Uniquely Milwaukee

Next time you're at the Milwaukee Art Museum, be sure to stroll through a temporary exhibition on view now through February. It's called Portrait of Milwaukee and features more than 100 black and white photos from 20th century Milwaukee. Learn how one set of photos were miraculously salvaged from a massive fire in this community story.

Filipino cuisine probably can’t be defined under a singular term or even a few terms. A reason why is because it’s hard to pinpoint a sole description when the Philippines consist of roughly seven thousand islands. However, Meat on the Street, a Milwaukee family-owned Filipino storefront, and food truck bring some of the flavors of the islands to you.

It’s fair to say that at some point we all have been critical or at least aware of our body. One might look at themselves and think that their nose is crooked, their arms are too long or even have few extra rolls. We might even associate those features as negative. UW-Milwaukee’s Peer Health Educators hosted a “Love Your Body Day” as a celebration for everybody.

It has been just over three years since the unrest in Milwaukee’s Sherman Park neighborhood. Talk to many residents in the neighborhood now, and they’ll point to how the community has rebounded. But it took time. Now a group of youth from the neighborhood have recorded an album to communicate how the events affected them through music.

The topic of hijab, a headscarf worn by Muslim women, has always resulted in a variety of opinions. If we add wearing a hijab while competing in a sport, the focus becomes on the attire of the athlete rather than the skillset.At Salam High School, 4707 S. 13 St., Coach Martie Budnowski says the high school varsity volleyball team is currently in the works of changing the perception around Muslim female athletes that wear a hijab.

“111 Places” is a worldwide guide book series that originated from Cologne, Germany. You might think the number 111 is random but it isn’t accidental. In the city Cologne, the number 11 is considered a lucky number, there is even is a carnival celebration every year that begins on Nov 11 at 11:11 a.m. Since a book that highlighted 11 spots isn’t enough to be considered a guide book, they added another one, making it a total of 111 places. This year the guide book unraveled some known and possibly hidden gems in Milwaukee in their new book, “111 Places in Milwaukee That You Must Not Miss” written by Michelle Madden.

Just in time for International Deaf Awareness Week, Milwaukee nonprofit Ex Fabula hosted a special event featuring seven Deaf storytellers. The Deaf story slam took place at the Mitchell Street Library in front of capacity crowd. A video version of the stories is available here: https://radiomilwaukee.org/story/community-stories/ex-fabula-hosts-deaf-story-slam-to-kick-off-awareness-week/

If you looked up the definition of the term Botanica, your search results would show you that it's defined as a small store that sells herbal and traditional remedies. That definition doesn't come close to scratching the surface of what Botanica Galactica truly is. It’s charming and welcoming. It plays a role in gathering the community through wellness and art. One of the ways that’s achieved is by a night market. Salam Fatayer reports

The Manfred Olsen Planetarium might be considered a hidden gem that’s tucked away within the UW-Milwaukee campus. The planetarium specializes in five major productions every year. This fall semester, they are kicking it with 'Creepy Cosmos', starting Sept. 27. The spooky production is described as combing the fun of Halloween with the intrigue of astronomy that intends to energize your sixth sense. Salam Fatayer reports.

Pride is a sentiment that many identify with when wearing a pair of hoop earrings. For some time, big hoops were associated with cheapness. A person who wore them could be considered immodest and loose. However, there are acts that are reversing the connotation and reclaiming back the power.One of those acts is by the LUNA, a collective of Latinx artists in Milwaukee. LUNA is currently showcasing an exhibit titled Hoops, representing the diversity through art within the Latinx community. Salam Fatayer reports.

Picture this, you walk into the front doors and immediately you’re greeted with the caramelized smell of coffee. The inside space is massive yet comfortable enough to entice you to spend time there. In the back, there’s an art studio for any creative and there is even a bakery that specializes in a number of desserts such as challah and crinkle cookies. Luckily for you, you no longer need to imagine such a place because of Friendship Circle, a local non-profit organization that works with adults and kids with special needs. Salam Fatayer reports

In the nook of Milwaukee School of Engineering, the Grohmann Museum highlights Milwaukee engineers and their inventions with the exhibit, Magnificent Machines of Milwaukee. The exhibit follows the book "Magnificent Machines of Milwaukee and the engineers who created them" written by Thomas Fehring. Salam Fatayer reports

When asked to describe Harvest Day, an open-air market and street festival hosted by Walnut Way, Antonio Butts, executive director of Walnut Way said it was similar to a homecoming for the city. That’s what Harvest Day is for most people, a time to celebrate the neighborhood of Lindsay Heights and to connect with its residents. Salam Fatayer reports.

“It’s a home away from home,” said Carolyn Weber, one of the hostel owners. That's how the Cream City Hostel can be described when walking through the front doors. The hostel is located in the Riverwest neighboorhood, marking it as the first hostel in Milwaukee. Salam Fatayer reports.

Find out where in Milwaukee you can still see Haring's original piece.

Lara Spencer from Good Morning America recently made a comment about Prince George of Cambridge for taking ballet lessons that created an uproar of criticism both from the general public and the dance community. In response, the Milwaukee Ballet has taken a stance to speak against the negative stereotypes male dancers face in ballet. Salam Fatayer reports.

Milwaukee Art Museum interns designed a city bus as part of the program ArtXpress, to address an issue that impacts the city of Milwaukee. This year, the bus mural dealt with immigration and deportation. On one side the wraparound mural, there are two hands reaching towards each other with an ICE agent in the center. Salam Fatayer reports.

For ten years, Jim Brozek strapped his camera to his side while he worked as a laborer on Jones Island. In between cleaning and painting steel ore boats, Brozek would snap numerous photographs capturing the haunting yet peaceful atmosphere when working during winter layups. The images were taken from 1979 to 1985 and are now currently displayed at a storefront immediately west of Mo’s Irish Pub in downtown Milwaukee. Salam Fatayer reports.

YCAT started when a number of Madison high school students gathered to discuss the possibilities of a school strike to demand climate justice in the state of Wisconsin. On March 15, they drew a crowd of roughly two thousand amplifying their voices and their mission. Salam Fatayer reports.

What started out as The Spot, an afterschool space for students, quickly turned in Milwaukee’s United Community Center, a multigenerational agency that carries a magnitude of programs. There’s a hidden gem at the center. Located at the lowest level, you’re greeted to a restaurant called Café el Sol. The restaurant started off in 1983 as a program to help unemployed youth on food preparation and service. Now it’s a gathering scene for everyone. Salam Fatayer Reports.

If cities are measured by the quality of their museums, Milwaukee can certainly compete. Of course there are the big ones -- The Milwaukee Public Museum and The Milwaukee Art Museum two of the most notable -- but we also have several smaller ones scattered around. Visit the Haggerty Museum of Art in this Community Story.

Brigid Kinsella-Alba met Ryan when they were five years old. At the time, little did she know that he would later become her husband and they would create a school together. It was love that brought them together. Love for each other and love for Irish dancing. Salam Fatayer reports.

Murals are one way the public can access art. If we take a look at Milwaukee’s Black Cat Alley, we can see that it transformed the outdoors into an art gallery. In that alley, there’s one mural with a big yellow backdrop, framed with purple flowers surrounding a faceless figure of a mother with her children dressed in geometric designs. The figures symbolize a Syrian family who has recently become refugees. Salam Fatayer reports.

When you hear about the program Teens Grow Greens, you might just assume that teens are just planting greenhouses and growing produce. Well, you’re not completely wrong since that is a component but the main element that’s being planted is themselves. Teens Grow Greens is a nine-month paid internship program for high school students.

On July 19, Muslim women from all over the country came together for the third annual pageant, Miss Muslimah USA. The pageant was held in Dearborn Michigan and it aimed to break barriers and defeat stereotypes that surround Muslim women. This year, Rahma Mohamed, from Madison Wisconsin, was crowned Miss Muslimah 2019

On July 9, members all over the Milwaukee area gathered to take a workshop on mosaics at the new Arts @ Large Community Center. Arts @ Large is an organization that provides immersive art experiences for students from K-12. The mosaic workshop was the initial step towards creating a space where the public and community can incorporate art within their lives.

Five years ago, a Facebook post from Repairers of the Breach, a homeless outreach resource center, made its way to Amber Parham's screen. It was a Facebook status that made Parham aware that there are individuals who lack clean water. That realization ignited something in Parham and developed into Hydrate the Homeless MKE, a supply of water bottles to the homeless and people living in poverty.

University of Wisconsin’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning partnered with Near West Side to host the first stop of the national tour: Evicted. The free exhibit will be held at the Mobile Design Box till Sept. 30th.

The Craft for a Greater Good Project is a collaboration between Home GR/OWN, The Milwaukee Art Museum Teen Internship program, The Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and attendees from the Furniture Society. Their mission is to create benches that will be installed at Victory Over Violence Park in hopes to represent the lives lost and inspire generations to come. Salam Fatayer reports on the importance of this upcoming project.

Earlier in June, Pridefest Milwaukee kicked off its celebration in Milwaukee with an impressive display of fireworks. But what most people don't know is that Milwaukee was the first LGBTQ pride event to feature fireworks in the county in 1995. 88Nine's Salam Fatayer goes behind the scenes and meets the women carrying on her father's tradition at Pridefest 25 years later.

For the fifth straight year, United Ethnic Festivals are teaming up with Hunger Task Force to collect food at the gates of evert major lakefront festival this summer. Learn about the Fests Feed MKE partnership.

Juneteenth is one of Milwaukee's largest outdoor summer parties It draws a huge crowd every year for food, music and a historical celebration of culture. 88Nine's Salam Fatayer asked attendees what the day means to them.

Although Ramadan is over, the lessons one can learn from participating in this month shouldn’t be. In order to understand what one can gain from this month, what exactly is Ramadan? 88Nine's Salam Fatayer looks back on the Holy Month.

She has dedicated her career to the Milwaukee LGBT community, particularly trans women. Meet this year's PrideFest individual of the year, Elle Halo.

Speaking at the Pridefest opening ceremony -- surrounded by state and city leaders -- Sheboygan Lutheran High School valedictorian Nat Werth finally got to deliver a speech he earned. Listen to his complete acceptance speech after receiving the Pridefest Valor Award.

88Nine's Nate Imig spoke with WI Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes on the grounds at the 2019 MIlwaukee Pridefest.

Erick Torres-Gonzalez just graduated from Ronald Reagan High School and will be heading to Harvard University next year. Hear what he has to say about public education and his experience with Milwaukee Public Schools.

Samari Price, graduate of John Marshall High School was named "Senior of the Year" at ceremony at Washington High School last week. She plans to study criminal justice and business management at Marquette University with her sights set on law school.

He makes a mean spring roll, and now he is giving back to his community every week -- with math. Learn how a Milwaukee entrepreneur is combing his love for healthy cooking with a series of free tutoring sessions for neighborhood kids.

The Milwaukee Bucks put together an extraordinary inaugural season at Fiserv Forum. The team posted its best record in almost 40 years and made the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2001. The thrilling playoff run united communities from all over the city and inspired a new generation of fans. One of

There's no way to describe, to fully capture, the feeling of post traumatic stress disorder unless you have experienced it. And even if you live with it, explaining the experience in your own words can be immensely difficult. But a group of Milwaukee veterans are tapping into their creativity and confronting their PTSD -- using theater. L

Follow two Milwaukee women who recently traveled to Dilley, TX to counsel women seeking asylum in the United States. Hear how their week of service impacted them emotionally.

Living with Parkinson's Disease doesn't necessarily mean leaving the workforce. Learn about a Milwaukee area support group sponsored by the Wisconsin Parkinson Association connecting working professionals.

Venice Williams, executive director of Alice's Garden, shares a few pro tips on how to make the most of Milwaukee's short gardening season. Listen to her interview, and check out our in-depth article here: https://radiomilwaukee.org/story/community-stories/what-works-and-what-doesnt-in-milwaukees-short-gardening-season/

Milwaukee author Jenna Kashou has a new book. She stopped by 88Nine to talk about "100 Things To Do in Milwaukee Before You Die, 2nd Edition."

In this two part story, 88Nine speaks with two Milwaukee women -- one attorney and one interpreter -- who recently traveled to Dilley, TX as part of the CARA Pro Bono Project. They counseled undocumented refugee women to prepare for their initial "credible fear" interviews with immigration officials.

She survived two years of forced prostitution, starting at age 15. Since then, she has spent her life combating the epidemic of human trafficking across the country, sharing her own experience and helping others take action. Listen to our extended interview.

Nyesha Stone, the founder of Carvd N Stone Inc., is collecting books written by authors of color to donate to Milwaukee Public School students. Learn more about what inspired this book drive and how to donate in this community story.

Three cities, two counties, three rising artists -- 88Nine's video team followed Milwaukee artist Zed Kenzo as she closed out the "Midwest Music Exchange" at Company Brewing in Milwaukee. Hear how a unique international partnership showcased three rising artists making a splash in their own cities...and beyond! Be sure to watch our video here:https://youtu.be/koIfswKatc0

The highest office in MPS is turning to students for input. Hear how the Superintendent Youth Advisory council is making positive change in MPS.