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5 Things To Do This September 2020 In Milwaukee

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Every month, Adam Carr from the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service joins us to talk about some of the community events happening in Milwaukee. Since the coronavirus pandemic began, the list has included a wide array of things - from virtual exhibits to Zoom events, and now some socially distanced, in-person gatherings.

1. Cafe Con Arte at Latino Arts

Latino Arts is celebrating artist Reynaldo Hernandez with an exhibit featuring 50 years of his work. The career retrospective will give visitors a greater insight into this artist and educator whose iconic work has become an integral part of the city. 

"[Hernandez is] a phenomenal artist, muralist, who created the "Mural of Peace," and the Inner City Arts Council mural, many others around Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the world. So he has a long and rich career to dig into," says Carr. 

There will be a guided tour on Sept 10, which is BYOC (bring your own coffee) and there will be churros for sale. 

2. HOME, Conversations on Black Lives Matter

The Lynden Sculpture Garden and the HOME Refugee Steering Committee have created this event to respond to some of the many things that have happened this year, with a focus on the refugee and immigrant experience. HOME, Conversations on Black Lives Matterwill be a virtual panel discussion on Sept 12, featuring voices from Milwaukee's immigrant and refugee communities. 

3. Valley Week

The Menomonee Valley has undergone a lot of changes over the past 2 decades, transforming a heavily industrial neighborhood into a thriving, mixed-use community. 

Carr says, "If you were to talk about doing a Valley Week, ten, twenty years ago, people would say, ‘Why are you inviting people down to the Menomonee Valley? We’d rather forget about that place.’ So the Menomonee Valley has just seen this remarkable renaissance over the last ten, fifteen years."

Valley Week pays homage to the area's past and celebrates what it's become. Events will be going on Sept 12-19 and include a wide variety of things including a self-guided Public Art Bike Tour, the Rishi Tea & Botanicals Cocktail Class, and a virtual luncheon with historian John Gurda

4. The Niche Book Bar Pop-Up Shop

Avid reader, Cetonia Weston-Roy, was disappointed at how difficult it could be to find Black literature. So she created a solution: Niche Book Bar, a specially fitted bike trailer where she sells Black books. Now, Weston-Roy's pop-up shopwill expand on that work, offering a more classic retail experience.

"She's been doing Tuesdays at Carver Park and Saturday mornings at Sherman Phoenix, and she decided... she's going to take her shot at being in a storefront. So, right off the corner of King Dr and North Ave there's a space called Queen Hustle, which welcomes pop-ups in, so from Sept 20 to 26 the Niche Book Bar will have a pop-up shop in that space," says Carr. 

5. Juntas at UW-Milwaukee

UWM's annual Juntas event provides a space for Lantix women to share their experiences, create new relationships, and find support. Juntas, which means "together" in English, is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Roberto Hernandez Center with the theme of activism and self-care. The event will be held virtually on Sept 25 from 12p.m.-3p.m.

Joy is a WUWM host and producer for Lake Effect.