“I like to say I am Mississippi-made, California-cultivated, and Midwest-matured. Photos by Lovell Richardson I’ve always had a big personality and been outspoken. Growing up my friends looked to me to be a leader. When I was in grade school, I knew I would be the voice for people who couldn’t speak for themselves. I …
“My faith in God is what really strengthens me.” Read More »
I was born in Chicago Heights, a Chicago suburb. When I was six years old, my family and I moved to Middleton, Wisconsin because my dad had a new job. Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd This was a huge culture shock and a tough experience for me. In Chicago Heights, I was around a lot …
The neighborhood I grew up on had a lot of green spaces. We were in the middle of Milwaukee but all around me, people were growing things. Photo by Jade Iseri-Ramos My great-grandmother had a garden four houses away from ours. Every spring, she would take her hoses out of the basement and attach them …
I write songs. That’s what I do. And it’s a job, so I drive around the country and sell those songs door to door like a vacuum cleaner salesman. Photo by Adam Blackbourn I was born just outside of Houston, Texas, but I don’t have any memories of Texas. Before I was able to be …
“Music always makes sense. That’s why I keep coming back to it.” Read More »
Every day, people are released from prison and return to communities across the state to rebuild their lives. Wisconsin has an incarceration rate of 676 per 100,000 people and, notably, imprisons Black men at a higher rate than any other state in America. The barriers people face when they are released can be overwhelming and are considered partially responsible …
“My mom came home in 2001 and that’s when my healing started.” Read More »
In this series, we are featuring the Odyssey Project, a University of Wisconsin humanities class for adult students facing economic barriers to college. With its whole family approach to breaking the cycle of generational poverty through access to education, this program has been transformational. Keena Atkinson is an alumna of Odyssey. They say whenever you …
“Our lives changed because our understanding changed.” Read More »
Dr. Bola: “My husband, Philips, got a job in the Paper Valley and we moved here 20 years ago. Photos by Megan Monday I’m a professor of multicultural education now, but at that time I was just finishing up my PhD from Penn State. Appleton appealed to me because I am a small-town person. I’m …
“It’s important for all of us to work towards acceptance.” Read More »
In recent decades, many of Wisconsin’s independent and local newspapers have folded or been absorbed by large media conglomerates that hollow them out and reduce local content. Ron’s story is part of a series that illustrates why local journalism matters and why we need journalists to confront our urgent local issues. I was always a …
“Local news is so important. It’s the glue that connects us.” Read More »
I went to Milwaukee Trade and Technical High School and during freshman year they had us take an exploratory shop class to decide the trade we wanted to spend the next three years learning. Photo courtesy of Tom Jenz They had an electronics shop, plumbing shop, carpentry shop, all these different shops. I didn’t know …
James Edward Mills of The Joy Trip Project worked with the National Forest Foundation to create The Black Men Northwoods Retreat. Below are stories from four of the men that were part of the trip to the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest. Photos takes by James Edward Mills I’m the world’s first African American diabetic to complete …
My mom was born in Detroit, but then my grandma moved the family to Racine, which is where I was born and raised. My grandma is a beautician. She created her own shop that she’s had for over 40 years. My mom became a beautician, as well. Photos by Hedi Lamarr Rudd My mother was …
Every day, people are released from prison and return to communities across the state to rebuild their lives. Wisconsin has an incarceration rate of 676 per 100,000 people and, notably, imprisons Black men at a higher rate than any other state in America. The barriers people face when they are released can be overwhelming and are considered partially responsible …
