MILWAUKEE — As Venezuela continues to recover from devastating earthquakes, support from Milwaukee’s “United for Venezuela Emergency Relief Campaign” is soon heading to the disaster-stricken country.

The basement of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church is filled to the brim with donations ticketed for Venezuela, the culmunation of a week of community generosity.

From food to clothing and toys, the outpouring has been remarkable said Father Norberto Sandoval, who is from Venezuela and serves as associate pastor of Blessed Sacrament.

“This [has been] overwhelming,” said Sandoval.  “I mean, if you can see [the basement], you were able to get in on Monday. Now we [are not] able to walk.”

Aura Escobar, who is also from Venezuela, has been doing whatever she can to help her home country, including packing donations. She described the support from friends, coworkers, and strangers as something special to witness.

“In my Venmo, I had three thousand dollars in less than 24 hours,” Escobar said. “And I was able to buy stuff to donate. It’s been amazing. It’s very heartwarming to have so many people that care about Venezuela.”

Due to limited storage capacity and the logistical planning required to transport the supplies to those who need them most, organizers have decided to stop accepting donations after Friday afternoon.

“We have more than a thousand boxes right now. We are expecting two semi-trucks either to move [Friday] in the afternoon or tomorrow,” Sandoval said.

(Spectrum News 1/Blake Dietz)

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He acknowledged that corruption in times of trauma is a long-standing concern in Venezuela. For that reason, the trucks will take the local donations to Miami, where a Venezuelan organization he fully trusts will handle the final distribution.

“We have already the person and it’s going to be [done] free. It’s going to be directly to a group of religious groups in Venezuela. So, in that way people will get the donations,” he said.

Sandoval and other organizers are putting out one final plea for volunteers to help load the semi-trucks on Friday and Saturday.

What does it look like to carry your culture with you? When Minneapolis architect and photographer Patricia Mutebi posted a casting call on TikTok in December, she was looking for a way to map how immigrants and diaspora communities in Minnesota keep their heritage close. 

She initially planned to photograph Twin Cities residents in their homes, but Operation Metro Surge, the federal immigration enforcement crackdown in Minnesota, forced her to reconsider the safety of her subjects. 

“I didn’t think that people would feel comfortable letting a stranger into their home, trying to take pictures of them,” Mutebi said. “From January all through April, I photographed those who were comfortable coming into the downtown [Minneapolis] area.” 

The result is “Threads of Us,” a portrait exhibit featuring 20 Hmong, Thai, Indian, African, Pakistani and Indigenous people who have built a life in the Twin Cities. 

After seeing the exhibit, spend the rest of the weekend at the annual Taste of Minnesota, revisit soul music of the 1990s at the Dakota or watch Saturday’s World Cup matches at a street fair in Minneapolis. 

Finding home in Minnesota

In “Threads of Us,” Mutebi asked each person she photographed the same question: What does home look like after you’ve left it behind?

“Each person I photographed taught me something new about perseverance and resilience,” Mutebi said. “They’ve come into a new place that doesn’t necessarily welcome them openly, but they’re choosing to show up as their authentic self regardless. Nothing could honestly beat that.” 

Mutebi understands the feeling. She was born in Uganda, studied architecture in Kenya, and moved to Minnesota in 2019. 

“I have friends here who have families that know how to cook Kenyan food, and whenever I go visit them, there’s a smell that just hits me, and I’m taken back to a time when I was an undergrad,” she said. “In the first house that I bought, I have this gallery wall that shows the journey I’ve traveled. It has art from Kenya, from Uganda, and pictures of friends and family. That’s the most treasured thing I have.” 

She also draws inspiration from architects like Burkinabé-German designer Diébédo Francis Kéré, whose work centers on Indigenous materials and community-led design across Africa. 

He “didn’t try to bring the Western world with him,” Mutebi said. “He was designing for the culture — where it sat, and using the materials they have to help people understand that we have these resources already.” 

For “Threads of Us,” participants arrived in traditional clothing — from Hmong vests and Ethiopian habesha dresses to Ghanaian kente cloth and Pakistani shalwar kameez. They brought meaningful objects, including wedding garments, family heirlooms, Oromo beadwork, Somali incense burners and Ethiopian coffee ceremony sets. Each item served as a tangible bridge to their families and homelands. 

“I found people who have photographed cultures in the most beautiful way and have captured joy without trying to modernize the culture,” Mutebi said. “I want to photograph people where they’re at and how they move through life without trying to change them one way or another.” 

Threads of Us, now on view at The Residency by Modern Day Me in Minneapolis, is Mutebi’s first exhibit — but she’s already thinking about what comes next. She was recently selected for the cohort of the Little Africa residency program, where she will partner with local African-descent business owners to tell their stories through photography. 

“Unless you’re Indigenous, you came from somewhere,” Mutebi said. “I want people to take the time to think about what it means to them and how they can show up in the places they are now.”

Taste of Minnesota

Spend your Fourth of July weekend at the Taste of Minnesota, where 18 local musicians and more than 100 food vendors will take over downtown Minneapolis for the annual two-day festival. 

The main stage will feature grunge-pop band Gully Boys, hip-hop artist Nur-D, singer-songwriter Dessa, and DJ Sophia Eris. The North Star Stage will spotlight emerging acts, including Frankie Torres, Adam David Bohanan, and Solana and the Sunsets. 

A night of ’90s soul

If music from the 1995 film “Waiting to Exhale” still has a place on your playlist, head to the Dakota this Friday for the Ladies of Soul tribute show. 

Local singers Solorah, Ashley Commodore and Monique Blakey will perform the soundtrack from start to finish, revisiting songs by Whitney Houston, Toni Braxton, Mary J. Blige, Brandy and Aretha Franklin. 

World Cup watch party 

Catch the knockout rounds between Canada and Morocco and Paraguay and France at the World Cup Street Fair in Minneapolis this Saturday. 

Utepils Brewing will show both games on large indoor and outdoor screens, while the street fair will feature food trucks, art vendors, mini soccer games and DJ sets between kickoffs.