As the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts strike fear in many immigrant communities, Latine folks in Milwaukee are stepping up to create enclaves of hope and human connection.
With two weeks left in Latine Heritage Month I spoke to three leaders who are building Latine community and culture in Milwaukee.
Donna Gallardo is a first-generation Mexican American immigrant who started SheWolf MKE in Silver City about a year ago. SheWolf is a women’s boxing gym that offers community members a chance to blow off steam in difficult times.
“We're all dealing with some trauma and just where the world’s at right now,” she says. “I think a lot of people can use this as an outlet to relieve themselves of all of the things that are happening around us.”
Husband-and-wife duo John Reed and Marissa Lopez run Brew-Jas Coffee House on the South Side. Brew-Jas is a hub for Latine community, providing warmth and hospitality at a time when many feel unwelcome.
Shalina Ali is a co-executive director at the Milwaukee youth arts nonprofit True Skool. Her team’s recent mural on Chavez Drive in Clarke Square highlights Latine history and culture in Milwaukee, featuring the words “De Aquí, De Allá,” or “From here, From there.” Ali says the best part has been the response from Clarke Square residents during this year’s Viva Nuestra Herencia celebration.
“People were talking about their goosebumps,” Ali says. “They were almost in tears, and one woman literally said, ‘I've never felt so seen in a mural before.’”
“A lot of people walk through here with their head down because they don't want to bring any attention to themselves,” Reed says. “But when they come in here, we want to make sure they know they're safe, they're welcome, no matter who you are.”
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