Uniquely Milwaukee

This Latine Heritage Month, we remember the lasting legacy of Mexican singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel. Born in Michoacán, Mexico, in the 1950s, he has touched generations of audiences with his powerful lyricism and magnetic energy. Known as “El Divo de Juarez,” he composed more than 1,800 songs and sold more than 100 million records. His iconic ballads, like “Amor Eterno” and “Querida," are still v...

"I’m actually changing the oil. Right now, they’re giving us a speech about the PPE." Terence is one of about a dozen particpants in a virtual-reality class inside Milwaukee County’s Community Reintegration Center. The class is part of a six-week course for men and women residents provided by My Way Out , a program that provides reentry services to justice-impacted individuals. Ruben Gaona is My W...

When Julianna Jackson and Nate Carpenter moved from St. Louis to Milwaukee, they quickly found a lot to like about their new home. “What did draw us… is the sense of community that I feel whenever we're in Milwaukee,” Jackson shared. But they also noticed something their new community could use — or reuse. At the end of July, the pair opened the doors to 414 Art Revival , an art-resale shop where...

This Latine Heritage Month, we celebrate the work of Milwaukee County Supervisor Juan Miguel Martinez. Martinez was elected in 2022 as County Supervisor of District 12, representing various southside neighborhoods. In this role, he helped secure a $30 million commitment from the county for the Mitchell Park Domes, a prime example of his advocacy for the parks system and securing resources for the...

Milwaukee is a place of resilience and service. But a shadow of crime and violence hovers over parts of the city. You’ll find evidence of all these things in the people who see the latter and embrace the former by working to make Milwaukee safer. Vaun Mayes is one of them.  For years, Mayes has been an interrupter, building community trust and understanding while advocating for alternative approac...

Survivors of violence in the Milwaukee area have a new place to turn for help. Wisconsin’s first trauma recovery center (TRC) opened in September, offering specialized mental-healthcare services. The Medical College of Wisconsin launched the clinic at ThriveOn King in Milwaukee’s Bronzeville neighborhood. It’s one of nearly 60 TRCs across 28 states in the country that use an evidence-based model t...

The phones we carry in our pockets give us the ability to snap a picture any time we want. But a nearly 200-year-old form of photography is still around today — and still finding new fans. Milwaukee’s own Amber Ascher has made a business out of her interest in the Victorian-era artform, which is making a return in this fast-paced digital age.   “I think with the rise of A.I., digital-perfected ima...

No matter where you are in the world, technology is changing how we work, live and collaborate. In October, we’ll see once again how the Badger State is part of this evolving landscape as Wisconsin Tech Month returns for its sixth year. The annual event spotlights the innovators, ideas and curious people shaping or learning about technology, all around one theme. This year’s is “Connected Through...

Driving past the corner of 6th and Howard, you might breeze by pollinators pollinating, sunflowers bending in the wind and tomatoes soaking up the sun. But, if you stop, you’ll find a window into the natural world and a community coming together. This is the location of the Garden District Community Garden, a plot of land that has flowered because of the people who power it. “We have raised beds,...

Colors do more than just catch our eyes. They can influence our moods and our actions. In Milwaukee's Lincoln Village neighborhood, some hope that colors will make a positive impact on our driving — and our safety. "People just be reckless driving everywhere,” Malik Hughes observed, echoing how a lot of people in the city feel. “All through the North Side, going through bike lanes, speeding throug...

Milwaukee is a city where people love live music, no matter where it’s playing.  “I will go anywhere where funk music is playing. And if it’s on water, it’s an absolute yes.” Jade Holcomb said that from her floating seat not far from the concert that happens every Wednesday night during the summer. Organized by FunkClub Wagon, the MKE River Round-Up music series puts that week’s band in a pontoon...

Nicole Olive has owned skates for 20 years but never used them until this summer, when someone who was in a similar position a few years ago gave her a reason. Every Wednesday, Olive and other community members gather right across from the Milwaukee Public Market to attend lessons at Skate on 8’s, a program Arian Rice started after teaching himself how to skate three years ago. While that was sati...

When Grenesha was 18, she felt the pressure of becoming an adult. Then she retreated. “I was very isolated, just spent all my time at the library mostly by myself, just reading books,” she said, adding that her isolation led to hospitalization and a bleak outlook on her future. “I honestly didn't see myself past 30. I didn't want to be past 30.” Then Grenesha heard about Grand Avenue Club — a volu...

It started as an idea. This summer, it broke ground. NeuVue is a $16.2 million housing project that’s unlike any other in Milwaukee: a six-story building on the city’s North Side intended entirely for young adults in the city. “Neuvue will help pave the way for self-sufficiency for the young people who will call it home,” said Joann Harris-Comodore, founder and CEO of Neu-Life Community Developmen...

During the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Wisconsin — and especially Milwaukee — emerged as the paradigm for response and ongoing advocacy. “Forty years. It’s an amazing amount of transformation that happened.” Brandon Hill reflected on that era from a unique perspective: as the president and CEO of Vivent Health , which helped create an integrated model of care that’s now in six other states and touted natio...

Do you remember the games you used to play as a kid? No matter how old you are, there’s a certain nostalgia that comes when those memories resurface. But what if time didn’t matter and, even as you got older, play never stopped? For 55-year-old Tanya Phillips, a newer member of the 40+ Double Dutch Club , it hasn’t. “This is like recess for grownups, that’s what it is,” she said. “It’s such a grea...

Sometimes, returning to one’s roots means an actual return to nature — a homecoming of the mind, body and spirit to where it’s always belonged. “I do a lot of work putting Black people back in nature,” Tyrone Randle said. “I feel like since slavery happened, we escaped through nature and have not returned to it. There’s this stigma about being outside, about camping, about swimming, stuff like tha...

Singing in church was Tyler Curtain's first time on stage. Now, the 22-year-old is representing his city on a larger scale.  “It was really nerve-wracking, but I was excited because whether or not it went the way I wanted it to, I still got my music out there and somebody heard it.” That’s how Curtain summarized his debut performance at the World’s Largest Music Festival, which just so happens to...

Recently, a hot-pink flier advertising a party caught the eye of Uniquely Milwaukee guest host Rachel Tarby. It was for Venus Social Club , an organization that hosts events specifically for the sapphic community. If you’re not familiar with the term, the word “sapphic” traces back to Sappho, the Greek lyric poet who lived on the island of Lesbos around 600 BCE and was known for writing about her...

When Lorenzo Edwards first began practicing yoga, he used it as it was a way to escape the stress of his job. A regular practice turned into attending classes. Attending classes turned into becoming a certified instructor. Then he noticed who was typically in the classes. And, more importantly, who wasn’t. “Prior to making a concerted effort to have practice with Black men, I seldom saw them — or...

Need a drill, saw, or lawnmower? Don't buy it; borrow it.  Since 2021, the Milwaukee Tool Library has been lending tools to everyone from average community members to professional contractors — anyone in need of equipment for a short amount of time. The organization also hosts volunteer-led workshops. The library is a free, membership-based organization rooted in trust and community, both of which...

“I just felt like the uterus that I had was a problem, and I wanted it out right away." At 38 years old, Tonda Thompson faced an issue that impacts many women: fibroids.  For many months, they caused the mother of two pain and confusion. She said frequent trips to the emergency room and eventually demanding an ultrasound led to doctors finding several of the growths in her body, including one abou...

”Many cultures from Asia, Europe, the Americas always used drums, singing bowls, flutes, gongs and various vibrational instruments for ceremonies. They would use them for healing and for meditation. Sound healing has been going on for thousands of years.” Djuro Rodic has been sharing his knowledge in this area long before he was co-owner of Angelic Roots in Oak Creek along with his wife Laurie. Gu...

Like most combat sports, boxing is thought of as a male-dominated activity. But in Milwaukee’s Silver City, there’s one gym providing women with a space to build strength, confidence and discipline. Many who step through the door at SheWolf have no prior experience and might not be all that interested in the fighting aspect of boxing. Still, going to the gym quickly becomes part of their daily rou...

Tucked away on North 76th Street in Milwaukee, below Blue’s Egg Cafe, is Roufusport Mixed Martial Arts Academy . Across two decades, it built a national and even global reputation in MMA circles for training champions. That attention became acutely local in October of 2025, when founder and Milwaukee native Jeffrey “Duke” Roufus died in his sleep. “Duke Roufus, back in the day, 4 years old, got st...