Tools to help broaden your perspective
88Nine seeks to create a more inclusive and engaged Milwaukee. And in order to be engaged, people need to be informed. The stories below are intended to help you see things from another perspective, showcase local organizations doing the work and provide you with information on how to participate.
By Every Measure
In 2019, Milwaukee made national headlines when it became the first U.S. city to call systemic racism a public health crisis. A year later, Milwaukee, and the world, are experiencing another public health crisis in COVID-19; and the effects of systemic racism can be seen in the way the virus is disproportionately affecting Black citizens.
In “By Every Measure,” 88Nine Radio Milwaukee’s (WYSM-88.9 FM) new podcast, award-winning data expert and research journalist Reggie Jackson and 88Nine’s Director of Digital Strategy & Innovation Tarik Moody explore systemic racism in various sectors of Milwaukee, looking closely at how those systems were formed and how they can– and need– to be changed.
Using data, the series examines the immense disparities that are systemically woven into the Black experience in Milwaukee, making it one of the worst cities in the nation for its Black residents, by every measure.
Know Your Price
On July 22, Radio Milwaukee welcomed author Andre M. Perry for a discussion on his new book "Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America's Black Cities." The conversation focused on valuing Black lives and property in our city and how we can flip the narrative to talk about the assets that our Black residents and Black neighborhoods have.
We were also joined by Deatra Kemp, Homebuyer Program Manager with Acts Housing, and Keith Stanley, Executive Director of Near West Side Partners, Inc. and Avenues West Association, who talked about programs and initiatives that Milwaukee has in place to encourage Black homeownership and community development that includes the community's voice.
Solidarity in Action
On June 30, Radio Milwaukee held a virtual panel of local leaders from various sectors to talk about their continuous journey to betterment in the space of race. They discussed operating in solidarity with Black and Brown people, and how you can become active in your community.
Recent stories from 88Nine
- Community art brings the Muslim and Black community together by Salam Fatayer
- An artist and an activist, two LGBTQ leaders on keeping the momentum going by Nate Imig
- Reggie Jackson gives a crash course on Milwaukee’s segregated history by Salam Fatayer
- Doing the Work: ACLU of Wisconsin by Salam Fatayer and Maddy Riordan
- How an act of kindness goes a long way for protesters by Salam Fatayer
- Doing the Work: BLOC by Salam Fatayer and Maddy Riordan
- Listening to Black voices: what Milwaukee’s leaders are advocating for by Lily Grant
- How Black techies are celebrating Juneteenth and fighting for racial justice by Tarik Moody
- Listen to the names of the lives lost to police violence by Salam Fatayer
- How to use your privilege as a white person or POC to help the Black Lives Matter movement by Lucas Seidel and Salam Fatayer
- Milwaukee’s poignant, crowdsourced memorial to George Floyd by Nate Imig
Community organizations and resources
- Showing Up For Racial Justice
- NAACP Milwaukee
- Coalition For Quality Policing (Milwaukee)
- Milwaukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for Hope
- Uplifting Black Liberation and Community
- Rid Racism MKE
- National Museum of African American History – Talking About Race
- Anti-Racist Research and Policy Center
- Black Lives Matter Instructional Library - an interactive collection of books, read aloud and geared toward kids
Invisible Lines
In 2018, we created a web series premised on listening. We brought together 10 Milwaukeeans to discuss their firsthand experiences with prejudice and racism. The video series was eventually turned into a feature-length documentary that was screened at the Milwaukee Film Festival.
In the clip below, brothers Darren and Vedale discuss their interactions with police and security guards as biracial residents in Milwaukee. Their story offers a personal perspective of how prejudice affects them on a daily basis.
Watch the original web episode below and see how your experience compares.
If you're interested in hosting a screening of Invisible Lines, visit InvisibleLinesMKE.com to learn more, or reach out directly to Radio Milwaukee's Community Engagement Manager Maddy Riordan at maddy@radiomilwaukee.org.
Add to the conversation
We recognize this page could never be complete, and we will keep adding to it. If you have additional resources or organizations to share, please send them to us using the form below.