VOL. XLI Number 20 Dec. 6, 2017 www.milwaukeecommunityjournal.com 25 Cents BULK RATEU.S. POSTAGE PAID

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSINPERMIT NO. 4668

Woman jailed for cussin’ out son! (See Pg. 5)

W I S C O N S I N ’ S L A R G E S T A F R I C A N A M E R I C A N N E W S P A P E R

PULSEPULSE OF THEOF THECOMMUNITYCOMMUNITY

Photos and question by Yvonne Kemp

“What is your opinion of thesexual harassment scandalsin entertainment, news media

and government?”“I believe thatthe truth willnever stayhidden. Yet,we have to rememberwhere this allstems from: a patriarchal society.”

Ivory Edwards-Adkin

“A deep waveof harass-ment comingthrough isdeep. Itspeaks towho we con-sider our leaders.”

DarrelElliot

“I think the chargesare no surprise.There will be more tocome in the future.Until the vast major-ity of people start tolisten and under-stand the victims ofthese crimes, it willnever end. The factthat so many people in high places get apass to do these things is unacceptable.”

Derwin Quin

“It is about time!Men have beengetting away withthis since womenstarted to climbthe (economic andjob) ladder. Nowthat we have somany successful women, these kind ofmen want to put sex on the agenda.”

Teretha Martin

Divas InTraining attend BucksgameMembers of the organiza-tion “Born 2 Dream-Divasin Training” pose with itsco-founder Darrin Reasbyat a recent MilwaukeeBucks basketball game atthe BMO Harris BradleyCenter. The Divas wish tothank the Bucks for givingthem Bucks charitabletickets. The Bucks wonthe game, agains theSacramento Kings, 109-104.--Photo by Y. Kemp

The rankings of Milwaukee public and charter schools listedbelow was done by Niche.com, a website that helps parentsdiscover the schools and neighborhoods that are right for theirchildren. The rankings are based on Niche.com’s rigorousanalysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from studentsand parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education.The grades are based on test scores, college data, and ratingscollected from millions of Niche users to produce comprehen-sive rankings, report cards, and profiles for every K-12 school,college, and neighborhood in the U.S.

Schools are listed in order in accordance to the letter grade(A, B, & C,) they received on Niche.com

The Niche.com rankings do not include private or charterschools. We will report on them separately. The only MIlwau-kee high schools to receive ‘A’ grades have admission require-ments.

According to one report, 25,000poor children are in failingschools. Is your child one of them?

You say you’re a good parent and careabout your child’s education; recognizingthat as Malcolm X once said, ‘it’s our pass-port to their future.

Does that mean you know how your child’sschool is doing according to the Department ofPublic Instruction’s latest report card?

Are you cognizant that DPI has released the most inclusive examina-tions of Wisconsin schools in state history, detailing proficiency ratesand other academic assessments?

The report provides a detailed look at schools across the educationaldivide, including public, private and charter schools. The findings arenot surprising to educational analysts, and while it places a majority ofoutstate schools in a positive light, it also reveals Milwaukee runs thespectrum from (near) the top to the bottom of the barrel.

The most disconcerting—to some—aspect of that report is that thetop elementary schools are charters and the worst are MPS highschools—unless the high school has an admission requirement, likeRufus King International High School and Reagan College PreparatoryHigh School.

Government high schools that do not have admission requirementsdid poorly on the same report. Most of the lowest performing highschools in the state are MPS schools, with North Division at rock bot-tom.

The same can be said of middle schools, even though that statistic issomewhat misleading since MPS has been eliminating that archetype.

The top elementary/middle schools in Milwaukee are “non-instru-mentality charters,” meaning they don’t have to hire MPS teachers andhave the freedom to implement their own curriculums.

Closer scrutiny of the report, and an equally revealing ranking systemprovided by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce,showed about one third of local schools--public and private-- are doing“fairly well”, while another third are in serious need of improvement,if not total restructuring.

Five MPS high schools rank among the state’s worst. Do you knowwhat similarities they have? Is your child attending one of thoseschools?

Do you understand the school selection process? Did you investigatethe school your child is attending prior to enrolling them? Did you have

Schools with an A-grade:Rufus King InternationalSchoolReagan College Preparatory High School

Schools with a B-plusgrade:Whittier ElementarySchool

Schools with a B grade:Milwaukee School of LanguagesMilwaukee German Immersion SchoolCooper ElementarySchoolHapa-Hmong Amer PeaceAcademy K3-12

Schools with a B-minusgrade:Golda Meir School LowerCampusMilwaukee Spanish Im-mersion SchoolMaryland MontessoriCurtin Elementary SchoolSchools with a C-plusgrade:Fernwood MontessoriSchoolMacDowell MontessoriSchoolHoney Creek ElementarySchoolMilwaukee High School ofthe ArtsRiverside High SchoolCarmen High School ofScience and TechnologyAcademy of AcceleratedLearningMilwaukee CommunityCyber High School

Schools with a C grade:Milwaukee French Immer-sion SchoolFairview Elemtary SchoolHumboldt Park ElemtarySchoolAlcott Elementary SchoolGarland ElementarySchoolClement Avenue Elemen-tary SchoolBurdick ElementarySchoolIDEAL Charter SchoolALBA-Academia deLenguaje y Bellas ArtesLowell Elementary SchoolWedgewood Park School Whitman ElementarySchoolAudubon Technology andCommunication HighSchool

Greenfield SchoolBurbank ElementarySchoolMorse Marshall School forthe Gifted and TalentedNew School for Commu-nity ServiceHamilton High SchoolMilwaukee ParksideSchool of the ArtsVictory Elementary SchoolGrant Elementary School

Schools with a C-minusgrade:Trowbridge Street Ele-mentary SchoolBay View High SchoolZablocki ElementarySchoolNeeskara ElementarySchoolManitoba ElementarySchoolEmerson ElementarySchool95th Street ElementarySchoolCarmen Mid/High North-west CampusStuart Elementary SchoolLincoln Avenue Elemen-tary SchoolFratney ElementarySchoolHampton ElementarySchoolPierce Elementary SchoolAudubon Technology andCommunication CenterMiddle SchoolMorgandale ElementarySchoolLongfellow ElementarySchoolParkview ElementarySchoolGaenslen ElementarySchool81st Street ElementarySchoolRiver Trail ElementarySchoolHighland CommunitySchoolKagel Elementary SchoolBethune AcademyBradley Technology HighSchoolForest Home ElementarySchoolLincoln Middle SchoolHawley EnvironmentalSchoolGoodrich ElementarySchoolStory Elementary SchoolKluge Elementary SchoolMitchell ElementarySchool

(continued on page 5)

Milwaukee’s Top SchoolsMCJ EDITORIALMCJ EDITORIAL

Photo courtesy of mcgate.org

DO PARENTS UNDERSTAND(OR CARE ABOUT) THEIR ROLE IN THE EDUCATIONAL PROCESS?

(continued on page 11)

The Milwaukee Community Journal December 6, 2017 Page 2

Among the many challenges fac-ing Black America, health, and thestate of Black health and our commu-nity leading the nation in negativehealth indicators, is near, if not at thetop, of the list.

The King Drive Commons Galleryand Studio will address the state ofBlack health through art and partici-patory exercises that promote goodhealth Thursday, December 14, start-ing at 5:30 p.m. The gallery is lo-cated at 2775 N. Dr. Martin LutherKing Drive.

Called, “The Art of Health,” theevent will feature a specail guest,pharmacist Dr. Lester Carter, Jr. ofCarter’s Drug Store. Dr. Carter is oneof the community’s pillars and aleading expert in holistic health.

Dr. Carter will answer questions onhealing and preventing illness withall-natural and holistic tips and reme-dies.

Also featured will be hand andback massages, chair yoga demon-strations, holiday gifts, body awak-ening stretches and gentlemovements, all accompanied by up-lifting music surrounded by art.Turkey and vegitarian chili, hotchocolate and cider will be served.

Dr. Lester Carter, Jr.

Dr. Lester Carter,Jr., featuredguest at KingDrive Common’sGallery NightDecember 14

Photo by Barbara Miner

Open for Business: BMOHarris Bank AnnouncesOpening of New ShermanPark BranchLocated at 3637 W Fond Du Lac Ave, newbranch is directly across the street from previouslocation

BMO Harris announced Tuesday the opening of its new branch in theSherman Park neighborhood in Milwaukee.

“We have a long and proud history in Sherman Park, and today’s an-nouncement builds on 58 years of community partnership,” said Jud Sny-der, Senior Executive, Milwaukee, BMO Harris Bank. “In a year in whichwe mark our 200th year as a company, we are thrilled to plan for our futurein Sherman Park with the opening of this state-of-the-art branch – locatedjust steps away from our previous location.”

“We’re placing our best and newest technologies into this branch, de-livering a cutting-edge digital experience while at the same time offering

personalized service by our team of bankers,” added Sang Kim, RegionalPresident, Retail Banking, Wisconsin, BMO Harris Bank.

The new branch, built by Milwaukee-based property developer Com-pass Properties, features BMO’s “Smart Branch” concept – the first suchSmart Branch in Wisconsin. Some of its features include:

• A team of branch bankers helping customers with their financial needs• Smart ATMs that offer customers new options, including Mobile Cash

withdrawals without the use of a debit card• Free Wi-Fi to provide customers with access to their mobile devices

MCTS and CountyExecutive ChrisAbele Honor RosaParks with Head-light Tribute and Reserved Bus Seat

The Milwaukee County TransitSystem (MCTS) kept a seat openand the headlights shining on its en-tire fleet last Friday, December 1, tohonor the life of Rosa Parks and hercontribution to equal rights. Parkswas arrested after refusing to giveup her seat to a white man in Mont-gomery, Ala., on December 1, 1955.Her small act of civil disobedienceled to a landmark Supreme Courtruling that outlawed segregation onpublic transportation.

“Now, more than ever, Rosa Parkscourage and beliefs should inspireus every day. This country waschanged for the better on that De-cember day when she refused togive into racism and oppression,”said Milwaukee County ExecutiveChris Abele. “While we can nevertruly thank her for her brave actions,we mark the occasion to rememberand honor her courage and convic-tions.”

Every bus in the MCTS fleet willhave a seat reserved in honor ofRosa Parks. The sign features a pic-ture of her on the bus and one of herfamous quotes, “My only concernwas to get home after a hard day’swork.”

Reserved seat on aMCTS bus honoringRosa Parks Awareness Campaign

Targets FoodShareMembers in SoutheastWisconsinOutreach encourages enrollment inthe FoodShare Employment andTraining program

With more than 18,000 jobs currently available in southeast-ern Wisconsin,ResCare Workforce Services has launched a“Change the Game” campaign to raise awareness amongFoodShare members about enrollment in the FoodShare Em-ployment and Training (FSET) program.

FSET is a free program that helps FoodShare members inWisconsin build their job skills and find jobs. ResCare Work-force Services administers the FSET program to FoodShare-eligible individuals in Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine,Walworth, Washington, and Waukesha counties.

The Change the Game campaign provides, in part, informa-tion and resources for three regions via three new websites:GameChangeMKE.org (Milwaukee), GameChangeWOW.org(Waukesha, Ozaukee, and Washington), and

GameChangeWRK.org (Walworth, Racine, and Kenosha).“Our goal is to empower individuals to build meaningful ca-

reers by leveraging the FSET program along with our exten-sive resources and employer partnerships,” said DeVone Holt,ResCare Workforce Services customer development director.

“We hear from FSET participants regularly telling us howgoing through the program has improved their lives.

“By increasing awareness of the opportunities available toeligible participants, our goal is to encourage Wisconsin resi-dents who need assistance with job training to take advantageof these life-changing services,” he said.

Since 2015, over 13,000 FSET participants in southeast Wis-consin have found jobs with assistance from ResCare.Statewide, almost 21,000 FSET participants have found jobs.

Who is EligibleAnyone currently receiving FoodShare benefits is eligible

to enroll in the FSET program through ResCare WorkforceServices.

Once a member enrolls, talent development specialists pro-vide support to help create a customized plan of action for ed-ucation, vocational training, and other support services thatare based on the individual’s needs and goals.

“Hundreds of employers in the Greater Milwaukee regionare desperately seeking qualified, skilled workers to fill jobs,”said Holt. “FSET program participants are trained with theskills needed to meet the needs of these jobs.”

The Milwaukee Community Journal December 6, 2017 Page 3

MilwaukeeMillennial Hero:StephCrosley

Milwaukee is a place filled withmany opportunities of growth andleadership. We may hear about thenegatives quite often, but I wantedto take the time to highlight ayoung lady who I believe is a Mil-waukee Millennial Hero!

She goes by the name “@love-queensteph” on social media, whilemany of us know her as StephaineCrosley. Steph Crosley is an au-thor, motivational speaker, enter-tainer and so much more.

I had the opportunity to inter-view her live on Facebook and shehad nothing but positive feedbackfor me.

For instance, Steph’s mission isto promote and encourage self-lovein all that you do.

One way she does this is throughwriting. Queen Steph published two self-help books entitled “With Love” and“Naked With Confidence.”

In “With Love,” Stephaine dares to share her personal story and real lifeexperiences to express the importance of loving yourself no matter what lifethrows your way.

“Naked With Confidence” focuses on you and how you can overcome yourfears. She puts emphasis on how important is it to become vulnerable andlearning to be honest with yourself.

These two books are phenomenal, yet what makes Stephaine Crosley soincredible, is her passion behind all that she does.

I recently had the opportunity to bring Stephaine on as a special guest atmy latest workshop and she was amazing! She gave major insight on the keysto loving yourself fully.

As a program manager of a company that educates at-risk youth on finan-cial literacy, an entrepreneur and entertainer, Steph really steps up to the platewhen it comes to leadership. Her character speaks volumes to our city.

In our interview, she mentions how dedicated she is to Milwaukee and justhow great she knows this city can be if we learn to work together. She saysthat no matter what, follow your dreams and stick to them.

Queen Stephaine Crosley, thank you for all that you do for our city andknow that your hard work doesn’t go unnoticed!--LaShawnda S. Wilkins

MILLENNIAL VOICESMILLENNIAL VOICESN e w s a n d V i e w s f r o m t o d a y ’ s M i l l e n n i a l G e n e r a t i o n

Steph Crosley

Kneel ForSomethingor Stand ForAnything

“Meet me at the altar in your whitedress, we ain’t getting no younger wemight as well do it.” Jagged Edgetopped the charts in the year 2000 for3 consecutive weeks with their hitsingle Let’s get married.

Most Women buckle at the thoughtof their loved one taking the adviceof another R&B group Boyz 2 Men,by kneeling on Bended Knee andasking for their hand in marriage.

From that same position, a reli-gious man would have also prayed toGod for his blessings. A sign of sub-mission and respect, we kneel to dis-

play these attributes, but apparentlythe American flag deserves a higherlevel of respect.

On November 3rd Colin RandKaepernick was born in Milwaukee,Wisconsin. His mother Hedi Russo,whom was 19 at the time, allowedRick and Teresa Kaepernick to adoptColin, giving him their last name.

The Kapernicks eventually movedto California where Colin excelledexponentially throughout highschool. A two sport stand out in foot-ball and baseball, he managed tograduate with a 4.0 as well.

Despite these accolades, he wasonly recruited after the coach at Ne-vada saw him playing in a basketballgame while battling a sickness.

Kaepernick broke numerousrecords, including a passing record ina bowl game on a bad ankle.

His resilience and record-breakingcareer earned him a spot in the Na-tional Football League in 2011 how-ever; breaking records of a different

sort has him making headlines today.“Wouldn’t you love to see one

these NFL owners say get that *ex-plicative* off the field. Out.

He’s fired!” a statement from Pres-ident Trump about players kneeling.Much like Tommie Smith and JohnCarlos who were the first to protestinequality in high profile settings atthe 1968 Olympics, or in 1996 whenNBA guard Mahmoud Abdul-Raufsat during a national anthem, Kaeper-nick decided it was time to take“stand” and kneel for inequality, be-coming the first NFL to do so duringthe anthem.

Met by scrutiny at the highestlevel, and seemingly blackballed bythe NFL, Kaepernick has perseveredlike he’s always done and continuesto fight against inequality.

Although some share the Presi-dents view on kneeling, he has gar-nered support from celebrities andMilwaukeeans alike.

“I do not respect the NFL”- Le-

Bron James“He touched a nerve and the out-

rage from it made me a fan of him.”-Kevin Hart

While out at local sports bars, thereis a visual support for Kaepernickwith his face on tee shirts from mil-lennial aged supporters and beyond.Social media has also been domi-

MillennialMagic Excellence

The video heard around the worldthat has everyone in Milwaukee talk-ing, starring two young Milwaukeeprincesses, is the most adorable as-pect of a city underrated with talent.

Aryn and Savannah, of MilwaukeeExcellence Charter School, recentlylead a video titled, “ExcellenceFirst,” that depicted a very positiveview of middle school for the city.

It has since gotten the attention ofthe entire world, including the watch-ful eye of an impressed MichelleObama, who was taken aback by themusical art and commented on howproud she was on her Instagram

page.Jemele Hill, of Sports Center, also

followed the story and shared thevideo for millions to see countlesstimes.

The two girls have now becomelocal celebrities, with the video hav-ing almost 70,000 views on YouTube since the debut release of thevideo itself.

One of the key lyrics from thevideo has the girls repeating the lines,

“I am smart. I am strong. I’m aqueen. I’m a king. I can achieve any-thing.”

This is just one of the biggest ex-amples of how youth means nothingwhen it comes to talent, MillennialMagic comes in all shapes and sizes.

These two young girls, and theirentire class roster, embody a positiveimage of a generation that is some-times plagued with a negative mediacircuit.

Talent is everything and here’s tohoping that success continues to fol-low young queens like these two foryears to come.

Congrats to those two beautifulyoung ladies and to Terrance Simsfor the creation of a polarizing videothat exudes in love, grace and knowl-edge. --Quardeay Julien

Joshua Thomas

Quardeay Julien

(continued on page 7)

“I am smart. Iam strong. I’ma queen. I’m a

king. I canachieve any-

thing.” --One of thekey lyrics from the video

“Excellence First”

RELIGIONRELIGIONThe Milwaukee Community Journal December 6, 2017 Page 4

Jesus Comesto Milwaukee!Production of LangstonHughes’ gospel song play‘Black Nativity’ set in city’sPark West neighborhood.By Marguerite Helmers--Courtesy ofUrbanMilwaukee.com

Despite the controversy over“taking a knee,” NFL quarterbackColin Kaepernick’s original mes-sage about racial inequality andoppression remains unresolved.

Director Malkia Stampley found in Kaepernick’s ac-tions an inspiration for this year’s production of BlackNativity.

The two-act gospel song play by American poetLangston Hughes will be performed by Black Arts MKEDecember 7th through the 17th at the Marcus Center’sWilson Theater in Vogel Hall.

Just as lowly shepherds and mighty Wise Men kneeledbefore Jesus, Black Nativity reminds us that we shouldlook for potential in the underserved and forgotten.Today, someone with great potential might be born toteenage parents in the alleys of Milwaukee. “There maybe a Barack Obama in a child who has gone without foodand who comes to school hungry on Monday morning,”Stampley says.

Premiered in New York on December 11, 1961, BlackNativity toured Europe and Australia throughout 1962.Today there are annual productions throughout the UnitedStates. The gospel play inspired a 2013 film by KasiLemmons that starred Forest Whitaker and Jennifer Hud-son. This will be the third annual production in Milwau-kee.

Born in Milwaukee and a graduate of Marquette Uni-versity, Stampley is co-founder of the Bronzeville Arts

Ensemble. She points out that her cast from last year willreturn to the play this year. Audiences can look forwardto a modern take on the classic spirituals. Stampley’s fa-vorite is “No Room at the Inn,” a song that tells of JimCrow laws when a “rich fine hotel” refuses entry toJoseph “and that woman.” By setting the play in modernday Milwaukee, she hopes that audiences will see them-selves in the characters and situations of the play.

“I want to remind Milwaukee that there is greatness inthose we choose to forget,” says Stampley.

Black Nativity is divided into two acts, the first ofwhich–“A Child is Born”–tells the story of the birth ofChrist. The second act is set in a church, after “The Wordis Spread.”

The script is loosely written, so that different aspectsof African American history and spirituality emerge ac-cording to the director’s preference. Last year, directorStampley set the performance in Sherman Park followingthe shooting of Sylville K. Smith on August 13, 2016.This year’s production will also be set in Milwaukee, withthe manger replaced by an alley in the Park West neigh-borhood. The actors portraying Mary and Joseph areteenagers, drawing attention to teen pregnancy and also,as Stampley says, reminding us that Mary was a childherself, “with a huge responsibility.”

The author Langston Hughes was a celebrated memberof the Harlem Renaissance and an innovator of jazz po-etry, using sound and syncopation to emphasize verse’smusical qualities. Hughes said that he wrote about “work-ers, roustabouts, and singers and job hunters . . . peopleup today and down tomorrow, working this week andfired the next.” His interest in ordinary folk is reflectedin the comic dialogue of the three shepherds, who enterthe play complaining about working the night shift.

Although it includes dialogue, Black Nativity is prima-rily a song play. More than 25 carols, spirituals, and orig-inal songs are listed in Hughes’s script from “Joy to theWorld” to the traditional spiritual “My Way is Cloudy.”Many of the songs have been recorded by gospel and folksingers, such as Mahalia Jackson, Odetta, the Weavers,Joan Baez, and the Kingston Trio. The soprano JessyeNorman recorded the traditional “Poor Little Jesus.”Harry Belafonte sang a version of “What You GonnaName Your Baby.”

Black Nativity runs December 7th through December17th. Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. CommunityNight on December 7th features a “pay what you can”preview performance. Tickets can be purchased at theMarcus Center Box Office at 929 N. Water St., by phoneat 414-273-7206, or online at MarcusCenter.org.

Taffi Dollar Champions'Timely' Message of EqualityInternational MinistryCo-Leader Steps up HerCall for 'God-OrdainedBalance' Through Booksand Conferences Aimingto Offer 'Light in theDarkness'

COLLEGE PARK/Christian New-swire/ -- As countless women declare"me too" in the wake of allegationsof abuse by men in positions ofpower, a long-time ministry leader isfinding a warm reception for hermessage calling for an end to unequalstanding between the sexes.

Taffi Dollar, who has helped herhusband, Creflo Dollar, build WorldChangers Church International(WCCI) into a 30,000-member con-gregation with fellowship churchesaround the world, is challenging atti-tudes that have kept women from re-alizing their full potential for toolong.

Following two successful 2017conferences that addressed Bible-based gender equality and the well-received book, Gender Roles, whichwas just released in a Spanish edi-tion, Dollar has announced plans tocontinue championing the topic in2018 with another conference andher book.

Let Them Have Dominion, the fol-low-up to Gender Roles, will be re-leased during the 2018 RadicalRevolution Women's Conference,which will take place March 15-17,at the World Dome in College Park,Ga. Women from around the worldare expected to attend the three-dayevent, which will also feature Chris-tians for Biblical Equality Interna-tional (CBE) president, Dr. MimiHaddad; well-known author andspeaker Lisa Bevere; and business-woman, author, and media personal-ity, Sarah Jakes Roberts. The featuredmusical guests will be Tasha Cobbsand Micah Stampley.

Since attending a CBE event inSouth Africa several years ago, Dol-lar has focused much of her ministry

on what she calls "restoring the God-ordained balance and equality in ourChristian families, churches, andcommunities" where women shareleadership roles equally with men.

In one section of Gender Roles, theDollars write jointly about how theirunderstanding of the Bible's teach-ings has changed their marriage fromone in which it was solely the man'sresponsibility to lead and guide the

Services set for AliceMcCarter-Staples

Alice Marie McCarter-Staples en-tered Eternal Life on November 27,2017 at the age of 74. Alice was bornin Tunica, Mississippi.

She spent her life as a pioneer, ad-vocate, and leader in the community.She was the first minority case man-ager at the Ramsey County WelfareDepartment in St. Paul, Minnesota inthe 1960s.

After moving back to Milwaukee,Alice joined the State of WisconsinSocial Service Department and wasthe first African American female so-cial worker at Waupun CorrectionalFacility.

She went on to become the first fe-male hired as a Correctional Officerin Wisconsin, and was later promotedto the rank of Sergeant at the Tay-cheedah Correctional Institution,transferring to probation and paroleofficer in the drug unit.

Prior to her retirement, Staplesheld the position of Warden with theWomen’s Community Center on 17thand Clybourn.

Alice earned an Associate’s De-gree from the Spencerian BusinessSchool, attended the University ofWisconsin-Milwaukee, and contin-ued her education informallythroughout her life.

Even after retirement, she made adifference. From 1993-2001, sheheld volunteer roles at Friedens Min-

istry as their Educational Directorand Volunteer Coordinator, includinglobbying in Washington, D.C. re-garding changes to the food stampprogram.

Alice joined the advisory board ofAurora Family Services in 2012, andcontributed consistently to the boarddiscussions and perspective. She alsoparticipated in the AFS Money Man-agement program.

Alice was a strong and inspira-tional woman who volunteered hertime with several cancer organiza-tions, in particular the WisconsinOvarian Cancer Alliance.

She was a motivational speaker oncancer-related issues and didfundraising.

Alice was the youngest of eightchildren. Her parents were share-

PASSAGESPASSAGES

ALICE MCCARTER-STAPLESSunrise: February 24, 1943—Sunset: November 27, 2017

(continued on page 7)

(continued on page 6) Taffi Dollar

The Milwaukee Community Journal December 6, 2017 Page 5

PERSPECTIVESPERSPECTIVES

THETHEMILWAUKEEMILWAUKEECOMMUNITYCOMMUNITYJOURNALJOURNALPublished twice weekly,Wednesday & Friday3612 North Martin LutherKing Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53212Phone: 414-265-5300 (Advertising and Administration) • 414-265-6647 (Editorial) • Website: communityjournal.net • Email: Editorial@communi-tyjournal.net/Advertising@communityjournal.net

Opinion and comments expressed on the Perspectives page do not nec-essarily reflect the views of the publisher or management of the MCJ. Let-ters and “other perspectives” are accepted but may be edited for contentand length.

MCJ STAFF:Patricia O’Flynn -PattilloPublisher, CEORobert J. ThomasAssoc. PublisherTodd Thomas, Vice Pres.Mikel Holt, Assoc. PublisherThomas E. Mitchell, Jr., EditorTeretha Martin, Technical Consultant/Webmaster

Billing Dept./Publisher’sAdmin. Assist.Colleen Newsom,Classified AdvertisingJimmy V. Johnson, Sales Rep.CONTRIBUTING WRITERS:Richard G. Carter, Fr. CarlDiederichs, Rev. Joe McLinPHOTOGRAPHER: Yvonne Kemp

...Can cussing outyour child in a momentof rage be consideredchild abuse? Can youstrike a police officerwho calls you a nigger?

Interesting questions, with interest-ing implications.

Last week the state Supreme Courtdealt with the barometers of so-called“free speech” in a celebrated casethat has particular interest to Blackfolks who subscribe to the Culture ofPoverty and my philosophy of Neck-bonology, such as a “sister” I tried tovideo tape cussing out her children ata suburban department store Sundayevening.

The black woman (small “b” in hercase) shocked shoppers as shescreamed obscenities and threats ather three small children. The childrenwere obviously traumatized, a suresign therapist theorize will show upin failing school grades, misbehaviorand replication of the mother’s be-havior 20 years down the road.

I was both angered by the scenario,and to be honest, embarrassed as Iwatched the reaction of White peoplelooking on.

But none of us were so bold as toapproach the BBW Neckbone. To mycredit, I did immediately search outa store employee to intervene. I eventold the employee that I had just readan article a few hours earlier of acriminal case in which a woman wassentenced to jail for doing somethingsimilar.

The employee said there was noth-ing she could—or maybe wanted—to do, so I followed the sister aftergiving her a disconcerting stare. Ieven pulled out my cell phone torecord the “Bone’s” next actions. Butafter looking at me as if she wasgoing to kick my “donkey”, shewalked off with friends, saying noth-ing worthy of recording. (For therecord, I’m not among those who be-lieve you should allow a woman tokick your butt because she’s of theso-called “weaker sex.” Had thewoman attacked, I would have de-fended myself.

(Plus, the woman in question wasnot only a lot larger than me, it wasapparent her moral compass wasstuck on “s”, which in her case standsfor stupid.)

But for obvious reasons, I re-frained from intervening, one of thereasons being my recollection of asimilar scenario at Lincoln Park sev-eral years ago during which I chas-tised a sister who was calling heradolescent son everything but a childof Yah (God). Not only did thatNeckbone turn on me, but she was

joined by several of her family mem-bers, who literally chased me away.

So much for the village concept.The Supreme Court case I refer-

enced involved a decision last weekon an appeal by Ginger Breitzmannwho fought her child abuse convic-tion, saying her profanity-laced tiradetoward her son was protected freespeech.

Breitzmann received six months injail for disorderly conduct, child neg-lect and child abuse—intentionallycausing harm for cussing out her sonafter he burned some popcorn. (I lovepopcorn, but…)

I don’t know the specifics, or thebrand of popcorn, but Breitzman ap-pealed her conviction contending thather lawyer did not raise the issue ofher free speech “rights.”

The court rejected that argumentbut, while flirting with the issue ofprotected speech, said it would notissue a determination on that as-pect…yet.

How will the conservative leaningcourt eventually rule on the con-straints of protected speech? Thatmay very well depend on whether itis a Democrat or Republican who ac-cidently refers to one of their Blackcolleagues as a nigger. And underwhat circumstance.

Courts in various states have ruledin contrasting ways, which means theU.S. Supreme Court will ultimatelydecide the issue.

In one case of interest, particularlyto those of us who have spent muchof our lives challenging the statusquo, a Seattle Court ruled that usingprofanity against police is protectedspeech.

The case before that court focusedon the actions of a Black teenagerwho was cuffed after cops arrestedhis sister during a demonstration.

The court said his tirade was pro-tected speech and that the policeacted discriminately by using a pro-tester's speech as an excuse to arrestthem.

Remember, Seattle police have along history of racial profiling andbrutality against Black citizens. Re-member, it was their violations ofcivil rights, along with incidents inSan Francisco that sparked ColinKaepernick’s demonstrations.

The ruling was important for a re-lated reason: the court said the policewere wrong to use obstruction lawsas tools to punish protestors, or jus-tify brutalities.

Obstruction, disorderly conductand hindering (which in laymen’sEnglish means questioning or talkingback to police) have been used as ex-cuses by police across the country tojustify arrests of Black folks since1619 AD.

For clarification, we’re not talking

about threatening a police officer, orputting your hands on one (that canget you killed).

We’re talking about using a pro-fane word in a sentence to illustrateor illuminate your feelings or frustra-tion. One “profanity” historically set-ting off cops is the word, “why.” Asin: “why you pushing me, or harass-ing me, or asking why I’m drivingthrough this neighborhood.”

A Connecticut state court recentlyjoined dozens of other states that sup-port the premise that cussing is pro-tected speech.

In an unusual case, a Connecticutcourt ruled a woman who cussed outa grocery store clerk could not becharged with disorderedly conductfor complaining that the pre-cleanedchitterlings were still full of fecalmatter.

Naw, that’s not true.The woman was actually charged

with “breach of peace” for cussingthe clerk out for not processing aWestern Union money order, whichshe was probably sending to a rela-tive to buy pig feet.

And then there’s the case of theman who was charged with wearinga jacket covered with obscenities tocourt.

I can’t print the words, but you’llfind them in the U.S. Supreme Courtruling that confirmed his right to hisopinion.

Of course, not all communities andstates view profanity as protectedspeech.

A commentary in the Legal Intelli-gencer news magazine was presum-ably being facetious when it said thatformer Vice President Joe Biden waslucky he used the “F” word in aspeech in a state other than Pennsyl-vania.

If Biden had made the comment

about Obamacare, in which he saidthe program was “a really fuc…g bigdeal” in Pennsylvania instead ofWashington, D.C., he would havebeen arrested.

In Pennsylvania, cussing—underany circumstance, by anyone exceptDonald Trump, whose name has be-come an obscenity—can be cause forarrest.

The ACLU is suing to end that law,which also includes gestures.

Speaking of gestures, the ACLU isrepresenting a woman who wascharged for using a “single fingersalute” (she used her middle finger)at a police officer”.

The woman in question was White.Had she been Black, chances are shewould have pulled back a nub andbeen added to the FBIs new “Blackhit list.” That’s if she wasn’t killedfor supposedly pointing what the copthought was a weapon.

Wisconsin courts have skirted thebottom line on the issue of profanity,but a lower court did rule a couple ofdecades ago that a Black student whopunched a white student for callinghim a nigger was justified becausenigger (I’m sure the White suburbanschool kid used the proper spellingand not nigga) was a fighting word.

Indeed, many courts have madesimilar rulings that are premised onwhether a word or phrase can inciteor inflame. And, several courts havedetermined over the years that someword usage can be interpreted aschild abuse, as was the case of theMilwaukee woman.

OK, those who know me, can justabout figure out where I’m heading.

From my perspective, not only wasthe woman at Walmart guilty of childabuse, but every Black mother, fatheror grandparent who refers to theirchild as a nigger should also be

charged with abuse. It is not only afighting word, it is an abusive wordthat belittles and emotionally stigma-tizes Black children.

It confirms what many bigots havelong said, that we are less thanhuman, we are intellectually inferiorand uncivilized. For a Black personto call their child a nigger is thepenultimate form of “denigration”(Check out the roots of that word.You might be surprised at its defini-tion and origins.)

In fact, those Neckbones who referto their children as “bastards,”“bitches,” “heifers” and “hoes”should be fined as well and their pho-tographs posted on the same poleswhere people place flowers andteddy bears to memorialize murdervictims. And for the same reason.

A so-called parent who calls theirchild “dumb” or “stupid” should beforced to undergo counseling andtake parenting classes…in addition tobeing forced to turn over theirweaves to the Salvation Army.

And calling a child a “MF” or nig-ger should net them time behind bars.Or under the jail. Or at the WhiteHouse.

I’m only partly joking.Our children become what we call

and condition them to be.Tell a child he’s a king or queen,

the descendent of the inventors ofmath, science and medicine, and theywill grow up to become culturallyproud doctors and scientists.

Tell them they are niggers or MFs,and they will grow up to become nig-gers and MFs, criminals, THOTs anddropouts. Or should that be THOTs,dropouts and criminals?

Our children already have the oddsstacked against them. They will beforced to live by Eurocentric stan-dards that belittle them physically

and culturally, and eventually con-vinces many they are ugly and intel-lectually inferior.

Low expectations will greet themat school. And racism and the barriersof apartheid will weigh them down.

They need encouragement, disci-pline and a cultural foundationgrounded in spirituality.

From that perspective, parents—ora parent—become either the vitaminthat helps them grow, or the Neck-bone gristle that stunts their develop-ment.

I don’t know how I would rule onthe issue of free speech if I were aSupreme Court Justice. But I do re-member my saintly mother, who Inever heard curse, or cuss, telling usthat ignorant people use profanity be-cause they have limited vocabulariesand don’t know the right word to use.

That’s one of the reasons why Inever cursed in front of my mother;along with it being disrespectful.

And my mother never called usanything but gifts from God (al-though she did whup us when neces-sary. Silently).

And while I admit, I have cussedin front of my children, but never atthem. Not because I couldn’t find abetter word, but because the profan-ity was my exclamation point.

But they have never heard me usethe word nigger, as an adjective ornoun. Not because it is or isn’t pro-tected speech, but because it goesagainst everything I stand for.

That includes its use in a compli-mentary fashion, like its familiar ref-erence by a celebrated Blackcomedian who said “Jesus is my nig-ger.”

Now that is obscene!Shem Hotep.

Is calling your small child a“MF” protected free speech?...SIGNIFYIN’SIGNIFYIN’

By Mikel Kwaku Oshi Holt

f

URBAN My URBAN My DIALOGUE...DIALOGUE...By Torre “ToeJoe” Johnson

Milwaukee continuously has been labeled one of the most violent cities inthe United States by those that conduct data analytic studies. It seems as ifwe are also rank the lowest in all growth areas, when it comes to AfricanAmericans. Every day, this is brought to many people’s attention, to only bebrought up as a topic of conversation. I am confused that with this knowledge,and being face to face with it for a living, why aren’t African Americans doingmore to change this? Why isn’t this a state of an African American emer-gency? African Americans are endangered species trapped within a systemdesigned for them to continue to self-destruct with others’ help.

A few weeks ago, the Milwaukee Office of Violence Prevention presentedthe city with a Blue Print for Peace. When I looked around the room as a sup-porter of the project and also a Hood reporter I wondered where were all thepeople who stood for peace in Milwaukee on any other day? Where were themany Politicians, Pastors, and educators whose jobs surround the safety ofall Milwaukee citizens?

When it comes to finding solutions and creating plans, everyone needs tobe involved and by reading names of those that contributed to this project,the Office of Violence Prevention reached out to many people, including my-self. That being said, the Blue Print should have had to be presented in frontof a crowd at the Bradley center with peace being what we desperately need,in to be able to reach all other Milwaukee and African American goals. Mil-waukee should also be labeled one of the blackest segregated cities in the US,because African Americans are known around this city to only work and livein silos. If it’s not their plan or project of a friend, they will not support orcontribute to it, which is a shame

Now knowing that everything costs and has a price, I truly believe for peacewe all have to go into our pockets. We all need to submit our concepts and bewilling to compromise, in order to achieve these great goals and those whorefuse should step aside.

As a person that’s not getting any younger, I would love nothing more thanto see things happening sooner than later. Knowing that seeing builds confi-dence and new ideals and leadership. In mostly every budget, there’s moneyinto the Millions placed for intervention for afterwards, but prevention getscrumbs this has got to stop. We must stand up and design our systems for suc-cess and get away from the acceptance of pain being cured by our hopes andour dreams.

It’s time we really do as others have done. Get together and get the jobdone. Action over words, our rewards are our successful outcomes.

--Torre Johnson Sr./ XMEN UNITED

Action vs.Conversation

MILLENNIALMILLENNIALMAGICMAGICBy Paishance Welch

Little Black Boy, RunThey say you will never make it out of the hoodRun, run to a place where you know there’s goodThey say you will never own your businessRun, run to the people who’ll believe and be a witnessLittle Black boy, you are a targetFor those who want to stop you, before you get startedLittle Black boy, they are afraidThat if you learn your history, you’ll have power forever and adayThey say you are a statisticRun, run from the things found in their data analyticsThey say you can’t learn in schoolRun, run and tell them only school education alone breedsfoolsLittle Black boy, there is so much to lifeBeyond the rap music, drugs, beyond all the fightsDo you know there is an issue?Locked away, everyday are little black boys just like youJudged by the color of your skinYou must not give up, you must not give inSo, what your father was never home?Do right by your kingdom, don’t follow his wrongsThey say you’ll never understandWhat it’s like to grow in America, from a boy into a manThey try to scare your culture with their gunsRun little Black boy, run, run, runYou must not let your anger control youLittle Black boy, stay respectful and always responsibleTreat all women like the queens they areFor your very being came right from her parts.They may have taken our history, our family, our prideBut the king that you are, shall not ever die.If you ever find your back against the wallRun, run to a place where you can get rid of it allKeep peace within you, keep the light shining brightYou must not ever get discouraged, never give up this fight. --Paishance Welch, Millennial Magic!

The Milwaukee Community Journal December 6, 2017 Page 6

YY&&EEY O U T H & E D U C A T I O N

SHARP Literacy Inc.,a southeastern Wiscon-sin-based arts and edu-cation program forurban students, has an-nounced its first publicfundraising campaign tohelp bring its program-ming to additional stu-dents in urbansoutheastern Wisconsinschools.

SHARP Literacy helps K4through fifth grade students buildreading, writing and researchingskills by using the visual arts as theprimary tool for learning.

The goal of the arts-integratedprogram is to help reduce the

achievement gap Milwaukee-areastudents face.

Currently, only 15% of third gradestudents in the City of Milwaukeedemonstrate reading proficiency onthe state-administered reading as-sessment, making Milwaukee one ofthe lowest performing cities in thecountry.

Those results are even morealarming considering that readingproficiently by the end of 3rd gradeis a determining factor in a child’slong term academic success.

According to recent post-assess-ment scores, student performancegains on the SHARP Assessment av-eraged 25-30 percentage points fromthe pre- to post-assessment in 2016-17.

SHARP is currently in 39 Mil-waukee and Waukesha Countyschools serving more than 8,500 el-ementary school students.

As a privately funded, non-profitorganization, SHARP Literacy of-fers its arts-based program at no costto the schools. Currently, no otherprogram like SHARP Literacy existsthat is fully funded and offered at nocost to participating schools and stu-dents. Programming cost is $104 perstudent per school year.

More than 1,200 students in 12schools are on a waiting list to bringSHARP Literacy’s programs to theirclassrooms. To meet current waitinglist needs alone, SHARP needs toraise more than

$124,800. Ultimately, the morethat can be raised, the more studentsSHARP can serve, as well as contin-uing to add new programs in the fu-ture.

To continue offering SHARP Lit-eracy’s programs, more funding isneeded, which is the reason SHARPLiteracy is reaching out publicly forthe first time to all Milwaukee andWaukesha County-area businessesand additional donors. Eighty-twopercent of the funds that are raisedgo toward SHARP Literacy pro-grams.

“The need to bring SHARP’s pro-grams into more schools is ourgreatest challenge,” said LyndaKohler, SHARP Literacy presidentand CEO.” To bring more studentsinto the program, we need to findadditional donors who believe in ourmission.”

With continued cuts in school artsprograms, SHARP Literacy has seena significant demand for and growthin enrollment. SHARP Literacy hasseen a 45 percent increase in enroll-ment in the past three years and hasadded six schools this year. Whilethe state’s recent budget for 2017-19included the largest increase in perpupil aid for education, an increasein arts education was not included inthe budget recommendations.

In addition, this year MilwaukeePublic Schools (MPS) has commit-ted bringing an integrated arts pro-gram into all MPS schools for the2017-18 school year with its new“Year of the Arts Initiative.”

The goal of the initiative is to besure that every student is affordedquality arts opportunities.

SHARP provides hands-on learn-ing experiences to 4K through fifthgrade students, reaching and posi-tively impacting students in the mostat-risk schools. Programs serve a di-

verse urban Milwaukee and Wauke-sha student population that is 53%African-American, 29% Hispanic,9% Caucasian, 6% Asian, and 3%other ethnicities.

Through the use of classroom-supported programs, hands-on activ-ities, educational tours, collaborativesummer and after-school programs,public art mural projects, writing, re-searching and publishing books andmore, SHARP helps guide studentstoward new ways of learning thatpromote creative thinking and prob-lem solving.

“Through SHARP Literacy’s pro-grams, we strive to give our childrenbetter futures,” added Kohler. “Butto do that, we need help from areadonors and to establish additionalcorporate partnerships to bring moreeducational and learning experi-ences to our community’s children.”

An example of an interactive,hands-on unique learning experi-ence that SHARP Literacy offerssecond grade students is an upcom-ing Discovery World tour on Mon-day, December 4.

“Through Discovery World’s col-laboration with SHARP Literacy, wehave been able to connect two areasof great need – literacy and STEM(Science, Technology, Engineeringand Mathematics) Education – forhundreds of second grade studentsin our community,” said Joel Bren-

nan, CEO at Discovery World. “By working together and uniting

Discovery World learning labs withimportant vocabulary terms, Discov-ery World and SHARP are openingthe eyes of these young people to theGreat Lakes and the opportunitiesthat await them through literatureand interactive education in theyears to come.

Our partnership is just one exam-ple of how SHARP Literacy collab-orates with other communitypartners to put more young peopleon a path to being better andstronger readers, students and com-munity members in the years tocome.

The work of SHARP Literacy iscritically important in Milwaukeeand Discovery World is a proudpartner in their efforts.”

The tour at Discovery World iscomprised of three sessions that takeapproximately 25 minutes each. Thefirst part of the tour, called “The Lifeof a Salmon,” takes place in theFreshwater Sustainability Lab. Dur-ing this section, students will draw afreshwater habitat where salmonmay live, and will learn about othercritters that live in freshwater. Thevocabulary words used in this sec-tion include “freshwater,” “habitat,”and “horizon.”

The second session is titled “GreatLakes Past and Present” and takes

place in the Great Lakes Future ex-hibit. Students will take a visit in atime machine to learn about the for-mation of the Great Lakes, learnabout the water cycle and see a sim-ulated thunder storm in the exhibitsto demonstrate the water cycle. Stu-dents will then see a sculpture basedupon life on the Great Lakes and dis-cuss the sculpture’s imagery. Thevocabulary words used in this sec-tion are “glacier,” “Great Lakes,”“movement,” “water cycle,” and“sculpture.”

The final session takes place in theDiscovery World Reiman Aquarium.Students will take a tour of theaquarium to observe the various fishthat live in salt and freshwater.Along the way, students will observethe various movements that fishmake, the components of their habi-tat, and also pet several types of fish.

Then, students will view and re-flect upon an underwater life mosaicart piece. The words used in this sec-tion are “movement,” “GreatLakes,” “habitat,” and “freshwater.”

SHARP welcomes anyone inter-ested in finding out more about theirprograms or considering a contribu-tion to help it expand its program-ming, businesses looking to partnerwith SHARP, or individual donorswishing to donate, call414.977.1768 or visit the website atwww.sharpliteracy.org.

household to a mutual partnershipwhere "we exchange our weaknessesfor each other's strengths."

"The message has not only res-onated with women," says Christo-pher Spence, executive director ofTaffi Dollar Entities, "We've alsoheard from men all over the worldwho have said it was liberating forthem to realize they do not have totake on all of the responsibilities as-sociated with leadership by them-selves."

While Gender Roles focusesmainly on equality between the gen-ders, Dollar's next book and the 2018Radical Revolution Women's Confer-ence will look more broadly at theissue of equality, including issues ofrace and ethnicity.

Though Dollar's message wasbeing developed before the recentabuse scandals and race-related flashpoints gained the world's attention, itis now "very timely," Spence re-marked. "We believe it's important toprovide a light in the darkness, andshare how biblical equality says thatwe are all equal before God. The factthat we are of different races, ethnic-ities, and genders should have nobearing on the respect that we are allafforded as children of God."

In addition to co-pastoring withher husband, Dollar leads WCCI'sRadical Women's Ministry as well asPrestige Ministry, an outreach towomen caught up in human traffick-ing and the sex industry. As thefounder of Arrow Records, she over-sees an independent label that hassold more than 300 million units.

Taffi Dollar is senior pastor ofWorld Changers Church Interna-tional (www.worldchangers.org) inCollege Park, Ga., with her husband,Creflo Dollar. Since WCCI wasfounded in 1986, church membershiphas grown to around 30,000, withmore than 20 other fellowshipchurches across the United States andoverseas. An author, teacher, andspeaker, Dollar is also CEO of ArrowGlobal Entertainment.

(continued from page 4)

Taffi Dollar’s'Timely' Message of Equality

SHARP Literacy AnnouncesFirst Public Fundraising Campaign to Help Meet theDemand for School Programs

SHARP literacy studentsexplore Discovery World’sReiman Aquarium.

The Milwaukee Community Journal December 6, 2017 Page 7

Nguzo Saba - The Seven PrinciplesSchedule of

Events:Tuesday - December 26 (Umoja - Unity)(6:00pm) Traditional Kwanzaa Opening Ceremony, WisconsinHistorical Society Museum, 2620 W. Center Street

Wednesday - December 27 (Kujichagulia - Self Determination)(6:00pm) Africans on the MoveWisconsin African AmericanWomen's Center, 3020 W. Vliet Street

Thursday - December 28 (Ujima - CollectiveWork and Responsibility)(6:00pm - 9:00pm)Partying with Elders! We areasking Generation X's and Mil-lennials to bring out the BabyBoomers (your parents andGrandparents) and party to thesounds of the 60's, 70's and 80'sWisconsin African American

Women's Center, 3020 W. Vliet Street

Friday - December 29 (Ujamaa - CooperativeEconomics)(4:00pm - 8:00pm) Kwanzaa Family FestivalVendors- please call: (414) 873-4014 Milwaukee Collegiate Academy4030 N. 29th Street

Saturday - December30 (Nia- Purpose) TBA

Sunday - December 31(Kuumba - Creativity)(8:00pm - 2:00am)New Year's Eve Zumbathon!Wisconsin Black Chamber ofCommerce, Inc.$10 Adults, $5 ChildrenWisconsin African AmericanWomen's Center, 3020 W. Vliet Street

Monday - January 1 (Imani - Faith) (12noon - 5pm)Traditional Closing Kwanzaa Ceremonies, Vendors: 12:00pm (414-933-1652)Program 1:00pmWisconsin African AmericanWomen's Center,3020 W. Vliet Street

KALEIDOSCOPEKALEIDOSCOPEThe Lifestyle, Entertainment, Sports section

nated by Milwaukeeans with #Is-tandwithcap pictures appearing onmy news feed every day.A simple position has caused somuch unrest; it is as if the viral pho-tos of Colin kneeling also doublesas a mirror for the guilty. Overdue isracial equality, as well as Colinplaying in the NFL let us right thesewrongs. Besides, “We ain’t gettingno younger we might as well do it.”--Joshua Thomas

(continued from page 3)

Kneel ForSomethingor Stand ForAnything

KWANZAA EVENTSIn Our Community

December 26, 2017-January 1, 2018croppers, but her mother’s vocationwas as an evangelist missionary, andpassed down her passion for advo-cacy to Alice. Known by her commu-nity as “Mom Alice” and “AuntAlice,” she provided advice towomen in the midst of domestic vio-lence, sexual assault and cancer sur-vival.

Alice McCarter-Staples was a spe-cial soul and was preceded in deathby her husband Ernest Staples anddaughter, her Mother Rose McCarterand father James L. McCarter, SistersJosie Mae Jones and Ida LouiseWright, brothers Chester McCarter,Wilson (Myrtle) McCarter, Roo-sevelt (Vivian) McCarter Richard(Lillian) McCarter and Paul Mc-Carter. She is survived by manynieces, nephews, and friends.

Memorial Services will be heldFriday, December 15, 2017 at 4 pm.Rev. Timothy Perkins will give theeulogy. Deposition: Cremation. Serv-ices will be held at Leon WilliamsonFuneral, 2157 N. 12th St. (414) 374-1812.

FIRST PERSONFIRST PERSON“Restoringthe Soul ofGardenHomes”By Cheryl BlueExecutive Director30th Street Industrial Corri-dor Corporation

Long before the develop-ment of the Riverwest orLindsay Heights, the Gar-den Homes neighborhoodwas envisioned in 1910 byMayor Emil Seidel, andbuilt in the 1920s by MayorDaniel Hoan, two of Mil-waukee’s socialist mayors.

It was America’s first municipallysponsored public housing coopera-tive, which included rows of two-story Colonial Revival homes, with acentralized green space, now knownas Garden Homes Park.

Mayor Seidel eventually pur-chased a home and lived in GardenHomes for many years; An agricul-

tural historian called it a “precursorto new urbanism,” the movementwhich emphasized small houses, pe-destrian amenities and proximity totransit.

All 93 original homes are stillstanding, and were added to the Na-tional Register of Historic Places in1990. It was added to the WisconsinHistoric register in 2013.

The Garden Homes neighborhoodis bounded by Teutonia Avenue onthe East, 32nd Street on the West,Capitol Drive on the South, andGlendale Street on the North.

Though it was built as a whites-only collaborative, Garden Homeseventually became populated byBlack people.

They moved to Milwaukee fromthe Jim Crow south seeking goodpaying jobs in Milwaukee’s boomingindustrial corridor, anchored by man-ufacturing giants such as A.O. Smith.

Many of these people were able toown homes for the first time, and tosend their children to college.

In fact, in 1960 Garden Homes hadthe highest standard of living forBlack people in the United States.

However, due to the closing ofmany of those factories and eco-nomic divestment in the area, theneighbor-hood has devolved into anarea with record crime, high unem-ployment, and is currently one ofMilwaukee’s most challenging areasto live in.

Through it all, the neighborhoodremains asset rich. It includes pow-

erhouse religious institutions likeGar-den Homes Lutheran, New HopeBaptist and All Saints Catholicchurches; CBOs like Garden HomesNeighborhood Association, UnitingGarden Homes, Inc., Young Enter-

ChristmasMemories!

What are your fa-vorite Christmasmemories? The Mil-waukee CommunityJournal wants toknow! In 450 to 600words, provide uswith your favoritememories. Send themto us by email to: edi-torial@communi-tyjournal.net Alimited number willbe used, so get themto us by December15, 2017. We look for-ward to sharing theseprecious memorieswith our community!

ABODEABODE

Christopher Boston, Facilitator, Cheryl Blue, Executive Director30th Street Industrial Corridor Corp, President Ashanti Hamilton,Alderman District 1. Photo courtesy of 30th Street Industrial Cor-ridor Corp.

(continued on page 10)

(continued from page 4)

Alice McCarter-Staples passesat age 74

The Milwaukee Community Journal December 6, 2017 Page 8

The Milwaukee Community Journal December 6, 2017 Page 9

For For 41 YEARS41 YEARS , the , the MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY MILWAUKEE COMMUNITY JOURNALJOURNAL has consistently has consistently informed, analysed and informed, analysed and entertained readers. entertained readers. For For 41 YEARS41 YEARS , the , the COMMUNITY JOURNAL COMMUNITY JOURNAL has has provided a voice to the provided a voice to the community, community, providing educational providing educational opportunities to students. opportunities to students. We have kept the We have kept the community’s faith, stayed thecommunity’s faith, stayed thecourse, and kept our finger oncourse, and kept our finger onthe pulse of our communitythe pulse of our communityfor for 41 YEARS.41 YEARS. ..Your ..Your Milwaukee Milwaukee Community Journal!Community Journal!

MCJSportsPHOTPHOT OPOP

BUCKS DETHRONESACRAMENTOKINGS 109-104

MARQUETTEGOLDEN EAGLES

BEATVERMONT

CATAMOUNTS91-81

On Sunday, week 13 at Lam-beau field, the Green BayPackers beat the Tampa BayBuccaneers in over time 26 to20. Quarterback Brett Hund-ley passing yards attempts 22,competitions 13, for a total of84 yards. The Packers nextopponent is the ClevelandBrowns. Their is the possibil-ity that Aaron Rogers could beback on the field for the Car-olina Panthers game in Char-lotte. Third string runningback Jamaal Williams (number30 at right) for the Packershas proven to be a spark forthe team, rushing for 66 yardsand one touchdown. --Photosby Kim Robinson

PACKERS SQUEEZE PAST TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS IN OVERTIME, 26-20

At the end of the Game Green Bay PackerKenny Clark and Tampa Bay BuccaneersCaleb Benenoch exchanged autographedjersey for charity.

Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston prepares to throw a passas he tries to avoid the rush of Packer defensive play-ers. Winston was 21-32, 270 yards and two touch-downs.

Bill Tennessenphotos

Photos by BillTennessen

The Milwaukee Community Journal December 6, 2017 Page 10

prising Society, the 30th Street Indus-trial Corridor Corporation and CleanWisconsin; great schools like GardenHomes Lutheran School, MilwaukeeCollegiate Academy and Lloyd Bar-bie Montessori School; world classbusinesses like DRS and Astronau-tics Corporation of America; strongpolitical leadership with CommonCouncil President Ashanti Hamiltonas the Alderman for the area; and adiverse group of skilled and educatedresidents, including many homeown-ers.

However, with all of these assets,the approach to addressing problemissues has often been separate, spo-radic and less strategic.

In 2015, the 30th Street IndustrialCorridor Corporation committed tohelping convene the residents andstakeholders in Garden Homes to un-dergo a process that would lead to are-storative and revitalization of theassets of Garden Homes.

For over 2 years, 150 residents,over 40 entities and dozens of leadersfrom the neighborhood have cometogether to forge deeper relationshipsand to plan for a brighter future.

Though the 30th Street IndustrialCorridor is an economic develop-ment organization, what is uniqueabout this industrial corridor area isthat is right in the middle of neigh-borhoods, so the people cannot andshould not be ignored in the eco-nomic development process.

When you think about revitalizingan area, employ-ment and workforcereadiness matters, homeownershipmatters and safety matters.

It is nearly impossible to attractand retain businesses in a negativeenvironment.

There is only a small element inthe neighbor-hoods that cause crime,and they are allowed to run amokwhen the people aren’t organized.

The vast ma-jor of people in theneighborhoods are good people,skilled people, homeowners, whoneed to be re-engaged and empow-ered so that they are able to helpmake things better for themselvesand for their chil-dren.

Over the past two years, partnersin the neighborhood have come to-gether to do community clean ups,resource fairs, BBQs and to install arain/adventure garden in GardenHomes park, that won one of MayorBarrett’s Design Awards.

In 2016, the 30th Street IndustrialCorridor Corp contracted withChristopher Bos-ton to lead thegroup into a deeper process. Chris,

now Pastor of Lamb of God Mission-ary Baptist Church, formerly workedfor MICAH (Milwaukee Inner CityCongregations Allied for Hope) andMilwaukee LISC where he honed hisskills of masterfully facilitating com-munity engagement efforts through-out Milwaukee and the United States.This effort is special to him, how-ever, as he grew up in GardenHomes.

Several months ago, a steeringcommittee was formed, which beganmeeting twice a month in order tocreate a process for the neighbor-hood.

On September 9, 2017 a “GardenHomes Soul Cafe” was held in thecafeteria of the Century City Busi-ness Towers building (4201 N. 27thStreet).

The event took place on a Satur-day, over 5 hours, 9am to 2pm, andnearly 100 people attended. Thegroup was very diverse, rep-resent-ing the Milwaukee Police Depart-ment, residents, businesses, churchesand organizations.

Each at-tendee was allowed to givetheir input around ways to improvethe neighborhood around seven topicareas: 1) neighborhood pride; 2)housing; 3) education and intergen-erational opportunities; 4) health andwell-ness; 5) economic development;6) jobs and 7) safety.

All of the raw data from the Sep-tember 9th meeting was combined indraft format, and on October 28,2017 at All Saints Catholic Church,Steering Committee members facili-tated groups that created action goalsfor each topic area.

We are happy to share with thecommunity on December 11th the re-sults of those meet-ings and plan-ning.

The Garden Homes NeighborhoodAction Plan will be revealed on Mon-day, December 11, 2017, 5:30 PM atMilwaukee Collegiate Academy, lo-cated at 4030 N. 29th Street.

The event is free and open to thepub-lic, and anyone who cares aboutthe Garden Homes neighborhood iswelcome to attend.

To RSVP, or if you have any ques-tions regarding the event, please con-tact the 30th Street Corridor at (414)509-5115 or reach out via email:DKing@thecorridor-mke.org.

It has been a distinct honor to serveas the Alderman for the GardenHomes neighborhood for the past 13years.

Garden homes js a resilient com-munity full of some of the mostamazing people in this city.

I believe that the momentum fromthis effort can and will be a catalystfor sparking positive developmentnot only in Garden Homes, butthroughout the city of Milwaukee.

I greatly appreciate the work ofCheryl Blue and the 30th Street Cor-ridor, for their leadership in this ef-

fort, as well as the work of the resi-dents and all of the partners whohave committed to this effort.

It is only when we come togethercollaboratively that we will begin tosee real change,” said PresidentAshanti Hamilton, Common CouncilPresident.

We hope you will plan to attend theevent on December 11th. Second, wesolicit your partnership in the workof advancing the goals of the neigh-borhood plan.

Moreover, we want you to beaware of the great things happeningwithin the Garden Homes Neighbor-

hood and be an advocate of those ef-forts by providing public recognitionand affirmation of the assets of peo-ple and place.

This effort is generously supportedby the Argosy Foundation.

“Restoring the Soulof Garden Homes”(continued from page 7)

The Milwaukee Community Journal December 6, 2017 Page 11

a ‘real’ choice in the selection process?According to the DPI report card, early 50 public

schools were rated as in need of overhaul, meaningfew of its students are proficient in math, reading orscience. That in itself should be alarming, not only tothe students enrolled in them, but to the entire com-munity, for it foretells a future of failure and illiteracy,which in turn will lead to crime, poverty and lost lives.

Are you aware of any efforts to improve the qualityof education offered at those schools? And if not, whynot? If you recall, a state law requiring the county ex-ecutive develop plan to restructure several of thoseschools.

A proposal, developed by the county executive andthe former superintendent of the Mequon school sys-tem (who happened to be an African Americanproudct of MPS), was derailed by the MPS board andteachers union.

Was an alternative program offered by MPS? Andif so, has it been effective? Apparently not, since thoseschools made the ‘failure’ list again.

Are you concerned that most of those students aredestined to failure? Are your children among them?

As you may have guessed, the purpose of this edito-rial is not to examine the two “report cards” but in-stead to suggest one reason for failure of many of thepublic and private schools can be traced to inattentiveand apathetic parenting. And politics. And turf bat-tles. And the refusal of entities to put children first.

That said, far too many parents don’t understandor appreciate their role in the educational process,whether that means monitoring homework, attendingparent/teacher conferences, or pushing for greater ac-countability of the schools their children attend.

We would venture to guess, for example, thatschools at the bottom of the rankings, have few par-ents who attend parent/teacher conferences, makesure their children are prepared for the school day, orcheck off their home work every day.

Are you among that segment?

Milwaukee parents aren’t the only ones strugglingwith these questions. EdChoice, a national non-profitorganization promoting state-based educationalchoice programs, recently released the findings of its2017 “Schooling in America” national survey.

The report revealed far too few people know theirschooling options for their children—or how much iscurrently spent on the traditional K-12 educationalsystem. “Far too many parents are unable to accessthe school type they’d prefer if resources were not anissue,” claimed EdChoice President and CEO RobertEnlow.

The survey reveiled, parents of children attendingpublic schools are generally satisfied (despite obvoiusshortcomings), but have specific concerns about thetraditional k-12 system. Most current school parentsrate their districts well, but at least one-third havemajor issues with their responsiveness, communica-tion and supports outside the classroom.

The EdChoice survey also found Americans don’ttrust the federal government when it comes to K-12education. The survey found only 10% of Americanssay they can trust the government to do what is right“always or most of the time.” It can be cautiously as-sumed that Wisconsin parents don’t trust state orlocal government when it comes to K-12 education.

The state’s DPI report card showed the MilwaukeeParental Choice Program (MPCP) performed at amodestly higher level than Milwaukee Public Schools.The DPI data shows in Milwaukee, of the 15 schoolsthat were rated in the highest category, 11 of thoseschools were in the Milwaukee choice program. Theseresults are based on data from only students enrolledin the choice program; not private school studentswho pay tuition out of pocket.

Overall, 1,671 of the state's 2,365 public schools andprivate choice schools met or exceeded expectationsfor educating children during 2016-17 school year,and 351 earned the highest designation by signifi-cantly exceeding standards.

That’s not to imply participating schools were anybetter than MPS schools. In fact, they were on par,and each year a failing private school is thrown out ofthe program. The choice schools do, however, havehigher graduation rates and graduates who attendand complete college. Several schools, including Mess-mer showed significant gains in student achievementsince the last DPI report card.

You can find a silver lining in the latest report cardas in total, Milwaukee closed the achievement gap--albeit minutely---with schools statewide. The gap re-mained pretty much the same as it relates to suburbanschools. Some suggest that is a direct by product ofresources, but that is an excuse we can’t afford toallow as the expectable paradigm.

Our children deserve the best education possible.And to be honest, few local schools provide that. Ourlast question is why is there no community-wide out-cry over the fact that nearly 100 schools, many ofthem high-poverty schools in Milwaukee, failed tomeet expectations, and more than 250 others met fewexpectations.

MCJ Editorial:DO PARENTS UNDERSTAND (ORCARE ABOUT) THEIR ROLE IN THE EDUCATIONALPROCESS?(continued from front page)

Riley Elementary SchoolCass Street ElementarySchoolBryant Elementary SchoolBruce Elementary School53rd Street ElementarySchoolVieau Elementary SchoolHartford Avenue Elemen-tary SchoolFranklin ElementarySchoolAlliance School of Milwau-kee Jackson ElementarySchoolAllen-Field ElementarySchoolThoreau ElementarySchoolBarton Elementary SchoolHawthorne ElementarySchoolDoerfler ElementarySchoolMaple Tree ElementarySchoolRogers Street AcademyHolmes Elementary SchoolSilver Spring ElementarySchoolMilwaukee Sign LanguageElementary SchoolWashington High School ofInformation TechnologyCraig Montessori SchoolKing International Bac-calaureate Middle SchoolHayes Bilingual SchoolBrowning ElementarySchoolClemens ElementarySchoolSouth Division High SchoolBanner School of Milwau-

kee Hopkins LloydCongress ElementarySchoolLaFollette ElementarySchoolMilwaukee CollegePreparatory School-35thStreetSherman ElementarySchoolAuer Avenue ElementarySchoolClarke Street ElementarySchoolLa Causa Charter SchoolWestside AcademyBrown Street AcademyMilwaukee Academy ofChinese LanguageKilbourn ElementarySchoolEngleburg ElementarySchoolThurston Woods Elemen-tary SchoolFrances Starms DiscoveryLearning CenterKing Jr. Elementary SchoolAssata Alternative HighSchoolGrandview High SchoolKeefe Avenue ElementarySchoolCarson AcademyWisconsin Conservatory ofLifelong LearningMetcalfe ElementarySchoolHi-Mount CommunitySchoolSiefert Elementary SchoolTownsend Street Elemen-tary School NOVA (Northwest Opportu-

nities Vocational AcademyMilwaukee CollegePreparatory School-LloydStreetLancaster ElementarySchool

Schools with a D-plusgrade:Barbee Elementary SchoolCommunity High SchoolGrantosa Drive ElementarySchoolElm Creative Arts Elemen-tary SchoolCarver AcademyRoosevelt Middle SchoolTransition High SchoolBusiness and EconomicsAcademy of MilwaukeeJames Madison AcademicCampusMilwaukee EnvironmentalScience AcademyGroppi High SchoolDaniels UniversityPreparatory AcademyPulaski High SchoolNorth Division High SchoolVincent High School

Schools with no grade:Universal Academy for theCollege BoundBarack Obama School ofCareer and Technical Edu-cationProject Stay in SchoolShalom High SchoolNOVA TechBanner Preparatory Schoolof MilwaukeeAchievement CenterLad Lake Synergy Alterna-tive School

Milwaukee’sTop Schools(continued from front page)

The Milwaukee Community Journal December 6, 2017 Page 12