Editor’s note: Post From Community is the place for community announcements and event postings. If you have a community-oriented event you feel our readers would be interested in, please submit here.
By Sister MacCanon Brown
Last Spring a group of young adults began an active search for a collective, positive identity of the neighborhood served by the MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary (MBHS) through photography—one that rejects the dominant narrative. A challenge, to be sure, given the dire demographic markers of this community’s well-being. Trauma and violence touch all ages in this neighborhood. MBHS is located at 2461 W. Center St. It is in the Amani Neighborhood of the 53206 zip code.
In spearheading this project, MBHS sought to give a voice to the voiceless, using a lens.Participants were encouraged to document positive interactions and relationships within their community. On April 12th when they attended the Project Launch,a photography workshop was facilitated by Princess Safiya Byers, professional photographer and our MBHS Social Media/Communications Specialist (shown). Each were given a camera.
On December 7th, attendees viewed the individual work of our artists, and viewed and celebrated a multimedia production, both in a slide show and on posters created by Ms. Byers, showcasing the collaborative, artistic vision of our photographers.
Community organizer of the project was Monet Bell (shown), life-long 53206 resident and MBHS Security Associate employee.
Here are highlights of the project and of the December 7th event by Princess Safiya Byers:
Last Sunday, the MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary proudly celebrated the completion of its “Changing the Narrative Photography Project,” an initiative created to uplift and reframe the narrative of the neighborhood served by MBHS in the 53206 zip code.
The project welcomed 25 teen and young adult participants into a creative space designed to counter harmful stereotypes through the power of joy-centered storytelling.
The goal was simple but transformative: combat negative stigma by equipping young people to capture photos that reflect the beauty, pride, and everyday joy of their neighborhood.
For many participants, the experience opened new ways of seeing.
Chy Murry, one of the program’s youth photographers, shared that the program “taught her a lot and forced her to stop and see the beauty in regular moments.”
Byers said the experience was meaningful both personally and professionally.
“As a photographer, being able to teach community members was a pleasure, and as a storyteller, I felt both blessed and inspired by the young people’s work,” she said.
The Sacntuary extends deep gratitude to the participants, families, volunteers, and the funder (WCW Foundation) who helped make this project possible. Our friend the late Martha Watts was a member of WCW. Her daughter, Cherry Watts, sponsored our grant application. (See photo of Cherry Watts with PrincessSafiya Byers and Sister MacCannon).
“The images from this project not only highlight the creativity of the neighborhood’s young people, they also serve as a reminder of the joy, resilience, and brilliance that thrive within the community every day.,” says Byers.
MBHS is enthusiastic about sharing the “Changing the Narrative Photography Project” with the larger Milwaukee community. If you are part of a group interested in hosting the exhibit and a brief presentation, please call 414-404-0600 or send e-mail to admin@maccanonbrown.org.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
