On a sunny Saturday morning, birders and nature enthusiasts of color gathered at Havenwoods State Forest, 6141 N. Hopkins St., for Milwaukee’s Black Birders Week community celebration. 

The May 30 event was put on by the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin, Zoological Society of Milwaukee and Havenwoods Neighborhood Partnership.

For attendee Linetta Alexander, the event was an opportunity to introduce her younger cousins to birding.

“It’s great because it’s needed,” Alexander said. “To be in an inclusive space where you could just be yourself among nature is ideal. I knew right away that it was going to be safe for them to be here.”

Milwaukee’s Black Birders Week community celebration was inspired by the national Black Birders Week movement, which began in 2020 following the racial profiling of birder Christian Cooper in New York’s Central Park and broader conversations about racism in outdoor spaces.

Founded in 2021, the BIPOC Birding Club of Wisconsin grew out of a desire to make birding and outdoor spaces more welcoming to Black, Indigenous and other people of color. The organization hosts bird walks and educational events across Wisconsin for birders of all experience levels.

Co-founder Dexter Patterson said the group’s work extends beyond just identifying birds.

“I tell people all the time, birding isn’t just about the birds,” Patterson said. “It is about people coming together, it is the questions, it is the little kids taking on leadership roles.”

Throughout the morning, participants explored trails during a guided bird walk, built bird feeders and visited activity stations designed for children and families.

The event took place at Havenwoods State Forest, a 237-acre urban forest and environmental education center on Milwaukee’s North Side.

Tim Scott, founder of Urban Nature Connection and a volunteer at the event, said he appreciates having natural spaces, such as Havenwoods, in the heart of Milwaukee’s Black community.

“We’re actually getting into birding. I thought birds were bad until I started learning about the benefits of birds, and that we can’t live without them,” Scott said. “Now, I want to know more. I want to see them, I want to hear them, I want to look at the different kinds of birds.”

Patterson said the organization’s long-term goal extends beyond birding.

“I hope that we can not only grow the birding community, but also normalize Black and Brown people outside,” Patterson said.

Ultimately, he said, he wants one distinction in particular to no longer be necessary.

“I would hope eventually that people see Black birders as just birders.”

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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Since working for NNS, I’ve covered different types of stories. But what I have been drawn to most is reporting on the artists and creators of color who craft, celebrate and illuminate the pulse of their communities. 

Milwaukee’s Culture Makers is a visual series that follows artists, musicians, chefs, designers and other types of creatives at work, capturing not only what they create but why they create.

In this ongoing series, we will introduce you to new and longtime artists of color whose extraordinary creativity and community pride is shaping Milwaukee.

Meet some of Milwaukee’s Culture Makers

Ernesto “Neto” Atkinson: Opened in 2024 by Atkinson, The Catacombs of Neto Art Museum was designed as a space for conversation and connection but not silence.

RedNationBoyz: The Nahwahquaw brothers formed the drum group to connect local Indigenous boys, ranging in age from 10 to 20, to their roots.

Tia Richardson: For more than two decades, Richardson has helped residents transform not just walls but how they see themselves and their communities through collaborative murals.

My ask from you

I’m looking to hear directly from our readers: 

• Who are the cultural makers of color in Milwaukee you believe deserve to be seen and celebrated? 
• How is their creativity shaping the city of Milwaukee and its residents in meaningful ways?

Email me your nominations, including how their work has impacted you, to help us recognize and uplift the people creating culture and connection across our neighborhoods.

It’s been an honor to help tell their stories and I look forward to sharing many more.

To read more articles about Milwaukee’s Culture Makers, click here.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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Inside a classroom at Milwaukee Marshall High School, the sound of Lego bricks clicking together filled the room as children leaned over tables covered with colorful pieces and half-finished builds.

As they pieced together their creations, Nealita Nelson, the instructor behind the popular Milwaukee Recreation Lego classes, moved from desk to desk encouraging students to keep building. 

Nelson, a Milwaukee native known online as “Builds by Nene,” began teaching Lego-building classes through MKE Rec after appearing on Season 4 of Fox’s “LEGO Masters” in 2023 alongside her brother, Paul Wellington.

Jeff McAvoy, whose 7-year-old son has been attending Nelson’s classes since they began two years ago, expressed his admiration for her teaching style. 

“It comes down to a simple shared interest in Lego and building, but she approaches it with such care and interest in what each of the kids are doing,” McAvoy said.

Nelson’s classes are typically divided by age groups, welcoming everyone from young children to adult builders:

• LEGO Open Build (Designed for ages 3+): Focuses on beginner basics, open building zones and simple challenges.
• LEGO Adventures: Encourages participants to step outside their comfort zones with complex, guided builds.
• Learning LEGO (Designed for ages 13 to adults): Covers the history of Lego, advanced building techniques and creative design.

For Nelson, Lego-building classes are about much more than play or building toys.

“I see the need for help, and I see the need to get these kids out from in front of screens,” Nelson said. “I feel like it was my duty to give back to my community that helped me when I was younger.”

Raised on Milwaukee’s North Side, Nelson and Wellington spent a lot of their childhood building together, before their almost 10-year age gap inevitably drew them apart.

Their close relationship became an advantage on “LEGO Masters,” where the siblings advanced in the competition, becoming third-place finalists.

“We’re both very different people. It helps bring out our best qualities and we’re able to work together well,” said Wellington, a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee alum. “I’m very timid. She pushed me to believe in myself and that led us to succeed.”

The siblings competed again, this time internationally, on “LEGO Masters: Grand Masters of the Galaxy” in Australia in 2025. They also were the first all-Black team in the U.S. version of “LEGO Masters” to win a challenge.

Nelson said they intentionally incorporated a few references to the city and state into their builds throughout the competitions.

“When we were doing the TV shows, we tried to incorporate something from Milwaukee or something that symbolizes Wisconsin as a whole,” Nelson said. “In the first episode, we did the dairy boat.”

While Nelson currently works in health care, she continues to build her public identity through her social media presence and Lego-building classes with MKE Rec.

“I felt like this was my calling, this is my passion. I love Lego,” Nelson said.

Registration for Nelson’s summer Lego-building sessions are open now until the first week of classes on June 22. You can register here.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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With summer slowly approaching, a new 55-foot-wide mural by Luna Creative Collaborations is coming to life outside Paleteria Yayo, 1727 W. Lincoln Ave. The art project was commissioned by the Milwaukee Brewers. 

Luna Creative Collaborations supports artists of color in and around Milwaukee that produce public art, exhibitions and community-centered collaborative projects.

Rene Adan and his wife Galy Montes, the owners of Paleteria Yayo, have built good relationships with area artists, and with the Milwaukee Brewers and some of the other local sports teams.

“We’ve been the first paleteria inside the Brewers stadium and the Bucks stadium,” Adan said.

According to Aisha Valentín, a co-lead muralist on the project with Luna Creative Collaborations, Adan can always be seen repping Brewers merch at the paleteria.

“I think Rene is a big Brewers fan because every day he’s got the hat, a jersey, without fail,” Valentín said.

Adan also spoke about the pride he feels having a Major League Baseball team support the work of his small business. 

“Being an immigrant here in the United States, having such a huge company see us and work with us is nice,” Adan said.

Before painting began, the project’s co-leaders, Whitney Salgado and Valentín, visited a couple of fourth grade classes across the street from the mural at Lincoln Avenue School, 1817 W. Lincoln Ave., to get input from students. 

They asked the students to draw their idea of “play,” what they see in their neighborhood and what they like to do in the summer.

“Even before we talked to the students, I had very similar concepts on focusing on youth and nostalgia,” Salgado said.

The color palette of the piece is meant to tie the mural to the 2026 Milwaukee Brewers City Connect jerseys. Both feature a similar gradient designed to represent Wisconsin’s summer sunsets and the state’s natural beauty.

The owner and creative director of Luna Creative Collaborations, Katie Avila Loughmiller, plans on hosting an official unveiling in the coming weeks, once the mural is complete.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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Inside Greenwood Park Gallery and Framing, 4233 W. Fond du Lac Ave., attendees gathered for a Mindful Mondays MKE event. There, a display of intricately carved fruits drew people in for a bite, as Imani Raiyne, founder of Kreative Fruitz, educated visitors on what fruit could become.

“I always say (it started) in my mother’s womb. I know that may sound crazy, but I was the only one of my siblings that my mother made a watermelon creation for her baby shower,” Raiyne said. “She didn’t do it for my other siblings.”

Mindful Mondays MKE is a community initiative that brings together residents and local business owners through events focused on networking.

Raiyne’s introduction to fruit art began at home with her mother, Gina.

Following her diagnosis of lupus at 11, one year after her mother’s own diagnosis of lupus, she became homeschooled. 

As a part of her new curriculum, her mother taught her fruit art, combining nutrition lessons with art classes.

“January 2017 is when the lupus took my mother away from me, in the physical form,” Raiyne said. “It definitely was a very, very dark and rough time for me.”

Six months later, while creating a fruit display for her father’s retirement party, Raiyne found a renewed sense of purpose.

“I felt reconnected with my mother, and at that moment, I knew that this is what I needed to do. It saved my life,” Raiyne said. 

What started as a special activity with her mother grew into a business. Raiyne officially launched Kreative Fruitz, offering catering, fruit arrangements and hands-on workshops designed to make healthy eating more engaging. 

Almost nine years later, she’s still doing what she loves despite her limitations. 

“I’m not able to just work a regular nine-to-five job because of my health. Doing fruit art has given me an outlet to be free to do what I want to do, when I want to do it and how I want to do it,” Raiyne said.

Through her work across Milwaukee, Raiyne said she has seen first-hand how unfamiliar people can be with fruits. 

“I have been blown away at the amount of people that I’ve come in contact with in my nine years that have never had fruit before, but they try it with me,” Raiyne said. 

Raiyne completed her National Nutrition Educator certification recently, with her goal being to help bridge the gap by making fruit approachable and creative for people, while remaining nutritious and educational. 

“I’m not a magician or a medical doctor or anything like that, but I just try to help make people feel better,” Raiyne said.

Chrishella Roché, founder and owner of VIBEZ Creative Arts Space, recently had Raiyne teach a workshop on fruit art and nutritional education through the Together We Create program. 

VIBEZ Creative Arts Space is  for the community to explore art through all different mediums.

“She was very intentional and the kids really enjoyed it,” Roché said. “One of the fruits they tried was dragon fruit. It was new to some of the students, and that’s really what we enjoy, especially healthy snack options.”

As she expands Kreative Fruitz, Raiyne said she hopes to educate and empower Milwaukeeans, one piece of fruit at a time. 

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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Beats & Baile: A Salsa Social, hosted by Latino Arts Inc. at the United Community Center, brought Milwaukee residents together earlier this month for an evening of music and movement. The event featured beginner-friendly dance instruction with a bilingual twist.

The evening began with a 30-minute salsa lesson led by Karlies Kelley Vedula, owner of Panadanza Dance Co., an Afro-Latina dance company in Milwaukee.

After the lesson, the dance floor opened for two hours as local DJ Jose Montes, known as DJ Saffiro, drew people in with a mix of music.

He said Bad Bunny’s music, which is currently trending, is a crowd favorite.

“When you play that, you know everybody’s gonna dance,” Montes said.

He said that Milwaukee’s Latin dance scene continues to grow. 

“The community definitely is growing. Little by little,” Montes said.

Latino Arts Inc. launched Beats & Baile in October to create a space for community members to gather outside the traditional club scene.

This year, Latino Arts Inc. celebrated its 40th anniversary.

“We started last year as a way to connect with the community in a fun way where people can go out dancing,” said Jacobo Lovo, managing artistic director at Latino Arts Inc.

Since then, the event has grown organically. 

After the first Beats & Baile event last year, organizers were introduced to Montes through previously featured DJ Gia Fu.

“This is a natural progression,” Lovo said.

The series also reflects Latino Arts Inc.’s broader mission.

“It’s right in line with our mission to share the cultural heritage of Latin America,” Lovo said. “Music is one of those things that’s universal, and we invite everybody to come dance with us.”

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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Community organizations hosted cleanup events across several Milwaukee neighborhoods over the weekend, drawing many volunteers to pick up litter and clear debris following recent severe weather and flooding.

One of the city’s larger efforts, the Tory Lowe Community Clean Up, took place from 8 a.m. to noon at three different locations in the city. Volunteers began at Evolve MKE, 6550 N. 76th St., before moving to the New Pitts Mortuary, 2031 W. Capitol Drive, and ending at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, 3275 N. 3rd St. The cleanup event included a mobile hazardous waste drop-off by Home HazMat Collection.

“We had almost 300 people register for this cleanup,” said Tory Lowe, a radio personality with 101.7 The Truth, who organized the event.

Lowe has been hosting the cleanup event for several years. He said each effort builds on momentum from previous years.

“Last year, we picked up 10,000 gallons of trash,” Lowe said. “This year, we’re trying to beat that.”

He also asked residents to continue their efforts beyond Earth Day, which is April 22.

“We have to encourage the community to get out and do neighborhood cleanups,” Lowe said.

In the Amani neighborhood, volunteers gathered for the 5th annual Amani Earth Day Cleanup at the Dominican Center, 2470 W. Locust St. Participants spread out across nearby blocks to collect trash and beautify the area.

“We’re just out here to make the community look better and be the example,” said Shivon Williams, a participant in the cleanup.

Williams said volunteers could see visible improvements as the morning progressed.

“To be honest, it looks so much better than when we first started this,” Williams said. “It’s looking really good.”

Near Sherman Park, volunteers joined a cleanup at the Sherman Phoenix Marketplace, 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave. The effort focused on improving the marketplace and other nearby streets.

The events were part of a broader push across Milwaukee to prepare neighborhoods for Earth Day, encouraging ongoing community involvement, especially after recent severe weather caused flooding throughout the city. 

Organizers say the cleanups not only address litter and debris, but also help build neighborhood pride.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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In a warm church basement, a new mural taking shape on Milwaukee’s South Side is more than just a work of art, it’s a reflection of the people who helped create it. Muralist Tia Richardson said that is her goal.

Richardson, founder of Cosmic Butterfly Design, has spent more than two decades creating over 50 collaborative murals across Milwaukee. She uses her art as a tool for connection, healing and self-expression, for both herself and all those who view it.

“I came up with the name ‘Cosmic Butterfly’ to represent transformation,” Richardson said. “It’s a symbol for what I’m trying to do with my work: transform spaces and how we feel about ourselves, our communities and nature.”

She founded her business in 2003 as a freelance graphic designer. Over time, her work expanded into teaching opportunities and community collaboration.

“Teaching has always been a passion of mine,” Richardson said. “My work evolved as I evolved.”

That evolution grew from her personal experiences. Richardson said she struggled with isolation and depression as a teenager, but found comfort through art.

“Art was something I had that helped me with that,” Richardson said. “I find that a lot of people struggle with the same things.”

Today, her murals are specifically designed to bring people together. Through community workshops, participants identify challenges in their communities and imagine solutions. Participants are encouraged to create drawings that help shape Richardson’s final design.

“It reflects a much broader perspective than just what I, as an artist, see or want,” Richardson said.

Richardson describes her work as “living art,” created through participation and shared energy. She recalls one early project when a participant said the mural felt like “it was giving her a hug.”

“People actually get to touch the art and paint,” Richardson said. “It’s very therapeutic.”

Her latest mural reflects that same approach.

The mural, which will be installed at The Table, 5305 W. Capitol Drive, is for The Greater Milwaukee Synod led by Bishop Paul D. Erickson.

“We’re focusing on the theme of collaboration this year, so we wanted a project that we could work on together,” Erickson said. 

Erickson selected Richardson based on her previous work for some of their congregations, who said they enjoyed her community-centered process.

Richardson held a design workshop on Feb. 7 where community members contributed to the mural’s concept. About 40 people attended a follow-up event on March 7 where they helped paint the base layers of the mural.

Working alongside Richardson was Luciano Lucente, an 18-year-old high school student who trained under her through a program Richardson did with the Milwaukee Christian Center.

“It’s a really great opportunity for an artistic person like myself,” Lucente said. “I get to participate in my community and see different parts of the city.”

For Richardson, the impact goes beyond the finished mural.

“We want unity. We want young people to feel better about themselves,” Richardson said.

After more than 20 years, she continues to see her work as a way to build pride and possibility.

“When we come together, we have collective power,” Richardson said. “It’s about self-esteem and community pride.”

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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Brenda Hines still likes to refer to her son, Donovan Hines, as her “favorite son,” the same way he liked to refer to himself before he was killed on Nov. 13, 2017. 

Donovan was driving near North 29th Street and West Hampton Avenue in Milwaukee when he was struck by a stray bullet and crashed through a fence and into a home in the 4700 block of North 29th Street.

In the months that followed, Brenda Hines said she sank into such a deep, dark grief that she cried daily, unable to eat or work. She even contemplated taking her own life. 

“It took me a while to get out of the state of shock,” Hines said. “It was very difficult, spiritually, for me to come back.”

Now, almost a decade later, she has turned that pain into hope by building The Donovan Hines Foundation of Exuberance Co, a Milwaukee nonprofit that offers consistent, community-based support for families grieving violent loss.

“Exuberance means vibrant. And that’s what Donovan was. He always came out with a smile on his face,” Hines said.

After the unexpected loss of her son, Hines connected with the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Project UJIMA, a collaborative, multidisciplinary program geared to stop violent behavior patterns and reduce the number of children hurt by violence. Meeting with Project UJIMA once a month was helpful and inspired Hines to begin her own grief group that met more frequently. 

“Being a person of color, we don’t seek therapy, and we have so much trauma, so much violence going on,” Hines said.

Hines hosted her grief group weekly for about a year, with the support of the late Bishop Sedgwick Daniels of Holy Redeemer Institutional Church of God in Christ.

“That was the beginning of my healing process,” Hines said. “Not only listening to someone else, but being there for myself.”

Seven months after her loss, Hines was asked to continue her work with The Salvation Army Chaplaincy Program, in partnership with the Milwaukee Police Department. She was asked to serve as a chaplain on a case that hit close to home, helping a family who had just lost their son, who was the same age as Donovan, to suicide. 

“It gave me something to hope for,” Hines said. “That’s when I started coming back out and decided to start having empowerment groups and transformation stuff for grief.”

Ever since then, she’s kept going, growing her nonprofit in any way she can, whether it be through the Summer Meal Program for children, the emergency food pantry or senior stockboxes.

“I just kept going and going. I was like, ‘OK, I’m still not doing enough,” Hines said. “The more I help others, it seems like, the more it helps me.”

Hines, along with several other Milwaukee nonprofits, hosted a survivor-led candlelight vigil to join a National Moment of Remembrance in December. The vigil centered on healing and the belief that everyone deserves the freedom to live.

On the hardest days, what keeps Hines going is “God first, my family and the foundation.”

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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Milwaukee isn’t widely known for its food scene. 

But local content creators across the city are working to change that. They’re using social media to highlight neighborhood restaurants, caterers and small food businesses they say are often overlooked.

Meet creators working to change the narrative about Milwaukee’s food scene.

The Robin Hood of food reviews

A nudge from his mom helped Terry “eatingwithtrey” Jackson launch one of Milwaukee’s fastest-growing food platforms.

Three years ago, Jackson posted a video just for fun, but it caught his mother’s attention. Her response was simple: “Keep going.”

He did.

Since then, he’s been making videos highlighting food across the city. Early last year, his posts blew up.

“It just started going crazy,” Jackson said. “Now I’ve been on a couple radio stations. I’ve had other people do interviews about me. It just took off from there.”

Despite his growing online presence, content creation isn’t his primary job. He works as a contractor installing security cameras and fire alarm systems throughout Milwaukee.

He said his videos focus less on well-known restaurants and more on smaller restaurants, caterers, cooks and pop-up events. 

“I wanted my platform to mean something,” he said. “The big businesses are OK. I’m more for the smaller people, because I want people to evolve.”

Jackson said many local restaurants currently offer similar menus, featuring food like catfish, collard greens and macaroni and cheese. But he’s especially interested in highlighting businesses experimenting with new flavors and styles.

“These small-time businesses, they’re doing like Creole-type meals and stuff like that,” he said. “I’m looking for the people that’s trying to step out the box.”

When asked for local recommendations, he pointed to a couple of personal favorites.

“If you want any kind of catfish, Kitchen 11 to me has the best catfish,” he said. “And for a soul food dinner, it would have to be Richmond’s inside the Sherman Phoenix.”

Kitchen 11 is located at 6800 W. Brown Deer Road and Sherman Phoenix is at 3536 W. Fond du Lac Ave. 

As his audience grows, he said his goal remains the same: using his platform to introduce Milwaukee residents to small food businesses that might otherwise go unnoticed.

You can find Jackson on Facebook as Terry Jackson and on other platforms as “eatingwithtrey.”

A family affair

What started as a way to connect with his kids turned into a growing platform highlighting Milwaukee’s local food scene.

A little over a year ago, Lester “Yung Papilez” Gillet, was working as a special education teacher when he noticed that his students just couldn’t stop TikToking. At home, his kids were just as interested in the app. Instead of discouraging them, he decided to join in.

“I told my daughter and my son, ‘Why don’t we just do TikTok?’ ” he said. “But I got bad flat feet, so dancing was out of the question.”

After experimenting, the family landed on food reviews. 

His videos often serve to promote local restaurants that may not have the resources for advertising, he said. Instead of harsh reviews, he focuses on positive experiences.

“I don’t want to bash nobody,” he said. “I just eat what I know I like and keep it exciting and informative.”

In his videos, he highlights restaurants in neighborhoods across the city, from the North Side to the South Side, encouraging viewers to try places they might not otherwise visit.

“Some people say, ‘Man, I’d never go to the North Side,’ ” he said. “But if they see a specific spot and want that food, they’ll GPS it and go.”

He said he also feels a responsibility to highlight smaller and minority-owned businesses as his following grows.

“If I’ve got a platform, that’s what I’d like to shine light on,” he said. “If you’re in a position to do that, why wouldn’t you?”

‘Underrated‘ food scene

To him, Milwaukee’s food scene deserves more recognition.

“It’s so underrated,” he said. “We’ve got so many different cultures here and so many different options.”

The city’s diversity is reflected in its restaurants, he said. From Hispanic and Asian cuisine to soul food and Italian, often within the same neighborhood.

When asked what spot he recommends people try, he said Beto’s Pizza, 1234 S. Cesar E. Chavez Drive. 

“They don’t miss. They’re clean, they’re nice, and the food is good every time,” Gillet said.

Inspired by the local food community, he’s now preparing to join it. He plans to launch a hot dog cart in the coming months, a project he’s been working on for about a year.

Aside from that, his goal as a food influencer is simple: to keep sharing food, keep highlighting small businesses and keep showing people that Milwaukee’s food scene has more to offer than many realize.You can find Gillet as “Yung Papilez” across social media platforms.

‘Your friendly neighborhood judge’ … and foodie

Derek Mosley’s content career started when he was running for municipal court judge and noticed that many restaurants in Milwaukee weren’t getting the attention they deserved. 

“There’s a lot of restaurants that are owned by people of color here in the city of Milwaukee that I didn’t think were getting enough publicity by regular media streams,” Mosley said. “So I started by just posting places that I enjoyed, that I thought people should check out.”

He initially spotlighted staples like Mr. Perkins’ Family Restaurant, 2001 W. Atkinson Ave., and Nino’s Southern Sides, 4475 N. Oakland Ave., by posting photos of meals, short reviews and encouragement for followers to try somewhere new.  

His platform quickly expanded. 

“The more you start to put out material, the more people realize it,” Mosley said. “Restaurants reach out and say, ‘Hey, I’m opening a new restaurant, why don’t you come in and take a look?’ And then it just starts to snowball.”

But food wasn’t his first foray into social media.

Mosley’s social media following began with politics.

As a municipal judge running for reelection every four years, he looked for a way to connect with voters without spending tens of thousands of dollars on traditional ads. His solution was social media posts about daily life in the community, each signed off with a familiar phrase.

“I would end every post with ‘your friendly neighborhood judge,’ ” he said. “And it just caught on.” Mosley is now the director of Marquette University Law School’s Lubar Center for Public Policy Research and Civic Education.

Becoming a food influencer

Over time, different audiences gathered around different posts. Some followed Mosley for his annual Black History Month series. Others followed for community updates. Eventually, he became one of the city’s most enthusiastic food ambassadors.  

A look at his Facebook page will reveal hundreds if not thousands of photos of tasty-looking meals. 

“I’m not a food critic,” Mosley said. “If I go somewhere and don’t like the food, I just don’t post about it. But if I enjoy it, I’ll show you what I ate, what it costs, where it is. And get the word out so people try it.”

That positive-only approach has real impact, he said. Mosley says local businesses have told him they’ve received orders from as far away as Texas after his posts.

The influence even reached the culinary world’s top institutions. In 2022, Mosley served as a judge for the James Beard Foundation.

For Mosley, though, the mission remains the same as when he started: getting Milwaukeeans to explore beyond their routines.

“Sometimes the worst people to ask about restaurants are people who live here,” he said with a laugh. “We’re creatures of habit.”

When asked his favorite restaurants, Mosley couldn’t choose just one. He named Richmonds, Confectionately Yours Cafe & Bakery, Baked Dreams and the Kinship Cafe as his favorite casual eateries.  

Milwaukee’s food scene, he believes, deserves more curiosity and more credit.

“Severely underrated,” he said. “The only way these restaurants survive is if everybody goes.” 

You can find Mosley on all platforms under Derek Mosley.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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As pool balls crack through the hall, Estella “Stella” Moralez Reyna moves between tables, balancing plates and greeting customers with a warm “mija” or “mijo.”

Reyna has worked at Señor Loco Mexican Restaurant, located inside Romine’s High Pockets at 6125 S. 27th St., for more than 30 years. Over the decades, she has become a familiar presence to regulars who return to see her as much as they come to eat or play pool.

Before coming to Señor Loco, Reyna worked at another Mexican restaurant, Acapulco Lounge, at South 6th Street and West National Avenue, from 1980 to 1993. After her departure, the lounge was permanently closed in 2007. Many of the customers she met there followed her when she moved to Señor Loco.

One of the longtime regulars that followed her is Jeff Castillo.

“We know Stella actually from back in the old days, from Acapulco Lounge,” Castillo said.

When Acapulco Lounge closed, Castillo and others kept coming to see her, saying that her friendliness and personal touch make the place feel familiar.

“You saw how she greeted me. She greets everybody. You always feel at home over here,” he said.

Reyna jokes that she has a terrible memory for names, “But if they talk to me and tell me something about their life, I remember that,” she said.

Her coworkers note how their manager’s warmth shines through her work. Nevada Sanchez, who has worked alongside Reyna at the restaurant for more than a decade, described her as fun, hardworking and incredibly sweet.

“She’s the fastest old lady waitress I’ve ever met,” Sanchez said with a laugh. “She’s our work mom.”

For Reyna, the relationships she builds with customers are both the best and hardest part of her job.

“Meeting your customers and you don’t see them again, you know, when they pass away? That’s the worst thing,” she said as she paused and wiped away tears.

The COVID-19 pandemic made those moments more common. Reyna said she lost several longtime customers and eventually stopped asking “Where’s the better half?”

Even after long shifts, Reyna often stays to make sure parties run smoothly and guests are taken care of. When approaching a table, she said she always looks for the youngest person first. 

When asked what has kept her there for nearly three decades, Reyna didn’t hesitate.

“The customers,” she said.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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Applause, laughter and cheering reverberated in a Madison auditorium on Thursday as students raced to answer questions during the African American History Academic Challenge. The annual event, a partnership between the Madison Metropolitan School District and the nonprofit 100 Black Men of Madison, Inc., seeks to enhance appreciation and knowledge of Black history and bolster pride and self-worth.

Student teams representing two high schools and a half-dozen middle schools demonstrated knowledge through challenges focused on key events, figures and themes in African American history. McFarland and Verona middle schools also hold the event, with winners advancing to a regional competition on March 14. That contest determines who represents Madison’s 100 Black Men chapter on a national stage in New York City. 

As the middle school competition unfolded in the Doyle Administration Building, Sennett Middle School teacher Johnny Kennedy pumped her fist as she cheered on the students she coached. 

“I’m so proud of them,” Kennedy said. 

Her group of seventh and eighth graders had practiced since November. Some had competed last year without advancing, but they immediately knew they wanted to try again this year. James C. Wright Middle School ultimately advanced. 

During the separate high school contest that Robert M. La Follette High School won, “Coach O” Anderson, a Madison West High School student engagement specialist, said she learned about the event when her son Micah advanced to the national finals in Las Vegas during his eighth grade year in 2018. 

High schoolers tend to lag behind middle schoolers in participation. Anderson aimed to ramp up the same level of excitement among high schoolers that younger students display. She aims to engage more than just the “usual kids who get the opportunities” — like those already earning A’s in history and taking AP courses. 

“I wanted the regular kids who don’t necessarily see themselves involved like this to have an opportunity,” she said. Her main motivation is watching her students put themselves in “transformational situations,” she added.

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During a crisp morning, the sun shone bright on Legacy Garden, a park at West North Avenue and North 15th Street. About 10 volunteers gathered there on March 12 to clean up and beautify the neighborhood.

Founded in the spring of 2024, the North Avenue Community Ambassadors host bi-weekly neighborhood cleanups throughout the Lindsay Heights neighborhood. 

Lindsay Heights, a historic neighborhood in the 53206 ZIP code on the North Side, was once a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Other places of note located in the neighborhood include Alice’s Garden, Fondy Farmers Market and the nonprofit Walnut Way Conservation Corp.

Residents are encouraged to join in and help clean up at different locations in Lindsay Heights, including the Legacy Garden. In return for their time and commitment to beautifying the neighborhood, they receive a T-shirt and $20 gift card as a thank you from North Avenue Community Ambassadors.

While the cleanups are important in helping keep the neighborhood tidy, Community Ambassadors still need help from the city to do more, according to their organizers. One of their hopes is two trash cans for the park.

“Change comes about when you’re a part of it,” said Gregory Williams, one of the sponsors of North Avenue Community Ambassadors.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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The sound of squeaking sneakers, bouncing balls and cheers echoed throughout the North Division High School gym, ​​1011 W. Center St., over the weekend as student athletes from across the city competed in Milwaukee Recreation’s Middle School Citywide Coed Volleyball Tournament.

The single-elimination tournament brought together middle school volleyball teams that participated in Milwaukee Recreation winter youth sports league. The tournament was held on Thursday and Friday culminating in championship matches on Sunday, March 8.

Parents, coaches and supporters filled the stands, applauding the players for their efforts as teams advanced through the bracket in pursuit of a city title.

The tournament serves as a capstone to the winter volleyball season, giving young athletes an opportunity to compete in a high-stakes setting after weeks of league play. 

Spectators purchased tickets in advance, and multiple courts were used during earlier rounds before the final matches moved to the main court.

The four final teams in the tournament were Story School, Maryland Avenue Montessori School, Nativity Jesuit Academy and Fernwood Montessori School. 

Story School secured the citywide title on Sunday, closing out a weekend of competitive matchups and school pride with a two sets to one victory over Nativity Jesuit Academy.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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A community of artists has transformed the historic Marshall Building, 207 E. Buffalo St., into a hub of galleries and creative spaces. On the second floor, Anthony Brewer, also known as Kashes, operates his gallery and studio, Kashes Collection.

“Kashes” is derived from the middle name of his son, Louie Kash Brewer, blended with a nod to the late boxing legend and humanitarian Cassius Clay. His son also loves to paint. Brewer said he wants Kashes Collection to be for his son one day, if he chooses to carry on the business.

Brewer has built his work around the idea of breathing and mental health. In many of his paintings, there are circular swirls throughout that represent his breaths.  

Growing up in the Midwest, Brewer became familiar with the visible breath of winter, an image he now tries to echo in his work.

Brewer did not originally set out to become an artist. During the pandemic, he and his wife, Betsabe Brewer, were living in Chicago. Wanting to keep her husband from spending too much time playing video games and also find an emotional outlet, Betsabe encouraged him to paint.

“There was no expectation,” Betsabe said. “It was more about release through creativity.”

What began as stress relief quickly became something more. Brewer sold his first painting for $2,000, an unexpected moment that shifted his perspective on his art and future. Then, he sold out his first show in Shorewood. He quit his tech job the next day.

The family later moved to Milwaukee to be closer to relatives. With his tech career behind him, returning home made sense.

Three years into full-time painting, Brewer describes his style as “controlled chaos.” In his canvases, shapes that touch the edges represent exhales, and shapes in the center signify inhales. The rhythm reflects his belief that presence, even in anxiety, creates a balance.

His son, Louie, has also influenced the technique that defines his work. One day, Brewer handed him a paint roller covered in different colors. Louis rolled it across the surface, creating a gradient effect his father had been trying to master.

“He found the technique and aesthetic I was looking for,” Brewer said.

Brewer tells clients each painting is meant to serve as a reminder to slow down and breathe. Collectors have shared how his work helped them through difficult days. A lung cancer survivor once stood in front of his painting and cried, grateful for the simple act of breathing.

“It’s the first thing you do when you wake up,” Brewer said. “We shouldn’t take it for granted.”

Rejecting the “starving artist” narrative, Brewer calls himself a “20% artist, 80% entrepreneur.” By selling directly to collectors and keeping prices accessible, he hopes more people can own his art.

Brewer said he feels grateful to have found work that feels purposeful. Besides painting, he mentors emerging artists and plans to launch a podcast focused on art investment and ownership.

Above all, Brewer wants his work to serve as a reminder to breathe.

“In order to do the impossible,” he said, “just take the breath that you need.”

Editor’s note: Bevin Christie, Anthony Brewer’s mother, is a staff member at NNS.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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Community members and city leaders celebrated the opening of four new community-powered fridges on the North Side of Milwaukee. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Friday, Feb. 27, at Metcalfe Park Community Bridges, 3624 W. North Ave., to mark the occasion. 

The effort to fight food scarcity by opening community-powered fridges comes after several grocery stores closed in the area, creating a food desert.

District 15 Ald. Russell W. Stamper II, who saw several grocery stores in his district close over the past few years, served as the event’s emcee. 

“We could either complain about the problem, or we could come together to find a solution,” Stamper said.

In July 2025, a Pick ‘n Save on the North Side closed, prompting the opening of a community-powered fridge at Tricklebee Café in the Sherman Park and Uptown area. Since then, several other grocery stores have closed in the area.

This led Stamper, FEED MKE, Metcalfe Park Community Bridges and One MKE to open four more community-powered fridges.

Christie Melby-Gibbons, executive director of Tricklebee Café, talked about the organization’s community-powered fridge. About a week ago, the fridge was empty for the first time since its launch, so staff turned to their online community for support. 

“Within 20 minutes, a woman came in with bags of food and filled the fridge for less than $100,” Melby-Gibbons said.

The community-powered fridge network is run by residents on a take-what-you-need, leave-what-you-can model. Taking a grassroots approach to solving food insecurity in the area, community members provide fresh produce and other healthy food options to ensure that their neighbors have access to nutritious foods.

“Everybody deserves to eat. I can’t go to sleep at night knowing my neighbors are hungry,” said Melody McCurtis, deputy director of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges.

Here’s a list of all the community-powered fridges:

Metcalfe Park Community Bridges

3624 W. North Ave.

Rooted & Rising- Washington Park

3940 W. Lisbon Ave.

Sherman Park Community Association

3526 W. Fond du Lac Ave.

Dominican Center

2470 W. Locust St.

Tricklebee Café

4424 W. North Ave.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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Nearly 10 years after opening its doors in the Uptown neighborhood of Milwaukee, The Battlebox Video Games has become one of the city’s most enduring independent gaming and collectibles stores.

Co-owner Bryant Wilcox has turned a lifelong passion for gaming into a community hub where collectors, families and casual players all feel welcome.

Located at 5431 W. Lisbon Ave., the store started as a small game development studio but quickly grew into a retail space. Wilcox runs this family-owned business with his wife, Joyce Wilcox, and their son, Bryant Adams, a Milwaukee firefighter. Over the years, its focus has shifted from building games to building community.

“I’d rather have 100 supporters than 1,000 customers,” Wilcox said.

Wilcox’s love of gaming started in grade school, when trading cards and consoles filled his backpack.

“My backpack was a smaller version of this place. I’ve always been buying, selling and trading games,” Wilcox said.

The store operates out of a former pawn shop, a location Wilcox said drew him to Milwaukee’s Uptown neighborhood. The building’s reinforced construction provides added security for high-value inventory, including vintage games, consoles and collectibles.

“This place is a fortress,” Wilcox said. “I can sleep better knowing my inventory is secure.”

As national video game chains have closed locations across Milwaukee, The Battlebox Video Games on the city’s North Side has remained viable by prioritizing trust over volume. 

Wilcox said independence has always been central to the business model.

“I didn’t feel like giant corporations should be in charge of my hobby,” he said. “I’m small, but I’m durable.”

That approach proved critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because the store already operated using a call ahead system, Wilcox was able to continue transactions while limiting capacity. He also distributed masks and hand sanitizer to community members who needed it.

Today, products are sold both in-store and online through platforms such as Whatnot, Mercari and eBay.

Beyond retail, the business has become a resource for local students. Wilcox runs an honor roll incentive program that rewards students with store credit for academic achievement, an effort he said is meant to encourage long-term thinking.

“If kids can learn how to save here, even a little bit, that carries over into life,” he said.

The shop hosts youth-focused activities and gaming-related events through its adjacent lounge.

After nearly a decade in Uptown, The Battlebox Video Games stands as a space sustained by passion and community support.

“I want us to be loved, needed and supported by the community,” Wilcox said. “That’s how a place like this lasts.”

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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Residents and city leaders came together at the Community Development Alliance, 3800 W. Lisbon Ave., on Wednesday, Feb. 18 to unveil a mural celebrating more than 3,000 new homeowners since 2023.

In 2021, the city of Milwaukee launched the Milwaukee’s Collective Affordable Housing Strategic Plan. The 10-year plan lays out a road map on advancing racial equity and ensuring a quality affordable home for every Milwaukeean.

The plan has four main focuses: strategies to increase Black and Latino homeownership; strategies to ensure that Black and Latino residents stay in their homes; systems to make housing more affordable for those earning between $7.25 to $15 per hour; and ensuring that existing affordable housing for residents earning $7.25 to $15 per hour is preserved.

Local muralist Tia Richardson created a mural commemorating the new homeownership efforts after collaborative brainstorming with local residents and staff from the Community Development Alliance. 

“I wanted to visualize that connection to developing the hearts and minds of the community, developing all of those involved and developing the future,” said Richardson.

Ensuring residents have stable, quality housing has become one of the main focuses for Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who declared 2026 “the year of housing.”

“I’ve asked every single city department to see what we can do to support housing this year,” said Johnson.

For Beatriz Espinoza, homeownership was not a priority until she became pregnant with her daughter, Elena Fernandez. She no longer wanted to have to deal with a landlord and closed on their home shortly after  daughter was born. 

Espinoza said she doesn’t think she would have been able to become a homeowner without support of the Community Development Association. 

“Even if I would have, I wouldn’t be as financially stable as I feel that I am,” Espinoza said.

Espinoza took advantage of the organization’s Early Childhood Education Homes, a program run in collaboration with several community partners.  The program provided homes exclusively for early childhood educators for approximately $105,000.

While 3,000 new homeowners is a significant milestone, the efforts to make homeownership more accessible in the city won’t stop there.

“The main goal of the affordable housing plan is to get and sustain 1,000 new homeowners each year,” said Teig Whaley-Smith, the Chief Alliance Executive for the Community Development Alliance.

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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After visiting art museums across the globe, Ernesto “Neto” Atkinson realized their large, cavernous spaces and smell reminded him of his time as a child working as a tour guide in the catacombs of Antigua, Guatemala. 

That’s when the idea came to create The Catacombs of Neto Art Museum.

“I realized that the museum is a cemetery for art,” said Atkinson. “Art is dead, without anyone seeing it.” 

The Catacombs of Neto Art Museum opened in October of 2024 in the lower level of  the Marshall Building, 207 E. Buffalo St. 

This is the first bilingual art museum in Milwaukee, designed as a space for inclusion, conversation and connection, but not silence.

“Anybody can come here. Art is a language that speaks to all of us,” Atkinson said.

Atkinson grew up in Antigua, Guatemala, and lost his biological father when he was 7 years old. 

“My first encounter with death was my father dying in my hands,” Atkinson said.

To help support his family after their loss, Atkinson sold his art on the streets and did other odd jobs. Art became a way to process his grief and survive poverty.

Atkinson began his professional artistic training at North Dakota State University and went on to complete a master’s degree in art therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. 

In Chicago, he met his wife and business partner, Jenny Urbanek, who is a yoga instructor, artist and art educator.

Atkinson also has a private art therapy practice, Integration Healing/ Alivio Integral. He says the museum is like an extension of that work. 

Atkinson said he brings clients into the museum space to see healing in action. There he can show them examples of how he worked through a particular challenge through a piece of his artwork and encourage them to do something similar. 

“He often brings clients over here. I don’t know how many a week, but it’s very often,” Urbanek said.

Atkinson’s art therapy clients are not the only ones who can receive mental health benefits while visiting the museum. 

Urbanek recounts seeing people who may not usually feel comfortable around art finding meaning and confidence through talking with Atkinson.

“They’re usually old men who are kind of tough. By the end of the conversation, they’re both crying together,” Urbanek said. 

“And they come back,” Atkinson added.

Atkinson’s vision for the future of The Catacombs of Neto Art Museum is focused on continued collaborations and long-term sustainability. Plans include yoga classes taught by Urbanek, Milwaukee Museum Days and Gallery Night MKE. 

“My vision is that in a couple of years, (the museum) is not mine anymore. I want to give this to the community,” Atkinson said. “I want this to be for them.”

Jonathan Aguilar is a visual journalist at Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service who is supported through a partnership between CatchLight Local and Report for America.

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Editor’s note: This story, published in September, has been updated.

As fears grow over immigration enforcement, some community members want to better document the activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. 

Comité Sin Fronteras, an arm of Voces de la Frontera, is training people to serve as “community verifiers” – who confirm or deny reports of ICE actions and document incidents when they do happen. 

A key element of the project, dubbed, “La Migra Watch,” is to raise awareness about the hotline anyone can use to report possible ICE activity, said Raul Rios, an organizer with Comité. 

“That is how, statewide, we can get involved and get on the ground to help each other,” Rios said. 

Rumors of ICE sightings in Milwaukee in Milwaukee over the past few weeks prompted Voces De La Frontera issued a statement on Sunday.

“We’re asking for your help in stopping the spread of unverified claims, particularly about ICE being spotted in hotels and other locations. Spreading unverified rumors only causes unnecessary anxiety for our community, especially for undocumented immigrants,” it read.

They are asking residents to call 1-800-427-0213 to report ICE sightings.

In this video, Rios explains how the verification process works, and we follow a verifier after a call to the hotline is made. 

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