Tuesday is your chance to hear Harambee residents share hilarious and heartfelt stories on a big screen.
Heard Space MKE is hosting “Pulling Together on King Drive,” an event where it will preview a short film about the Harambee neighborhood from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at the Milwaukee Public Library King Branch, 2901 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Drive.
The film, still a work-in-progress, is meant to celebrate the neighborhood located east of Interstate 43 on Milwaukee’s North Side with interwoven stories from community members.
About the project
Heard Space MKE is a multimedia collective of artists made up of founding members Dana Watson, Selena McKnight and Pryscilla Balladares Munsey. They create productions in different mediums that showcase female, Black and Latinx voices.
Riverworks Development Corp. and Heard Space received a joy grant from Joy Engine, a public art organization, in 2025 to produce a “mockumentary” short film about the neighborhood.
“We use the term ‘mockumentary’ because it is going to be entertaining,” Watson said. “It’s going to have our personality.”
Heard Space spent the summer connecting with over 20 residents for interviews and filming in front of Harambee homes, at neighborhood gatherings and community events like Juneteenth.
“It’s very akin to street interviews,” Watson said. “We’re talking to people, and we’re asking them all the same questions, and we edit it together so that it’s like a conversation amongst community members.”
The idea stemmed from a past Heard Space production and fundraiser that was themed around Milwaukee, which Watson said cracked people up and reminded some viewers of the TV show “Atlanta.”
Screening and feedback
After going through all the footage, the current version of the 35-minute film will have four sections, according to McKnight.
It will focus on Harambee’s boundaries and history, what community members appreciate about the neighborhood and a famous historical photograph that was captured in Harambee, which is highlighted in the film’s trailer.
“That one is my favorite,” Watson said.
The event will have light refreshments and stations for residents to contribute their opinions and insights about the neighborhood. There will also be a chance to give feedback on the film after the screening.
“We do have a beginning and an end, but we do still plan to still build on this piece at the same time,” McKnight said.
For more information
Heard Space is not currently filming interviews, but it plans to continue them next year. The leaders also plan to post the film on YouTube.
Register here for the event and view the trailer. Sign up to learn about future interview opportunities here.
Meredith Melland is the neighborhoods reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.
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