousin’s House having had a good time, their thoughts provoked and having some new community,” she said. 

‘Made of Milwaukee’

Long before Dennison, 28, was hosting community spelling bees and movie discussions in her living room, she was learning what it meant to be surrounded by people who poured into her.

“Koren is a witty, bubbly, very enthusiastic, down-to-earth kind of girl,” said Domani Wose, a friend of Dennison’s. “She’s for the people.” 

A storyteller, dancer, educator, evaluator, landlord and self-described “weirdo nerd,” Dennison traces the roots of her newest venture, My Kousin’s House, back to the people and neighborhoods that shaped her.

“I am made of Milwaukee,” she said.

Raised by a single mother in Hillside Terrace, Dennison said she grew up immersed in Black community, Black excellence and a belief that success was not something to hoard but something to share.

She attended Young Leaders Academy, later graduating from Milwaukee High School of the Arts, where dance became both a creative outlet and a lesson in defiance.

“Koren is defiant,” Dennison said. “Not in a cause of harm kind of way, but the kind that refuses to accept limitations placed on Black girls from working-class neighborhoods.” 

That determination carried her to Marquette University, where she earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in corporate communication. And as college expanded her opportunities, it also deepened her understanding of herself.

“My baseline is Black,” Dennison said. “Going to a predominantly white institution challenged me in ways I didn’t expect.”

The experience sharpened her sense of identity and reinforced her commitment to community. 

After graduation, she worked in youth programming at Highland Community School before moving into research and evaluation work, spending more than three years helping organizations measure impact and communicate results.

By many standards she had achieved what she once envisioned: the professional career, the office, the stability.

Before eventually leaving her job, Dennison began to build a different kind of foundation. She purchased her first duplex in 2021 and another in 2023, creating a measure of financial stability through real estate. Those investments would later give her the freedom to take a risk on herself.

When her position was eliminated in late 2025, Dennison spent months grieving, recalibrating and considering her next move. She applied for jobs and was rejected multiple times. 

Eventually, she stopped seeing those rejections as setbacks and started viewing them as redirection.

“I’ve never felt so free,” she said. “I’ve never felt so autonomous. I’ve never felt so grounded.”

My Kousin’s House

Out of uncertainty came My Kousin’s House.

Part community gathering space, part learning hub and part social experiment. Dennison describes it as an “intergenerational third space focused on full-family literacy.”

The concept grew from observations she had made throughout her life.

She said she noticed how children often miss opportunities to learn from elders. She also noticed how adults frequently stop learning altogether and how conversations in modern life often stay on the surface.

Most importantly, she recognized her own role as a bridge.

At 28, childless, but deeply connected to both younger and older generations, Dennison often found herself translating between worlds.

“There is a bridge that is absolutely needed between young people and elders,” she said.

She wants My Kousin’s House to become that bridge.

“It’s an intergenerational space where there’s gonna be joy, fun and some type of education,” said Melody McCurtis, who attended an event. “So, whether that’s learning about animals, urban farming or like hydroponics or political education, we learn from these events about how we show up, not only as individuals, but how we interact with each other.” 

McCurtis is the deputy director of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, a group that serves Metcalfe Park residents through a series of events, services and campaigns. 

Events blend entertainment with meaningful conversation. So far, participants have gathered for a “Grey’s Anatomy”-themed trivia night, a community spelling bee and a discussion and dance party inspired by “Black Is King,” a film by Beyonce. 

Future events will explore topics ranging from natural hair care and gardening to Black history and food justice, she said.

“I don’t want to talk about the weather,” Dennison said. “I want to talk about how you carry grief.”

Wose has attended every event. He said each one was a fun learning experience that helped him meet new people. 

He said the spelling bee had good vibes and a lot of laughter. 

“I can’t spell that well, I add or miss a letter here and there, but it helped me see that everybody’s still learning because I wasn’t the only person who was messing up. But all adults, right?” Wose said.  

Dennison’s vision extends beyond children. She believes that literacy and lifelong learning must include entire families, especially in a city where educational disparities have persisted for generations.

“If the babies can’t read, there are already adults outside the scope of the solutions,” she said. “How do we invite parents into those conversations without shame?”

The answer, she believes, is community.

“In a neighborhood like Metcalfe Park where we are seeing so many changes, it’s a great space to have,” said McCurtis.

Rejecting narratives about Milwaukee

While Dennison acknowledges many of the city’s challenges, she said she rejects narratives that paint Milwaukee solely through the lens of struggle. Instead, she sees a city filled with people who invested in her success and taught her the importance of returning the favor.

“I was raised on lift as we climb,” she said. “Each one teach one.”

It is not simply a series of events. It is an attempt to create the kind of community Dennison believes many people are searching for: a place where learning feels joyful, where generations learn from one another and where meaningful conversation becomes a form of care.

“It’s an inviting space with good vibes and great banana bread,” Wose said. 

The project remains young. Attendance varies. Funding is pieced together through donations, side jobs, tutoring, dance coaching, evaluation contracts and even homemade banana bread sales.

Still, Dennison keeps going.

Every event, every conversation, every gathering feels like proof that people are hungry for connection.

“When I think about isolation or loneliness or individualism and safeguardness, those are all the things that intergenerational third spaces are combating,” McCurtis said. “It allows us to communicate and allow things to land in a way that feels safe and like home.” 

Despite the positive feedback Dennison’s gotten about her efforts, fear remains, she admits. So does the uncertainty.

But so does the conviction.

“I just decided,” Dennison said. “Nobody gave me permission. Nobody handed me anything. I just decided.”

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To learn more about My Kousin’s House, you can follow Dennison’s personal account or My Kousin’s House on Instagram.

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Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

How Koren Dennison is building an intergenerational third space in Milwaukee is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Scott Rosenberg and Heather Toman did not expect to own a vegetable farm in Wisconsin. Toman was born in New Mexico, and Rosenberg spent the first two decades of his career in the insurance industry. 

Now, as the owners of Full Circle Community Farm in Seymour, they’re considered some of the best organic farmers in the Midwest, and they’re helping expand a community dedicated to sustainable farming. 

Rosenberg quit his high-paying job to get an associate’s degree in sustainable farming at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College. There he met Valerie Dantoin, who encouraged him to rent a quarter acre of her land to grow vegetables. 

“A midlife crisis is really what it kind of came down to, but instead of buying a sports car, I took a gigantic pay decrease,” Rosenberg joked. 

After getting her master’s degree in biology at Northern Michigan University, Toman met Rosenberg and established Full Circle Community Farm in 2017, along with Andrew Adamski. 

“It’s a continuous learning curve,” Toman said. “It never is really going to end – us learning and improving. We figure out new things every year.

Collaboration in action

The vegetable farm started on the family land of Rick Adamski and Dantoin, who own an organic pork and beef farm that Full Circle Community Farm partners with. Marbleseed named the group of five its Organic Farmers of the Year for 2024 for their sustainable practices.

Rosenberg and Toman now farm between 12 and 15 acres at peak season. Their Community Supported Agriculture program serves 250 people during the summer, delivering boxes of fresh produce to customers in Green Bay, De Pere and Appleton. 

“Another way to look at it is in 2017-2018, for our cold storage, we were utilizing a donated refrigerator, and now we have a 20-foot by 30-foot walk-in cooler,” Rosenberg said. “So things have slowly changed over the years.”

They help run the SLO Farmers Co-op, a group of seven independent family farms in northeast Wisconsin that cooperate to provide food to local schools and restaurants. All of the farms are committed to organic and sustainable practices.

“Corn, soy farmers, you know, at the end of the day, they’re farmers like I am, so I have respect for them and what they do, and they can farm how they want,” Rosenberg said. “It’s important to me that I’m recognizing the migratory birds that are coming through the area, and the deer that sometimes eat my vegetables, just having buffer zones by the creek of trees, and planting additional trees in there that are native to the area.” 

Rosenberg gave a public tour of the farm on Sunday, June 7, as part of the Summer Farm Crawl hosted by the Lake to Bay chapter of the Wisconsin Farmers Union. Rosenberg showed their greenhouses and some of his equipment, like an Allis-Chalmers Model G tractor that he modified to be an electric vehicle using a golf cart motor.

“Even though I’m not an engine guy, I figured if I just started taking bolts off the engine, it would eventually fall off, and it did … I can get about six hours of operation off that battery, which is more than I need in a single day,” Rosenberg said.

Building community

Full Circle Community Farm also provides a “worker share” option for its CSA, in which members work a shift each week in exchange for a large box of produce. These workers have grown into some of their most valued employees. 

“People just find us, and they have been a huge, huge blessing,” Rosenberg said. “We’ve had some worker shares that have been with us for four or five years now, and they just love their little four-hour slice of coming out here once a week and getting their hands dirty and doing something different.”

The farm also takes on interns through NWTC, training people of many experience levels. 

“We’ll bring people on with zero skills and patiently work with them,” Rosenberg said. “I just get a kick out of working with people and teaching them things, and just seeing the wonder on their faces that sometimes I don’t always feel, so I feel like that’s pretty unique.”

Amber Borealis started as a worker share about eight years ago. She moved onto the property during the COVID-19 pandemic and is now working full time as the farm’s pack shed manager. She’s impressed by how much they’ve been able to expand the farm over the years, including building the pack shed and three high tunnel greenhouses.

“When I started, they had one field,” Borealis said. “So just getting to see how much they can grow and how much community support they’ve had and how much they’ve supported the community in return has been really awesome.” 

Transitioning to farm life wasn’t always easy – Borealis was born in Virginia and trained as a glassblower in college — but Rosenberg and Toman were always game for her to try new things. 

“This past year I learned how to drive a tractor, which is not something I ever thought I’d do in my life … It’s terrifying the first time,” Borealis said. “It is a very large piece of equipment. It’s very loud. You feel very exposed, even if you’re in a cab, because it’s all glass. But it’s really fun, and this is the first year that the plants we’re harvesting are things I planted driving the tractor.” 

Borealis said she’s found an important sense of community living on the farm, especially since her family lives far away on the East and West coasts. 

“It’s nice having the little shelter and little group of friends who feel like family here,” Borealis said. “If I’m having a bad day, I can absolutely lean on Scott or Heather. And then if I’m having a really good day, they will absolutely support me and be like, ‘Yes, you did it!’” 

This story is part of Meet a Neighbor, an ongoing feature series focused on the people who make a difference in northeastern Wisconsin. Know someone we should spotlight? Nominate them here.

Seymour farmers build organic farming community in northeast Wisconsin is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

As school lets out for students across Wisconsin, more time will be spent at home, and many families will look to prepare quick and affordable meals.

“During the summer, many families experience disruptions to their normal routines, which can make healthy eating more difficult,” said Carmen Baldwin, community nutrition manager for the Hunger Task Force. 

Disruptions in healthy food habits during the summer include increased grocery costs and less structured meal times, which lead to unhealthy snacking, limited access to healthy foods and more.

Here are some tips and recipes to try with your family over the summer.

Simple at-home recipes

According to Children’s Wisconsin, children should eat three meals and approximately one to three snacks a day. 

In case you’re looking for healthy meal ideas, Baldwin and community nutrition educator Leah Kostos manage a collection of recipes with the Hunger Task Force, which includes foods like vegetable lo mein, parmesan chicken burgers, chili pasta and more. 

When making healthy food choices, Baldwin suggests paying attention to serving size, added sugars, sodium and fiber on the nutrition labels as a guide.

“A simple tip is to compare similar products and choose the option that has more fiber and less added sugar and sodium,” she said.

Baldwin also encourages families to ensure children stay hydrated since weather will be warmer and activity is increased. 

“Water, milk and fruits with high water content help prevent dehydration,” Baldwin said. 

Foods with calcium, electrolytes, vitamin D and iron serve as an additional support for growth and staying full and active during the day.

For more balanced meals with fruits, vegetables, grains and protein, click here to view the Hunger Task Force’s full collection of recipes.

Making mindful food choices

Bridgett Wilder, founder of Perseverance Health & Wellness Coaching and nutritionist contracted with the Milwaukee County for nutrition and behavioral health programs, wants adults and children to understand why they eat the way they do. 

“A lot of the time when we have a cultural preference, that’s sometimes associated with highly salted foods, soul food and other recipes,” Wilder said. “I’m more about sustaining a healthy lifestyle.”

To help create positive experiences around food, Wilder takes existing recipes and transforms them into something healthier. 

“If we’re making greens, we can stop putting pork in it and add smoked turkey instead,” she said. “It’s like tweaking it to keep people engaged in healthy eating and also having people still enjoy food that’s culturally relevant.”

Click here to watch Wilder make healthy recipes like sweet heat potatoes, watermelon cucumber salad and banana pudding parfait. 

For nutrition education, collaborative menu planning, emotional eating support and other nutrition and behavioral services, Wilder can be emailed at perseverancewellness@gmail.com.

Wisconsin experts share meal ideas and tips for families during summer break is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Inside a classroom at Milwaukee Marshall High School, the sound of Lego bricks clicking together filled the room as children leaned over tables covered with colorful pieces and half-finished builds.

As they pieced together their creations, Nealita Nelson, the instructor behind the popular Milwaukee Recreation Lego classes, moved from desk to desk encouraging students to keep building. 

Nelson, a Milwaukee native known online as “Builds by Nene,” began teaching Lego-building classes through MKE Rec after appearing on Season 4 of Fox’s “LEGO Masters” in 2023 alongside her brother, Paul Wellington.

Jeff McAvoy, whose 7-year-old son has been attending Nelson’s classes since they began two years ago, expressed his admiration for her teaching style. 

“It comes down to a simple shared interest in Lego and building, but she approaches it with such care and interest in what each of the kids are doing,” McAvoy said.

Nelson’s classes are typically divided by age groups, welcoming everyone from young children to adult builders:

• LEGO Open Build (Designed for ages 3+): Focuses on beginner basics, open building zones and simple challenges.
• LEGO Adventures: Encourages participants to step outside their comfort zones with complex, guided builds.
• Learning LEGO (Designed for ages 13 to adults): Covers the history of Lego, advanced building techniques and creative design.

For Nelson, Lego-building classes are about much more than play or building toys.

“I see the need for help, and I see the need to get these kids out from in front of screens,” Nelson said. “I feel like it was my duty to give back to my community that helped me when I was younger.”

Raised on Milwaukee’s North Side, Nelson and Wellington spent a lot of their childhood building together, before their almost 10-year age gap inevitably drew them apart.

Their close relationship became an advantage on “LEGO Masters,” where the siblings advanced in the competition, becoming third-place finalists.

“We’re both very different people. It helps bring out our best qualities and we’re able to work together well,” said Wellington, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee alum. “I’m very timid. She pushed me to believe in myself and that led us to succeed.”

The siblings competed again, this time internationally, on “LEGO Masters: Grand Masters of the Galaxy” in Australia in 2025. They also were the first all-Black team in the U.S. version of “LEGO Masters” to win a challenge.

Nelson said they intentionally incorporated a few references to the city and state into their builds throughout the competitions.

“When we were doing the TV shows, we tried to incorporate something from Milwaukee or something that symbolizes Wisconsin as a whole,” Nelson said. “In the first episode, we did the dairy boat.”

While Nelson currently works in health care, she continues to build her public identity through her social media presence and Lego-building classes with MKE Rec.

“I felt like this was my calling, this is my passion. I love Lego,” Nelson said.

Registration for Nelson’s summer Lego-building sessions are open now until the first week of classes on June 22. You can register here.

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Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

Nealita Nelson is building community one Lego brick at a time is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

One Milwaukee organization is working to remove barriers that keep Black children and adults, especially beginners, from experiencing golf. 

We Black We Golf was created after one of its founders was stared down by a white guy and responded with, “Yes, we Black and we golf!”

“Golf is not just a game of exclusivity,” said Richard Badger, director and golf mentor of We Black We Golf, a social organization that introduces Black individuals to golfing through clinics, community outings and mentorship without competition.

“We are open to everyone, but we’re intentional about serving our primary demographic.”

Experiencing a typical session

During its clinics, We Black We Golf invites individuals to a golf course and provides them with equipment to learn the basics, like how to hold and swing a golf club before introducing the ball.

After people determine if it’s a sport they would enjoy and like to continue with, We Black We Golf helps them find their first set of affordable golf clubs. 

“Most clubs aren’t made the same, and most beginners buy the wrong ones from the wrong places,” Badger said.

Changing the perception of golf

According to Badger, the organization consists mainly of individuals who are 45 and up, but for the past two years, the organization has tried to attract younger people to the game. 

“We need to tap into the 20 to 35 age range, and Black women are the fastest-growing demographic coming into the game of recreational golf,” he said. 

Badger said fewer young people golf because of common misconceptions like it being a slow sport or too expensive and made for wealthy white men. 

He said he notices more celebrities participating in golf and is concerned about that misleading young people by making the sport look more expensive and inaccessible than it really is. 

“Many of the celebrities are being endorsed by companies,” he said. “DJ Khaled has a golf bag over $30k, which is not realistic for somebody in your demographic and does a disservice to the game.”

However, Badger is glad to see that younger people in Milwaukee are being drawn to local places like Luxe Golf Bays and Topgolf Swing Suite. 

Another thing that hinders new golfers and keeps them from travel opportunities, he said, is that they feel they’re not competent enough for the game. 

Badger wants individuals to know that golf is all about celebrating your victories.

“In other sports, like basketball, you talk about the errors and shots you missed, but in golf you talk about your makes,” he said.

Creating exposure for younger generations

Among the participants of We Black We Golf is Ti-mara Minefee-Tribble, a 53208 resident who got involved by attending a clinic with her husband in 2021.

“I’m not very athletically inclined and I didn’t want something where I had to run or join a league,” she said. “When golfing, we got to sit, play music, enjoy drinks and have a dope experience.” 

Eventually, Minefee-Tribble got her son Chandler Tribble, 21, involved with the organization. 

“He took to the game like a fish to water,” Badger said.

Minefee-Tribble said her son enjoyed golf so much he bought his own clubs with allowance money.

“He was so interested in the sport that he joined the golf team at his school, too,” she said. 

Chandler Tribble did additional things like take golf trips with his friends, assist Badger with mentoring and was a caddy driver. 

“My son has done the traditional things like football, basketball and playing the cello in orchestra, but to see him encounter something new and be comfortable with it touches my heart,” Minefee-Tribble said. 

She said parents should take more time and opportunities to expose their children to other things, including golf. 

Badger said he would love to see more Black children play golf, particularly Black girls because of opportunities for scholarships.

“About $50 million in scholarships are returned in the golf space because they don’t have enough minority girls to reward those scholarships to,” he said. 

Badger believes many Black children don’t play golf because they’re not exposed to it enough. 

“Many of their parents and grandparents don’t watch or play golf, so the child isn’t introduced to it,” he said. 

Others might try but not continue if they struggle at first.  He wants them to keep trying.

More than just a sport

Badger emphasizes that golfing is a good networking space to build relationships and gain opportunities that would be harder to achieve in traditional settings like offices. 

“Golfing is not just a leisure activity, it can be a professional skill and become your extended office,” he said. “People get country club memberships to host staff meetings there, too.”

A year ago, We Black We Golf partnered with Kwabena Antoine Nixon, an author and community activist, to host a business networking event called “The Build Up.”

Residents gathered for the event at Garfield’s 502, a restaurant and tavern in the Halyard Park neighborhood, to enjoy golf games, live music, food and more. 

Nixon said although he isn’t an avid golfer, the conversations held around him during the event stood out the most. 

“In a golf setting you can make deals with people and talk about things that elevate you as a person within that group,” he said. 

Nixon said he appreciated how We Black We Golf created a safe space for the Black community in the sport while preserving Black culture. 

“I love when Black folks get into something and we turn it into something,” he said. “That event became a gathering congregation spot where people were golfing but building, too.”

With over 20 years of golf experience, Badger has always kept his confidence and hopes that other generations will do the same. 

“I own every room I walk in when it comes to golf,” Badger said. 

---

For more information

We Black We Golf hosts various clinics throughout the year.

The children’s golf clinic is free and consists of learning basic techniques.

It’s generally held at Noyes Park Golf Course, 8235 Good Hope Road, in late July, and equipment is provided.  

Sunday Fundays are free monthly golf clinics held at 9 a.m. at Lincoln Park Golf Course, 1000 W. Hampton Ave., for all skill levels. 

The next clinic is scheduled for June 14. Click here to view dates for other upcoming clinics. 

During winter, We Black We Golf hosts an eight-week clinic that includes 16 hours of instruction and three virtual classes.

The cost for this clinic is $450 but can be paid in installments. 

If you are interested in becoming a part of We Black We Golf, click here to fill out an application.

Milwaukee’s We Black We Golf is changing who feels welcome on the course is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

The post Celebrating the Power of the Sun appeared first on RENEW Wisconsin.

Reading Time: 5 minutes

After 35 years renting her home, a leaky and unkept roof forced Farina Brooks and her husband to move into a hotel.  

It wasn’t a rash decision. For three years, Brooks said, she pleaded with the property management company to fix the roof as water damage spread and conditions inside the home worsened. 

City inspectors eventually came, issuing citations and fines. Still, she said, little changed.

“We kept getting the runaround,” Brooks said.

Eventually, she and her husband entered Milwaukee’s rent abatement program. Even that failed to improve conditions, she said.

Now, she said, the couple is burning through their savings to pay for a hotel room while searching for stable housing in an increasingly expensive rental market.

Brooks said the situation was not always this way. 

“For the 30 years or so (the landlord) was good, you know, she handled things,” she said. 

But in recent years, she said she learned the woman had developed dementia and was placed under a conservatorship, a change Brooks believes coincided with the property’s decline.

Her story reflects a growing frustration shared by many Milwaukee tenants confronting deteriorating housing conditions and asking a question that local officials hear constantly: Why can’t the city force landlords to fix problems with their properties?

City response is limited

According to Milwaukee City Attorney Evan Goyke, the answer lies in a complicated mix of state law, property rights and limited local authority that has steadily narrowed the city’s oversight powers on rental housing during the past decade.

The city has powers to do certain things, but not others, Goyke said. 

“The federal government can limit what states can do, and the states can limit what municipal governments can do.”

State Sen. Dora Drake said Wisconsin law requires landlords to maintain rental properties, including making necessary structural and plumbing repairs and complying with local housing codes. But, she said, tenants often face barriers when conditions deteriorate.

“Under most circumstances, a tenant may not refuse to pay rent entirely unless the conditions are so poor as to force a tenant to move out,” Drake said. “If the conditions in the rental premises are poor where the tenant’s health or safety is affected, or the tenant is unable to use part of the premises, the tenant is entitled to reduce the amount of rent proportionately.”

Much of Milwaukee’s housing enforcement is controlled by Wisconsin state law, particularly by legislation passed between 2013 and 2017 that limited how municipalities regulate rental housing.

One major change, specifically state statute 66.0104, pushed cities into complaint-driven inspection systems – meaning inspectors cannot proactively inspect properties for violations unless someone files a complaint.

“The Department of Neighborhood Services can’t just walk up and down the street and say, ‘That house, that house, that house,’ ” Goyke said.

Instead, the city relies heavily on tenants and neighbors to report unsafe conditions to the Department of Neighborhood Services.

Drake said the current system leaves too many renters vulnerable before problems are addressed.

“We need more accountability measures and preventative measures and standards to prevent those situations from getting so bad with tenants,” she said.

Complaint-based enforcement

When tenants report unsafe conditions, Department of Neighborhood Services inspectors investigate and may issue written orders that require repairs within a specified time frame.

If the violations are not addressed, the city can issue citations and pursue penalties in municipal court. Unpaid judgments can eventually become liens on the property.

But that process can take a long time, especially for a city balancing thousands of complaints with limited staff and funding, according to Goyke.

He said many residents get frustrated because they expect immediate intervention.

The city can escalate serious or repeated violations into lawsuits in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. In extreme cases, courts can appoint a receiver to take over management of a property.

Under receivership, a court-appointed manager can collect rent and use it to make repairs if a landlord has failed to maintain safe conditions.

“It’s a very heavy hammer for the landlord,” Goyke said. “Somebody else is going to step in and fix (the properties) for you.”

Tenant fears and limited options

Housing advocates have long argued that complaint-driven enforcement creates another problem: potential retaliation or displacement of tenants. 

Many tenants won’t report poor conditions out of fear.

Goyke said those fears are real, particularly for tenants living in severely deteriorated buildings who worry they could lose housing if the property is condemned.

“I feel terrible that people are placed in a position where they feel they need to live in unsafe conditions because it does beat living outside,” he said.

He encouraged tenants to report violations to DNS and to explore programs such as rent withholding and rent abatement.

Under Milwaukee’s rent withholding program, tenants continue paying rent, but the money is held by the Department of Neighborhood Services until repairs are completed. Rent abatement, meanwhile, allows tenants to reduce rent payments when serious conditions affect habitability.

Legal and service organizations, including the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee, Legal Action of Wisconsin and Community Advocates, can help tenants understand their rights and options.

Property rights and bad landlords

Residents also frequently question why landlords with poor track records are still able to purchase additional properties, Goyke said.

Goyke said cities generally cannot interfere in private property transactions unless the city has a legal interest in the property, such as unpaid taxes or code enforcement judgments.

“If we do not have an interest in the property, we can’t stop it,” he said.

That limitation stems from long-standing American property rights protections, he added.

“It is not a shortcoming of some ordinance that could be tweaked,” Goyke said. “That question goes to core property rights in America.”

Drake said she has co-authored proposals aimed at expanding rent abatement protections and shielding renters from landlord retaliation.

 “We know it happens,” Drake said. “Whether it’s Berrada or other properties that are known to have these stories, those are things that we can do.”

Berrada Properties owns more than 8,000 units and has been named in lawsuits by both tenants and the city attorney. 

Drake also said the state should expand access to legal representation for tenants facing eviction or living in unsafe housing.

“We can create an office of civil legal aid to provide a right to appointment of counsel at the state’s expense for tenants in eviction actions,” she said.

Community action

Brooks said she was pushed to leave her home by her daughter and several local community leaders. 

“They told me you cannot live here,” she said. “The final straw for me was when water started coming in through the light fixtures.” 

Brooks said community leader Ajamou Butler shared a post about her situation that garnered support from the community and helped pay for her first several days in the hotel. 

She said local leaders including Butler, Vaun Mayes and state Rep. Sequanna Taylor have supported her through the move. Metcalfe Park Community Bridges and Community Advocates have supported her search for accountability and a new home. 

“It was hard accepting help, but it reminded me of how the community shows up,” Brooks said. “This made me worry for the people that don’t know who to call or have people to show up.” 

Goyke encouraged residents to vote and stay engaged politically and also emphasized on-the-ground organizing and collective action to address housing issues.

He pointed to local organizations like Common Ground, the Community Development Alliance and the RON Coalition as examples of groups working to improve housing conditions.

“There’s a lot more that people can do individually that make an impact,” he said.

Goyke described a boarded-up house on his own block that has sat vacant for years, saying neighbors could potentially organize fundraising efforts to help support redevelopment.

“Don’t wait for somebody else to solve your problems,” he said. “There’s a ton of energy in trying to figure out how to do this, and it’s a great time for people to get involved.” 

Drake said stronger tenant protections are part of the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus agenda this year.

“We know that at the state level, we need to do more to ensure that we’re protecting tenants’ rights,” she said.

Policies make it harder for Milwaukee tenants to demand repairs is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Milwaukee’s homelessness crisis is growing more visible, but advocates say there are still signs of progress. 

A few years ago, Milwaukee leaders said the city was on track to end family homelessness. Since then, the number of people who are homeless has grown. Organizations on the front lines and others working on the issue still say Milwaukee has quietly become an example of how coordinated prevention efforts can work during a larger national crisis. 

“When we talk about ending family homelessness, it doesn’t mean no family will ever experience homelessness,” said Krystina Kohler, impact manager at United Way of Greater Milwaukee & Waukesha County. “It means we’ve built a system that can respond quickly, prevent homelessness when possible, and rapidly connect families back to stable housing.”

Rising homelessness

Data collected through the Milwaukee Coalition on Housing and Homelessness shows more people are entering Milwaukee’s homeless service programs than exit it.

The 765 people who entered homeless service programs in 2025  had been without stable housing for an average of 88 days; 77% were homeless for the first time.

Ten percent became homeless again within a year.

According to David Nelson, chair of the Milwaukee Coalition on Housing and Homelessness, the totals include people living in shelters and those sleeping in cars, abandoned buildings or other places not meant for habitation. 

“On any given day, we have 750 shelter beds in our city,” Nelson said. “Beginning in November through the end of March, we have an additional approximate 250 shelter beds, which (are) our winter warming rooms.”

Even with the extra capacity, he said beds are almost always full. 

Nelson said official homelessness figures fail to capture the full scope of housing instability because many people who temporarily stay with friends or relatives are not counted until those arrangements end.

“What we don’t count (are) people who are doubling up,” he explained. “If you let me stay on your couch through the winter, it’s not counted as homelessness. But the minute you say, ‘You gotta go,’ suddenly I become homeless.”

Sister MacCanon Brown is president and CEO of MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary. She said her organization’s welcome center at 2461 W. Center St., which distributes clothing, food and household necessities and offers showers to people in need, saw 4,600 people in 2025.

Why homelessness is increasing

Most people leaving homeless service programs have no documented housing destination, making it difficult to know whether they are securing stable housing or eventually returning to homelessness, Nelson said. The percentage of people transitioning into permanent or temporary housing remains mostly unchanged.

Nelson said the end of pandemic-era federal housing assistance contributed to the rise in homelessness.

“During the Biden-Harris administration, we were sheltering people in hotels, and that was paid for by the federal government,” he said. “That funding is no longer there, and so you can see this gradual increase and then the spike in the number of people having to go back to homelessness.”

Other economic pressures are pushing more residents toward instability, especially low-income renters already struggling with rising housing costs.

“The people who are most squeezed are the people who are most vulnerable,” Nelson said. “Those at the lower ends of the economic spectrum are sometimes paying 50% and 60% of their income just to keep an apartment.”

People over 65 are now the fastest-growing age group entering Milwaukee’s homeless services system.

“It’s the fastest growing population in the country,” Nelson said. “If they go on Social Security, they are suddenly on a fixed income. The numbers don’t meet.”

Kohler said senior homelessness is becoming a major concern for local providers.

“Older adults experiencing homelessness for the first time in their lives is something that should never happen in our community,” she said. “They’re often widowed, on fixed incomes and one emergency away from losing housing.”

NNS has reported on housing crises among younger adults and families and seniors recently. 

Kohler said she hopes homelessness initiatives expand beyond families to include seniors, single adults and people exiting facilities.

Nelson added that eviction records can trap people in long-term instability.

“The eviction stays on their record for a long time,” Nelson said. “Landlords can use CCAP and see there was a legal proceeding against them. Suddenly they’re charged first, last and middle month’s rent.”

Brown said that many of the housing unstable people she sees were renters. 

“The lack of landlord regulation, the evictions and the prices have a lot to do with increased homelessness,” she said. “Some type of landlord regulation is crucial in keeping people housed.”

There have been assumptions by some that homelessness may be tied to migration from outside the city. But nearly everyone enrolled in Milwaukee’s homeless services programs during 2024 and 2025 was from Milwaukee County, according to local data.

Prevention efforts have worked

Kohler said Milwaukee’s prevention efforts increasingly focus on helping families before they lose housing entirely.

“We’re trying to get ahead of the trauma of homelessness,” she said. “Sometimes a family just needs help with a car repair, utility bill or mediation with a landlord before a housing crisis begins.”

She pointed to partnerships with schools and even animal welfare organizations as part of Milwaukee’s early intervention strategy.

“If a family is surrendering a pet because of housing instability, we can now connect them to services immediately,” Kohler said. “That’s a unique approach here.”

Though homelessness overall has risen, Kohler said Milwaukee has seen family homelessness remain relatively stable, or even decline, compared with many similar cities nationwide.

“Nationwide, family homelessness has increased dramatically, but Milwaukee is one of the only peer cities that has stayed relatively flat or even slightly decreased,” she said. “That’s because of intentional investments in prevention services and rapid rehousing.”

Working together to address homelessness

Organizations across the city continue working together through the Milwaukee Coalition on Housing and Homelessness, which includes nonprofits, universities, faith organizations, outreach teams and local government agencies coordinating resources and services.

“We have a really rich and robust system in our city,” Nelson said. “Homelessness is not a choice. It’s not something people choose to be in.”

Kohler said Milwaukee’s coordinated response system has become a model for other communities.

“Right now, there are no families on the literal homelessness list searching for shelter,” she said. “If a family is identified as needing emergency shelter, they should have immediate access to beds.”

She said Milwaukee’s collaborative approach deserves more recognition.

“The providers here are doing amazing work,” Kohler said. “Other communities are reaching out to Milwaukee to model what we’re doing.”

Kohler said Milwaukee’s response shows progress is possible even during a growing national housing crisis.

“Milwaukee is actually an example of success inside a larger crisis,” she said. “There’s still tremendous need, but we’ve shown that prevention and rapid response can work.”

She encouraged residents facing housing instability to seek help early by calling 211 and connecting with local support services before a crisis escalates.

“Keep calling and keep advocating for yourself,” Kohler said. “Sometimes resources open up quickly, and that early connection can prevent homelessness entirely.”

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

Milwaukee homelessness rises despite some prevention successes is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.

Reading Time: 4 minutes

In 2018, Griselda Solis de Drucker was dealing with the end of her 30-year marriage and decided to get away from her native Argentina to visit an uncle living in the Madison area. 

She had planned on saving up some money and returning to Argentina. But something unexpected happened: she fell in love. 

“We were both broken,” Solis de Drucker said through a translator. “We found each other and we were then the perfect pair.”

The two were married in 2020 and began to settle into their new life together, intermingling their families. Solis de Drucker found work as a school custodian in Middleton. But there was just one problem — Solis de Drucker wasn’t an American citizen, living with the uncertainty of where to call home. 

So in 2023, she began the process of becoming a United States citizen. 

Years of hard study and patience paid off in March, when Solis de Drucker joined 40 other people to become some of the country’s newest citizens in a ceremony in Madison. They came from 20 different countries, including Algeria, Canada, China, Ecuador, India, Iraq, Russia and Thailand. 

Under President Donald Trump, delays and denials for citizenship applications are growing, according to NPR and the American Immigration Council.

Nevertheless, thousands continue to become citizens in ceremonies around the country. 

Naturalization ceremonies are held in Milwaukee and, more recently, Madison, a few times a year. Despite the gloomy weather, the Madison ceremony in March was a joyous occasion, as friends and family packed the courthouse to watch their loved ones take the next step. 

For Solis de Drucker, citizenship is an answer to a prayer.

“I’ve always been Christian, going to Christian church, and I like to help the young people,” she said. “And so I asked God, if it was safe, I would stay, and if not, I’d go away.”

‘Tremulous time’

U.S. District Judge William Conley, who administered the oath for the new citizens, acknowledged in opening remarks from the bench that it’s a precarious time for immigrants living in the U.S. as the federal government works to deport people living here illegally.

“This is a tremulous time in our history when some seem to be forgetting that immigrants are the very lifeblood of our country, far away benefiting,” he said, prompting a round of applause. 

He joked he doesn’t usually allow applause in his courtroom, before adding: “Immigrants, far and away, benefit our country more than any cost some may impose. The economics of this is really beyond dispute.”

After Conley’s remarks, the new citizens swore an oath of allegiance to the United States, promising to defend the Constitution and the country’s laws, serve in the military if required and “perform work of national importance” when required. 

The ceremony lasted a little over 20 minutes. Afterwards, the new citizens took photos with their families in front of the judge’s bench and next to a flag.

Among them is Jeanne d’Arc Wydeven, who immigrated to the United States in 2013 from Rwanda. She said the process of becoming a citizen was difficult because of all the paperwork. 

“You have to make sure there are no mistakes. If there is a mistake, it may cause delays,” she said. “You have to be really careful not to miss anything, because your application may be rejected.”

Until this day in March, there was always an uncertainty hanging over her life, she said.

“It can be stressful not knowing where you stand,” she said. “You cannot travel. There is some work you cannot do because you are not a citizen. So it means to me, like freedom to do what I want to do and focus on achieving the dream.”

With her citizenship secured, she is especially looking forward to one new power: voting. 

“That is exciting,” d’Arc Wydeven said. “And also being able to serve as a citizen if I’m needed. That is also exciting, because sometimes, you want to help, but you can’t, because you are not a citizen.”

Responsibility and freedom

Solis de Drucker has her own definition of what it means to be a good American. 

“Be a respectful person, helping in any way you can,” she said through a translator with the Literacy Network, where she took English classes. “The first thing that will help everyone is God. This is the direction and the way to become a good citizen.”

She said she feels both a sense of relief and responsibility that comes with her new status. She’s looking forward to voting and doing more work with her church, perhaps traveling to other countries on missionary trips. 

Her citizenship could also make it easier for her children to obtain a visa to come visit — and potentially pave the way for them to become legal citizens. 

She talks to her adult children every day on the phone, and she said the hardest part of living in America for her is that separation.

“It’s hard not to see your kids grow,” she said. 

With the blending of her American and Argentine families, she feels deep ties to both countries and could see herself living in either place. After becoming  a citizen, she celebrated with her family and friends at Toro Y Pampa, an Argentine restaurant in Middleton.

But when asked if she will call her children later in the day, she says the celebratory call will have to wait. Another American custom comes first.

“I need to work,” she said.

New citizens feel responsibility and freedom after taking oath of citizenship is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.