The new year has arrived. Though the pandemic is still here, there are great Milwaukee events (in-person and virtual) to enjoy.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, Adam Carr from the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service has joined Lake Effect to talk about community events in Milwaukee. The list includes a wide array of things to enjoy, both virtually and in-person, this January.
1. Yoga with Malkia at Milwaukee Turner Ballroom
Streamed on the Milwaukee Turners’ Facebook page on Monday and Wednesdays at 9 a.m.
Carr says even those like himself that can find yoga intimidating can use this stream to start their new year off healthier.
“The tagline they’ve been using is ‘a healthy you builds a stronger community,' which I love especially during a pandemic when it’s pretty easy not to be healthy,” he says.
2. Marcus Center Presents The 37th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Virtual Celebration
“It’s worth stating every year since 1984, Milwaukee and Atlanta, Ga. have been celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and they’re the cities that have been celebrating it the longest with continuous programing,” says Carr.
The event will be on Sunday, Jan. 17 at 1 p.m. and the Marcus Center will virtually present speeches, writing and other performances all under the theme of keep moving forward.
3. Brown Berets - National Call To Action
“There’s chapters of the Brown Berets around the country. They’re a pro-Chicano organization that emerged in the late ’60s during the Chicano movement. Milwaukee had a chapter back then and recently I’ve personally have been hearing more from the local chapter of the Brown Berets,” says Carr.
They will be hosting an event on César Chaves Drive outside of El Rey Foods on Inauguration Day, Jan. 20, to advocate for the ending of the federal government’s policy of child separation and for comprehensive immigration reform.
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service also has an article written by Brown Beret organizer Juan Miguel Martinez about his journey with the organization.
4. “Latino Wisconsin” Documentary
Fourth generation Mexican-American and documentarian Georgia Pabst behind “Latino Wisconsin” was recently featured on Lake Effect. The documentary followed the impact of the Latino community on Wisconsin for the past four years. It grew from just a story about Milwaukee to the entire state of Wisconsin over those four years.
LISTEN: 'Latino Wisconsin' Documents The Impact, Importance & Influence Of The State's Latino Community
“So I think looking at our story as not just a Milwaukee story but how it’s connected, specifically that Latino lens,” says Carr.
You can stream the video online.
5. Vel’s Voice: The Student Newspaper of the Vel Phillips School — MCAP
Students in the detention center in Wauwatosa have just started this monthly newsletter. One of their first articlesfeatured is about the comparison between the NBA’s COVID-19 bubble and their own experience inside the detention center.
“I thought it was kind of fascinating to hear them articulate those comparisons between, you know this thing down at Disney World and then this thing happening here in Milwaukee and something they were a part of,” he says.
Carr and the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service will be working with the students to produce a newsletter each month.
