Listen: Neighborhood investment can take many forms. There's economic investment -- renovating housing stock, building new homes, improving infrastructure, attracting business. Then, there's time investment -- cleanups, block club events, neighborhood association meetings. But, for some folks living in Milwaukee, there's an even more basic venture that acts as a necessary requisite for those other types investment -- learning English and integrating into a new country.
In this piece, two residents of the Silver City neighborhood introduce us to the investments they've made in the neighborhood. We begin with remarks from Charles Va ng, who has not only kept his business on National for the last 18 years, but also brought other Asian-American businesses to the community. Next, Maria Miramontes tells us how learning English allowed her to build relationships with her neighbors, acting as an entry point for the important role she now plays in the Silver City Neighborhood.