You’re brilliant.
You’re resilient.
And for 12 years, NNS has intentionally celebrated you.
Often, other media come into our neighborhoods to focus on drama and trauma.
Not us.
We know that in order to paint a complete portrait of our communities, we need to prioritize reporting on the people and the organizations who make Milwaukee great.
Here are 12 stories that prove that not every superhero wears a cape. But maybe they should.
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1. A harvest of riches: Meet some of Milwaukee’s finest urban farmers
Sure, Milwaukee is a city of concrete. But if you look closer, you also will find a vibrant urban farming community.
2. Milwaukee’s ‘Food Fairy’ keeps giving . . . and going
For Laura Manriquez, community service has often centered around making sure her neighbors, especially children, have enough to eat every day.
3. How one couple balances their marriage and two businesses
A few years ago, Jesus and Thaime Nañez decided to open the Farmhouse Paint & Sip. It was their first business together, but not their last.
4. How Lupe Martinez went from a migrant worker to a CEO
Lupe Martinez hails from a migrant worker family, but for 45 years he’s been CEO of UMOS, an agency that began by helping migrant seasonal workers.
5. ‘I felt like I lost a part of me’: How Camille Mays finds peace after gun violence took her son
A tragic shooting took her son. A year later, she’s finding new ways to heal and wants to share them with others who are hurting. This is the story of Camille Mays.
6. Four graduates you should know and will likely work for one day
Years of work are paying off in the next few weeks for graduates who are walking onto stages around the city to receive their diplomas. Meet four young scholars who are going places.
7. Tarsha Wiggins, the ‘Trap Therapist,’ is hosting public sessions for kids that combine music and mental health
Tarsha Wiggins, the licensed clinical social worker behind “Trap Therapy,” provides a forum where youths can learn about and discuss mental health issues.
8. How Shawn Payne found his purpose (and a job) on the brink of homelessness
Shawn Payne found himself on the brink of homelessness but still found time to volunteer. Now he is the logistics specialist, truck driver and outreach resource coordinator at the Milwaukee Islamic Dawah Center.
9. How Michael Emem is transforming Milwaukee, one project at a time
Michael Emem grew up in Milwaukee and understands the effect the built environment can have on the mental and physical health of a community.
10. ‘We train them into a job’: How Ezekiel CDC transforms homes, neighborhoods and lives
For 25 years, the nonprofit Ezekiel Community Development Corporation has helped address the need for skilled labor while reducing neighborhood blight.
11. New Port Director Jackie Q. Carter serves as ‘a picture of the possibility’
Washington Park native Jackie Q. Carter is the first woman and first Black person to serve as the director of Port Milwaukee.
12. EXCLUSIVE: Reggie Moore’s journey of a lifetime: Working to build a safer city
Reggie Moore has consoled far too many families who have lost loved ones to violence. And he wants to see more “love in action” instead of “love in crisis.”
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