Margaret Rozga is the newly appointed Poet Laureate of Wisconsin. Rozga, a poet, civil rights activist, professor emerita at UW-Waukesha and a regular contributor to the NNS Community Voices column, writes about the Milwaukee poetry community that inspires her.

Brenda Wesley serves on the Milwaukee County Mental Health Board and also developed the first African-American mental health outreach program in Milwaukee. Brenda’s son, Omar, is currently living at Mendota Mental Health Institute in Madison.

Adam Carr and Wes Tank co-directed Three Neighborhoods: People, Place, Purpose, a short film exploring life in Milwaukee’s Clarke Square, Layton Boulevard West and Lindsay Heights neighborhoods. The film was created for the 10th anniversary of the Zilber Neighborhood Initiative and recently screened at the Milwaukee Film Festival.

Paul Mozina, a retired IT professional and an activist who has opposed the War on Drugs since the early 1980s, calls out the Milwaukee City-County Heroin, Opioid and Cocaine Task Force for failing to follow up on a DEA whistle-blower’s testimony that “physicians are pumping pills on the street.”

Rick Deines, a conversation facilitator with The Zeidler Center for Public Discussion, writes that the Milwaukee Film Festival provided an opportunity for Milwaukeeans to be around one another and interact as they reflected on films that teach about the challenges and opportunities of life.

Bethany Sanchez, director of the Fair Lending Program at the nonprofit Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council, urges Milwaukee residents and organizations to take action to oppose changes that would weaken the Community Reinvestment Act. The CRA has resulted in billions of dollars of loans and investments in low- and moderate-income communities.

Laura Dyan Kezman, Nate Imig and Vianca Fuster directed “Invisible Lines” for 88Nine Radio Milwaukee, where they work as multi-media producers. It will premiere at the Milwaukee Film Festival on Oct. 27.

Carmen Pitre, president and CEO of Sojourner, writes that it is vital to create spaces where people can experience peace and healing. October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.