WUWM: Race & Ethnicity Reporting

The Marquette University community is mourning Jacqueline Walker — a woman many came to know simply as "Miss Jackie." She was the Educational Opportunity Program’s financial aid counselor for more than 20 years.

EOP is an academic, federally funded TRiO program that helps low-income and first-generation students pursue a degree in higher education. It was established in 1969 at the university to make a Marquette education more accessible to "culturally distinct students." 

About a week ago, photos of Black people who were killed by police and private citizens were attached to nooses and hung from a tree in Riverside Park on Milwaukee’s east side. Those pictured were Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Eric Garner, and Botham Jean.

People who saw the photos and nooses were angry and shocked, and the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation.

For many Americans, when they mention Independence Day, they’re talking about July 4, which commemorates the Declaration of Independence. But for African Americans, a different date signifies independence: June 19, 1865.

The date has been referred to as Freedom Day, Black Independence Day, or most commonly, Juneteenth. 

Wisconsin is one of at least 40 states that observe Juneteenth Day. Milwaukee was one of the first cities in the north to celebrate it; there's been an annual festival for over 40 years.

WUWM is partnering with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Milwaukee PBS and the Milwaukee Public Library on an initiative called Listen MKE. Its goal: help north side residents get the information they want and need.

More specifically, we want to better understand what's most important to people who live in these Milwaukee neighborhoods and help fill information gaps.

Protests against police violence and injustices facing the black community are still going strong internationally.

In Milwaukee on Thursday, peaceful protests crossed the city for several hours for the seventh straight night, following the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Demonstrations also call attention to the April death of Joel Acevedo, in Milwaukee. An officer, who was off-duty at the time, is charged in Acevedo’s death.

"Black Lives Matter" and "Walk with us" are just a few of the chants you can hear coming from the crowds. 

WUWM's Race & Ethnicity reporter Teran Powell talks with local community and political leaders about protests against police violence happening in Milwaukee and across the country.

Following the death of another black man at the hands of police, the phrase Black Lives Matter is once again echoing through streets across the United States.

Gov. Tony Evers has called COVID-19's impact on Milwaukee’s black community a "crisis within a crisis.”

Research in the Centers for AIDS Intervention at the Medical College of Wisconsin is looking at how racism and homophobia influence HIV prevention efforts among young black gay and bisexual men in Milwaukee — specifically, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) treatment. PrEP is a daily medication taken to prevent HIV.

The coronavirus began spreading rapidly in Wuhan, China, late last year and now affects thousands globally. There are currently more than 100,000 cases in the United States.

The American Psychological Association defines trauma as an emotional response to a terrible event like a natural disaster, an accident or a rape. But trauma can have many “flavors,” according to Joshua Mersky, Ph.D.

He’s a professor of social work in the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare at UWM. He says, "Typically speaking, we’re talking about profound adversities that have long lasting consequences."

Terrance Sims has been teaching at the MPS school Milwaukee College Prep for about six years. Each February for the last four years, he's been using photography to actively engage and celebrate Black History Month with his students.

If you scroll through Sims' Instagram, you can find photos he's taken, recreating images of influential black figures. They might be from the civil rights era, academia or the entertainment industry.

Our Black Women Firsts series has been highlighting black women in Wisconsin who are the first to hold their titles in their industries. We close our series with Rosy Petri, the first black woman to be the artist in residence at the Pfister Hotel. Petri says she didn't know beforehand that she would be the first woman of color to fill the position.

In honor of Black History Month, we're highlighting several black women making history in their roles and industries here in Wisconsin. The series is called Black Women Firsts. 

In honor of Black History Month, we're highlighting several black women who are making history in their roles and industries here in Wisconsin. The series is called Black Women Firsts.

In the first installment, we hear from Carolyn Stanford Taylor, the first black woman to lead Wisconsin's Department of Public Instruction. She was appointed by Gov. Tony Evers at the beginning of 2019, and previously served as assistant state superintendent.

African American men and women in the armed forces, past and present, are being honored in a new mural at the Milwaukee County War Memorial Center. It’s the first work dedicated to black veterans in the war memorial’s 62-year history.

Dozens of veterans, military families, and others gathered for the mural’s unveiling on Monday.