(Photo by Kevin Miyazaki for This is Milwaukee)

Edgar Mendez has been with Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service since the beginning, writing hundreds of stories during his nine-year tenure. That work has given him a unique vantage point to witness the everyday reality of North and South side neighborhoods — and what’s changed over time.

He recently participated in This is Milwaukee, an exploration of citizenship and democracy with a diverse group of Milwaukeeans, from established mainstays to emerging leaders. This is an excerpt from his interview.