L. Malik Anderson

Black Platteville Community Network plans to celebrate Juneteenth in-person this year at Smith Park in Platteville on Saturday from 5-8:00 p.m.
“This year’s celebration, like the one planned for last year, is a continuation of our Black Joy series,” network member Sakara Wages said.
People from Grant, Iowa, Lafayette and Dubuque Counties and surrounding communities are expected to join BLKPlattCom for the drop-in event. Activities include a raffle, outdoor recreation such as basketball and vo...

In March, Northwestern Mutual launched the Black Founder Accelerator powered by gener8tor after announcing the company would dedicate $20 million within Northwestern Mutual Future Ventures to investing in startup companies founded by Black entrepreneurs.
“This was set aside in the spirit of diversity and inclusion efforts,” vice president of digital innovation Abim Kolawole said.
He also said these initiatives fit the company’s ongoing commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion and drivi...

When a doctor received feedback from a patient that UW Hospital did not have personal care or hygiene products appropriate for Black patients, two nurses sprung into action.
After speaking with a patient, Dr. Jeannina Smith became aware of the lack of Black hair products at the hospital. From there, two nurses, Ann Malec and Nicole Vlasak, took the lead, which led to UW Health making hair oil, hair bonnets, hair picks, bristle boar hair brushes and cocoa buttercream available to patients.
“I ...

Centro Hispano of Dane County plans to accept participants for their upcoming Latina Saving Initiative program this summer.
“The enrollment process is not open yet but it will be open sometime in the summer. We are currently hiring someone who will do this initiative,” Centro’s Workforce & Career Pathways Manager Norma Gallegos Valles said.
Discussions about the program began several months ago after CUNA Mutual Foundation suggested a partnership between Centro and the Women’s Institute for a...

Madison356 facilitated a public town hall discussion with several Black police chiefs and sheriffs in Wisconsin on Thursday afternoon.
“We often talk about police, what they’re doing and not doing, in terms of representation but we have some Black men leading some major places in our state,” Madison365 CEO and Publisher Henry Sanders said.
Sanders moderated the discussion, held on Facebook Live with Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes, incoming Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett, Beloit Police C...

Madison youth will kickoff a new season of Under The Lights Flag Football soon.
“Scoring is just the same as contact football. The major difference is you don’t need all the gear. You’re not wearing the helmet. You’re not wearing the pads,” Commissioner Dan Hawk said.
Games will often run in the evening whenever possible. Players will participate in a modified season this year. The tentative schedule includes several Sundays in May with the playoffs/ championship landing in June.
“It’s anothe...

Kyra Johnson founded her own dance and performance company to embrace the contributions of Black and brown dancers while cultivating a space for artists to explore themselves.
“I noticed a common thread throughout all my experiences that I was the only Black girl in the room,” she said.
Operated by a team of all women of color, KLJ Movement recognizes dance as vital means to building critical thinking skills and challenging social norms. Johnson, the founder, serves as artistic director along...

Sisters Barbara Cerda and Valeria Cerda are working to bring a revolution to Milwaukee’s Southside through their online bookstore, La Revo Books.
“For years, it had always been a lifelong dream of mine to have a community space,” Valeria said.
La Revo, short for “La Revolucion,” offers readers an affordable, relevant and a careful selection of books. All of the books are for and by Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) with a specialization in Latinx literature. The titles include Eng...

Today, PBS Wisconsin launches Why Race Matters, a nine-part digital series focused on issues affecting Wisconsin’s Black communities.
“I think there were some original ideas we wanted to unpack and we were very intentional about having community voices,” said creator, producer and host Angela Fitzgerald.
In the series, Fitzgerald interviews Black Wisconsinites about race, identity, and the progress toward racial equality within the state. Beginning Wednesday, Mar. 10 at 7:00pm, PBS Wisconsin ...

On Thursday mornings, Maurice “Mo” Cheeks rolls out of bed to preheat the oven for a fresh batch of sourdough bread for patrons of his latest pandemic hobby turned philanthropic endeavor “Bread and Justice.”
“I have to go to bed early so I can wake up super early, 3:30 am to preheat the oven, go back to bed and get up at 4:30 am to make the bread in my home oven,” the former said the Madison City Council member and Madison mayoral candidate.
Last summer, Cheeks joined a group of bakers across...

University of Wisconsin- Green Bay’s Multi-Ethnic Student Affair (MESA) Office will host the Second Annual Black in the Bay Networking Event on Wednesday, Februar 24.
“I have a ton of Black professionals all over the state who have signed up,” MESA Director Mai J. Lo Lee said.
Lo Lee planned the first-ever Black in the Bay Networking event after students questioned the presence of the Black community in Green Bay. She said students would ask questions like “How can any Black people live here?...

Educators nationwide will participate in the 3rd Annual Black History Education Conference this weekend.
“It’s about fun but also taking action when you leave,” organizer Andreal Davis said. “We have over 40 speakers doing over 24 concurrent sessions.”
The 3rd annual conference titled “And How Are the Children? Black Education Matters” will provide a venue where educators across the state and country will be able to share policies, practices, programs, and procedures that have proven effectiv...

Forward Theater Company’s virtual presentation of The Niceties is cringeworthy. In the best way.

The content of the play does not spare well-intentioned white people of their racism, no matter how “progressive” their ideologies are. The Niceties is about what happens when confronting racism in others — or in ourselves — gets ugly.

Samantha Newcomb (Zoe) and Sarah Day (Janine) gave a brilliant performance of one of the most uncomfortable conversations between a student and her professor. After...