Milwaukee Times Weekly Newspaper Digital Edition Issue May 4, 2023

AABN

hosts Community Convening for community-based doula training initiative

Foundation, 101 W. Pleasant St. This event brought together elected officials, families, health care providers, community/birth workers, and other stakeholders to weigh in on what changes they would like to see in maternal-infant care practices.

Dalvery Blackwell, AABN Executive Director said, “We’ve known for decades that the community-based model for doula care are most effective in black and indigenous communities of color. As a person recruited, trained, employed, and residing within the community, a doula provides unique support unmatched by other maternity, health, or social services."

In January, AABN partnered with HealthConnect One (HC One) to replicate its nationally recognized and evidence-based, community-based doula model. As part of this initiative nine people will complete a training-of-trainers (TOT) corse to learn how to facilitate the HC One model to teach others to become doulas.

GMUL and Molson Coors team up to help small business leaders with the Entrepreneurship Connection Program

The Greater Milwaukee Urban League (GMUL) and Molson Coors hosted "The Power of Capital," the latest in a series of events in the Entrepreneurship Connection Program, on Monday, April 24, 2023, at the University Club, 924 E. Wells St. Entrepreneurs from across the greater Milwaukee area gathered to hear from financial experts on raising capital to launch and sustain their business ventures. The program also features a radio show on 101.7 The Truth as well as 150 free memberships to the Lonely Entrepreneur, an online platform that provides support in a variety of areas to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses. Pictured at the event are (from left) BMO Bank Senior Manager Industry Verticals Denisse Pachuca; Associated Bank VP Business Loan Product Manager Ashley Lucas; Greater Milwaukee Urban League’s President and CEO Dr. Eve M. Hall; PNC Bank VP Community Development Banking Marquita Hicks; PNC Bank VP Business Banking Vanessa Sancha; and US Bank VP Business Banking Daniel Anthony.

Milwaukee celebrates '8th Annual Black Restaurant Week'

nal day of the "8th Annual Black Restaurant Week" with a brunch at Sam's Place. Black Restaurant Week is organized by BlankSpace MKE and offers an opportunity for Black-owned restaurants to reach new customers, create an avenue for patrons to support locally owned business, and also showcase great food that exists throughout the city. Besides Sam's Place, other restauraunts included: 1700 Pull Up, Belli's Bistro, Big Daddy's BBQ and Soul Food Restaurant, Brooks’ Balanced Kitchen, Brownstone Social Lounge, Buffalo Boss, Confectionately Yours Cafe, Crave BBQ, Cream City Sports Bar, Delicious Bites, Funky Fresh Spring Rolls, Grandma’s Hands, Happy Days Day Bar, Junior’s Smoked BBQ, Rise and Grind Cafe, Turning Tables Tavern & Eatery, and Twisted Plants.

Photo by Yvonne Kemp

Photo by Yvonne Kemp

Photo by Yvonne Kemp

On Thursday, April 27, 2023, he African American Breastfeeding Network (AABN) hosted a Community Convening meeting to share its plans to train and certify 21 people to become community-based doulas at the Greater Milwaukee

On Sunday April 30, 2023, Gamma Pi Sigma and Iota Psi Sigma Wisconsin Chapter Sorors of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Incorporated celebrated the fi-

Packers agree to $22.5-million contract extension for QB Jordan Love

The Green Bay Packers' new starting quarterback, Jordan Love, has agreed to a one-year contract extension with the Green Bay Packers, according to Adam Schefter.

ESPN's Schefter tweeted Tuesday, May 2, 2023, saying Love agreed to the one-year deal worth $22.5 million, including $13.5 million guaranteed. With the new deal, Love will be under contract with the Packers through the 2024 season.

The news comes eight days after Aaron Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets.

Love was drafted in round one of the 2020 NFL draft. That pick caused some drama within the Packers organization, Rodgers, and among fans.

Many Packers fans saw the pick as a sign that the team was moving on from Rodg-

ers. Others were simply confused by the choice.

After the pick, Rodgers made a comment on the situation saying he wasn't thrilled with the choice.

"The general reaction at first was surprise, like many

people. Not going to say I was thrilled by the pick, necessarily," said Rodgers in a conference call.

However, Rodgers' surprise grew into understanding as time went on. "I understand the organization is not thinking just about the present,

but the future, and I respect that," said the veteran Packers quarterback.

The two seemed to work together for the next few years, and now, it is time for Love to have his starting moment.

And not only will Love have a fresh new contract for the season, but he will have some new teammates as well.

Heading into the 2023 NFL Draft, one look at the Green Bay Packers' depth chart showed they must find additional playmakers for Love as he prepares to take over at quarterback.

It seems they may have done that. The Packers picked up two new wide receivers plus two tight ends, both positions that were in need of filling.

Since being drafted, Love has played in 10 games and has 606 passing yards. His pass completions sit around 60 percent and he has thrown three touchdown passes.

Milwaukee Public Schools proposed budget shows $19.1-million increase in school funding

Superintendent Posley is also proposing restoring revenue to the Construction Fund, to allow the district to continue to invest in school facilities.

Milwaukee Public School

(MPS) Superintendent Keith Posley has released the proposed budget for 2023-24, saying the focus remains on students and classrooms.

The budget, according to the district, is nearly $1.5-billion; 94 percent of those funds would be used to "educate and support the children of Milwaukee."

“In this proposed budget, Milwaukee Public Schools uses its resources wisely while offering the best educational opportunities possible for students,” said Dr. Posley. “Not only does the budget address the needs of students and staff for the next school year, it addresses the needs of the district in the future.”

Compared to last year's Amended Adopted Budget, the 2023-24 proposed budget shows a decrease of $372.1-million, or 19.9 percent. The district said this change is mostly due to a "decrease in the Categorical Fund caused by the expending of the ESSER I, ESSER II, and ESSER III revenues."

ESSER funding is the El-

ementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund grant program which was authorized under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act. It was grant money intended for COVID-19 response and preparation efforts.

MPS broke down the budget in a news release, noting the most significant changes

in the proposed budget. First, MPS proposed a $19.1-million increase in school funding.

Superintendent Posley is also proposing restoring revenue to the Construction Fund; that way, the district can continue to invest in school facilities. The proposed budget also includes

employee salary schedules and cost-of-living increases, changes that MPS says would help attract and retain staff.

Posley's budget also includes an increase in access to music, art, and physical education in schools. That proposal comes in response to a voter-approved referendum from 2020.

With the new deal, Love will be under contract with the Packers through the 2024 season.

CHILD WATCH

Gun violence takes a relentless toll in our nation. Every day more than 300 people are killed or injured by guns in the United States, and most of their stories never make the news at all. But this was yet another week when multiple gun tragedies made national headlines.

One of those tragedies started out as a celebration: Alexis Dowdell’s sweet 16 birthday party at a dance studio in Dadeville, AL on April 15. She and her family had been planning the party for months, and the dance floor was filled with young people and a DJ when gunfire broke out. More than 30 people were injured and four were killed, including Alexis’s older brother, 18-year-old Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell. Alexis remembered Phil pushing her to the ground to protect her in the chaos, but the next time she saw him he was lying in a pool of blood. She told an interviewer, “I got on my knees and he was laying face down. And that’s when I grabbed him. I

By: Marian Wright Edelman President of the Children's Defense Fund

It’s always the guns

turned him over, I was holding him. . . I was trying to be strong instead of panicking. And so I said, ‘You’re going to be all right, you’re a fighter, you’re strong'.” But Phil, a high school senior and star athlete who had a football scholarship to Jacksonville State University, was gone— along with another 17-yearold Dadeville High senior and two more young guests. Many of those injured remain hospitalized in serious condition.

The nonprofit Gun Violence Archive, which keeps track of mass shootings

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in the U.S., where four or more victims are killed or injured by guns, notes that there have been more than 165 mass shootings so far in 2023—more than one a day. On April 15 there were seven mass shootings, the most in a single day so far this year. So the devastating mass injuries and deaths at a birthday party that night were heartbreaking, but they were not unusual for America. But those stories about the “everyday” trauma and tragedy of mass shootings were also joined this week by the latest headlines about a series of “mistake” shootings.

On April 13 in Kansas City, MO, 16-year-old honors student and musician Ralph Yarl was shot in the head and arm after mistakenly ringing the wrong doorbell while trying to pick up his younger brothers from a friend’s home. The man who shot him said that when the 5’8”, 140-lb teenager came to his door, he looked out and saw a 6-foot-tall black man and felt “scared to death.” Instead of asking any questions he immediately shot Ralph through the locked glass storm door. Two days later in Hebron, NY, 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis was shot and killed after she and a group of friends mistakenly drove into the wrong home’s driveway. The young people, who were in a rural area with no cell phone service, had already realized their mistake and were trying to leave when the homeowner started firing on them, hitting Kaylin inside the car where she was sitting in the passenger seat. And on April 18 in Elgin, TX, two elite high school cheerleaders returning from practice were shot after one of them mistakenly opened the door to the wrong car in an H-E-B grocery store parking lot. Eighteen-yearold Payton Washington, who was planning to attend Baylor University in the fall on an acrobatic and tumbling scholarship and who had already overcome physical challenges after being born with only one lung, was airlifted to a hospital in critical condition with injuries to her spleen and other organs.

All of these only-in-America atrocities took place the very same week that many Republican politicians were attending the National Rifle Association’s annual convention to pledge their allegiance to the gun lobby. Reuters Pictures shared a series of photos from the convention of children as young as six and seven holding guns whose triggers barely fit their small hands as they pointed them at the camera. Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action, said afterwards in an interview, “Responsible gun owners and parents would not allow a child to put their finger on a firearm’s trigger while pointing it at other people—even if they’re props . . . It’s more clear than ever that the NRA’s goal was never to teach children about responsible gun handling but to market guns and gun extremism to a new generation.” But there is a large majority of Americans who favor common sense gun safety laws, who did not vote to put the NRA in charge of our national security, who are not grooming our own children and grandchildren to become gun extremists, and who do not want our children and grandchildren to be shot or killed because they attended a birthday party, recognized the wrong car in a parking lot, or accidentally drove to the wrong address. In our nation with more guns than people, we know we need to do something about the guns.

CHURCH LISTINGS ARE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER: ABIDING FAITH FELLOWSHIP B.C. to COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH OF GREATER MILWAUKEE

“Discover Your Abundant Faith”

Faith

CHURCH LISTINGS ARE IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER:

COMMUNITY OF GRACE BAPTIST

“We Print, Not JUST Copy”

Bulletin Board

Milwaukee Recreation honored for work with playfield renovations

Last month, Milwaukee Recreation was honored by the Wisconsin Chapter of the American Society of Landscape Architects (WiASLA) for work associated with its Dream Build Play initiative, which is transforming Milwaukee’s outdoor recreation landscape. The Merit Award recognized Milwaukee Recreation’s Equity Prioritization plan, while the Burnham Playfield renovation and Green Bay Playfield renovation received the Award of Excellence and Honor Award, respectively.

Milwaukee Recreation operates 52 playfields across the city of Milwaukee. The majority of these playfields were constructed in the first half of the 20th century. With no major upgrades in the past 50-plus years, time and use have taken their toll. Following a comprehensive assessment of all locations in 2014, it was determined that more than 60 percent of sites

were in fair to poor condition and no longer met the needs of the surrounding neighborhoods.

In 2016, Milwaukee Recreation developed a data-focused Equity Prioritization Model to highlight systemically disinvested communities, framing racial and economic inequity as drivers of where playfield investments should be directed. The rating system for the playfields uses a set of criteria, which includes a combination of neighborhood and population characteristics, as well as a facility condition score. A total of eight quantifiable criteria provide an equity prioritization index value for each playfield. Those identified as ‘most in need’ have been the priority projects for reconstruction.

The renovation of Burnham Playfield (1755 S. 32nd St.) was completed in the summer of 2022 and

included the removal of asphalt paving, the planting of shade trees, and installation of a new synthetic turf soccer field, walking paths, a new playground, and basketball courts. The wading pool at the playfield was also converted into a user-operated splash pad. Following the grand reopening, the playfield is now a bustling, dynamic, recreation area for the community.

In the fall of 2022, Green Bay Playfield (3818 N. 8th St.) underwent a comprehensive renovation which included new basketball courts, tennis courts, a splash pad, upgraded playground equipment, an obstacle course, shade structures, painted play activities, a kickball and football field, new lighting and seating, an outdoor classroom, increased green space, and more. Not only does the

renovated site provide significantly more useable park space, it is now filled with quality and accessible programming elements.

Since 2019, a total of seven playfields have been fully renovated through an investment of more than $12.4-million. The redeveloped playfields provide opportunities for play, public gathering, and free summer playground programming while featuring a greener, shadier, and more inviting destination for all members of the community. With an additional eight playfields currently in the community engagement, design, or construction phase, Milwaukee Recreation remains committed to improving the outdoor recreation landscape in our city, one playfield at a time, particularly in the places that need it most.

Kurie Szukalski started swinging a hammer in middle school after watching her older brother work in the trades. She fell in love with carpentry and plans to build her own house someday.

As a high school senior, Khalil Brown already works gigs as a disc jockey and photographer. He wants to work in radio, following in the soundwaves of his father, Reggie Brown, a popular Milwaukee radio personality.

James Horton hooped it up playing basketball for Milwaukee Public Schools’ Bay View High School. He hopes to find similar success by opening his own barbershop.

Gabby Arzaga loves to paint and draw. Her goal is to be a graphic artist or work in animation.

On April 20, 2023 those students were among about 100 high school seniors who committed to attend Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) to make their hopes and dreams a reality.

“I believe that MATC is a place where everyone is loved and accepted,” said Szukalski, who will graduate from South Milwaukee High School in June. “I know a lot of my friends will eventually end up going here. I have never heard a bad word about MATC.”

The college gave future students and their parents the star treatment on April 20, spotlighting and celebrating them at MATC’s inaugural Senior Signing Day event. The students signed letters of intent to attend MATC while they enjoyed music from HYFIN Radio DJ A-Biz and heard from representatives from all seven of the college’s Pathways.

The Milwaukee Hittaz Drum Corps started off the event, thundering into MATC’s Cooley Auditorium and pounding out several songs. Greg Ware, a.k.a. Sir G, the college’s manager of Quality Improvement Projects and Planning, emceed the event.

“You students are on your way to helping society,” Ware said. He hyped the students to shout out “P+O=S” –Preparation, plus Opportunity equals Success.

“All of you have chosen to go to college and that’s the best decision you’ll ever make,” MATC President Dr. Vicki J. Martin told the students. “We know you have many choices, but we think you made the right decision coming here.”

After signing their letters on the auditorium stage, the students feasted on cake, snapped selfies and received Stormers swag.

“We wanted to make this a fun activity that relieves the stress they have been under throughout the decision-making process,” said Marwill Santiago, MATC’s director of student recruitment. “It provides recognition of the accomplishments, which builds self-confidence. We hope it inspires younger kids who will witness the occasion to set high expectations for their own futures.”

Szulalski said she decided to attend MATC because her older sister is studying nursing at the college. “I look up to her, and she really likes what MATC offers,” she said. “I think I will learn what I want to learn here.”

At South Milwaukee High School, Arzaga participates in an Advanced Placement art class. She liked the variety of classes available through the college’s Creative Arts, Design & Media Pathway. “I’m trying to build my portfolio,” she said. “I really love doing anything and everything artistic.”

Arzaga will attend the college through the MATC Promise program, which offers free tuition for up to 75 credits. “That’s another big reason why coming to MATC was a great choice,” she said. “I mean, free is free.”

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

- Nelson Mandela

May 4, 1961 –

“Freedom Riders” begin protesting segregation of interstate bus travel in the South.

May 5, 1988 –

Eugene Marino, of Atlanta, GA becomes first African American installed as a Roman Catholic archbishop in the U.S.

May 6, 1991 – The Smithsonian Institution approves the creation of the National African American Museum.

May 7, 1878 – Joseph R. Winters patents first fire escape ladder.

May 8, 1983

– Lena Horne awarded the Spingarn Medal for distinguished career in the field of entertainment.

May 9, 1899 –

John Albert Burr patentsrotary blade lawn mower.

May 10, 1950

– Boston Celtics select Chuck Cooper first black player drafted to play in the NBA.

Greater Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church

Located at 2479 N. Sherman Blvd. Milwaukee, WI

is currently looking to hire a musician. Please contact the Church if interested. The Phone number is 414-871-5673

ATTENTION MBE/DBE/DVB/SBE/WBE:

C.D. Smith Construction, Inc. is requesting proposals for the following projects:

GBF North Plant Clarifier Rehabilitation

5/31/2023 at 2:00 P.M.

Wausau Drinking Water

6/5/2023 at 2:00 P.M.

C.D. Smith Construction, Inc.

Ph: (920) 924-2900

“An Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer”

May 1st

Shelia Jackson

Linda Estes

May 3rd

Na Tasha Isabell

Alexis Taylor

Josephine Montgomery

Tonia Wells

Tammie Kaine

May 4th

Jackie Jackson

Katherine Jackson

May 5th

Chris Brown

Raheem Devaughn

Ike Taylor

Allen Fumbanks

May 6th

Morgan Hills

Meek Mill

Chris Paul

Willie Mays

May 8th

Anthony Fumbanks

James Renfro, Jr.

• Pick & Save (Brown Deer Rd.)

Natasha N. Banks

May 14th

Yolanda Davis

Louis Davis, III

DeWannda Taylor

May 15th

Dion Saffold

Derrick Seals

Riambria Parker

Teaza Wells

Briambria Parker

May 19th

Quiney Matthews

Dorothy Summers

May 20th

Virginia Stricklen-Grady

Terri Goodwin

May 22nd

Chanté Chamberlain

May 23rd

Tonia Moore

May 24th

Andrew Green, Jr.

Deborah Tasker

May 25th

Darion Saffold

• Carter/Hyatt Herbal Shoppe

• Walgreen's on King Drive

• Pick & Save/Metro Market (Shorewood) Other

• WAAW Center - 3020 W. Vliet

May 9th

Duane A. Ingram

Keith Davis

Latoya Wimpy

Billie J. Thomas

Carissa Hart

May 27th

Zarion Davis

Callie J. Jackson

May 29th

Tracy R. Ingram

• Columbia Savings & Loan

• Self-Help Credit Union (formerly Seaway Bank)

Social Service Agencies

• Milwaukee Urban League

• St. Ann's Intergenerational Care

• Washington Park Seniors Center

• Local Churches

Or visit our website at: http:// milwaukeetimesnews. com/ to download a free PDF version of this week's paper.

May 11th

Jaye Syc

Andrew Franks

May 12th

Adrian Saffold

Vanessa Saffold

Ella Ruth Harrel

May 13th

Portia Banks

May 30th

Evag. Shirley Tribble

Lorelie Jones

May 31st

Garry L. Ingram

Cyril Fumbanks

Do you have a frienD, family member, church member, or colleague who has just celebrateD or is about to celebrate a birthDay? stop by our office with their name on monDay to get them in that week ’ s eDition of happy birthDay salutes! visit us at 2238 n. Dr martin luther king jr. Drive, call us at (414) 263-5088 or e-mail them to miltimes@gmail com

Mrs. FuMbanks' birthday salutes

"Wishing you all the best!"