Guns, Grief and Grace in America Event
Recently, I covered a press release for a documentary titled “Guns, Grief and Grace in America.” The event was held at a coffee shop on the city’s northwest side called Coffee Makes You Black (decorated with wonderful photos and paintings of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X and Billie Holiday).
The film’s director, Janet Fitch, spoke about her motivation for creating the film and the need to change the conversation about the epidemic of gun violence in the United States. Also present were activist poet Kwabena Nixon and coffee shop manager Ebony Pinkard, who shared their personal experiences with gun violence, including the loss of family members and friends.
Below are a few images from the event. View the original story and photo slideshow on the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service website.
Spring Rain Photos
This afternoon, I covered an event for the Milwaukee Museum Mile, a series of art organizations within a short distance of one another. The museums are all located on a beautiful stretch of the city’s east side along Lake Michigan, and would normally be great for walking. Today, however, was marred by spring storms, one of which was strong enough rip a hole through my umbrella while turning it inside out as I walked from place to place.
Later, as I was headed home and the rain began to lighten, I spotted a growth of plants with residual large, heavy raindrops and stopped to photograph them. Even though Sunday was marred by bad weather, at least the rain left something beautiful in its wake.
In celebration of May Day and Cinco de Mayo both taking place this week, today’s featured photo is in keeping with the theme of celebrating Mexican culture. This image was captured during the Dia de los Muertos parade in Walker’s Point last October. The parade had briefly paused en route when I spotted these young members from the Ballet Folklorico dance troupe as began to twirl in circles, their colorful skirts swirling in circles around them.
A few weeks ago I covered a breast cancer awareness event held by the Courage to Dare Foundation. The event’s coordinator, Juliet Aguwa, shared her experiences as a young cancer survivor.
Nigerian-born Aguwa was just in her early thirties when she was diagnosed with the disease. She credits early detection with saving her life, and dedicates her time and resources to raising awareness within the African American community about the importance of routine screenings.
An interesting detail I learned is that there is often a social stigma surrounding cancer in many African cultures. This mentality causes many women to avoid seeking treatment and results in a high mortality rate for those stricken with breast cancer. Aguwa hopes to shatter the myths about the disease, especially among the African population living in the U.S and abroad.
The day included an educational discussions and question/answer sessions, followed by a high-energy zumba lesson (that looked like fun from where I stood on the sidelines).
The event also honored Olive Demby, a breast cancer survivor who was visiting from Africa for treatment arranged by the Courage to Dare Foundation. Demby credits Aguwa and Courage to Dare with saving her life.
Below are a few photos from the event. Read the original story on the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service website.
