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Embracing the principle of 'Kuumba': Milwaukee art group meets regularly for craft making and community

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Embracing the principle of 'Kuumba': Milwaukee art group meets regularly for craft making and community


MILWAUKEE — The sixth principle of the seven-day Kwanzaa celebration is Kuumba. It means creativity and encourages us to use our creative talents to enhance our community.

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The group “Kuumba” was the brainchild of Patrice Bishop-Wies, who runs the fine arts department at Calvary Baptist Church. “It was an element that was missing. We had dance, and we had spoken word, but we were missing the visual part,” said Patrice.

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Embracing the principle of ‘Kuumba’: Art group meets regularly for craftmaking and community

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Each week the women come together and spend hours creating. I met with them to learn more about Kuumba. “We are spirit driven. There are women with awesome talents, and it’s important that we use them, that we groom them, that we pass it on, and that’s what we’re about. We’ve been around for a little bit more than seven years, and we enjoy each other very, very much,” shared member Gershia Coggs.

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She went on to talk about the importance of crafting things by hand, saying, “Long before there was a machine to do anything, everything was originally made with your hands. We want people to know that whatever craft, whatever gift you have, it is worth exploring and growing it and thereby being able to make a living from it. Because at one time, that’s the only way we could make our living…with our hands.”

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It’s a modern take on the old sewing circle, where women came together to make and mend needed items. And everyone knows that where hearts are gathered, healing happens. “A big part of our ministry is indeed growing our spiritual gifts, and part of our spiritual gifts is healing. Almost every person within our circle at one time or another has truly needed a laying on of hands. Because of an illness, because of a bad diagnosis or concerning diagnosis, we pray for each other. And there are many times within our group when we will just start talking about a scripture that just came to mind and how it applies right now,” said Gershia.

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The group produces everything from knitted or crocheted pieces to clay art, candles, and lotions, and they are sold at local craft fairs.

Other aspects of Kuumba are that it encourages people to leave a legacy that honors their ancestors and future generations, and it encourages people to use their creativity to solve problems and improve their communities. The group Kuumba checks all the boxes!


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Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee marks Word Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims

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Milwaukee marks Word Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims


MILWAUKEE — City leaders and advocates came together on Monday to call attention to World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims in Milwaukee. 


What You Need To Know

  • City leaders and advocates came together on Monday to call attention to World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims in Milwaukee
  • Advocates said resources for victims and healing activities will be available at a Saturday event: World Day of Remembrance for Victims of Traffic Violence
  • The event is on Nov. 15 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Century City Tower Building at 4201 N. 27th Street in Milwaukee
  • Taffie Foster-Toney of the Coalition for Safe Driving MKE said the goal of Remembrance Day is to help stop further traffic deaths and injuries in the city

One of those victims is 22-year-old Chloe Handrich. She said she remembers her accident like it was yesterday.

“I was struck by a fast-moving vehicle that ran through police barricades and then hit me and my friend, Sam,” recalled Handrich. “I was thrown about 25 feet from the place of impact and suffered really life-altering injuries”

Chloe Handrich (Spectrum News 1/Blake Dietz)

Handrich’s injuries included multiple shattered bones and damaged organs. She said she still feels pain from the incident every day.

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Handrich and others are turning pain into advocacy for the World Day of Remembrance.

“Standing with a group of people who all support each other and want to come to different conclusions of how to stop vehicular violence in the city [has] been a really healing process for me … I know that I can’t go back and the crash can’t be undone, but hopefully we can come together and make a difference,” Handrich said.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson said the city has heard, loud and clear, the calls to reduce reckless driving incidents.

Traffic-related deaths decreased by 7% from 2023 to 2024, according to the mayor’s office.

“I want to use every single tool that’s available to us in order to take on this challenge, so that the folks behind me and families out there, in Milwaukee and in the surrounding area, do not have to suffer the consequences that some of these folks have suffered, either personally or people that they care about,” said Johnson.

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Advocates said resources for victims and healing activities will be available at a Saturday event: World Day of Remembrance for Victims of Traffic Violence. The event is on Nov. 15 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Century City Tower Building at 4201 N. 27th Street in Milwaukee.

Taffie Foster-Toney of the Coalition for Safe Driving MKE said the goal of Remembrance Day is to help stop further traffic deaths and injuries in the city.

“To help highlight the issues, inspire change and support impacted families, we want everyone to attend to support these families,” said Foster-Toney. ”These families are going to be experiencing lifelong trauma.“

Handrich said she hopes it will help save lives, so others do not have to go through what she did.

“I’ve created a really large community, and I feel a lot of support, which has been really great for my healing and also just making wiser decisions on the road. Hopefully, they can come together and stop reckless driving and drunk driving and those things that are claiming a lot of lives and or creating very big bodily harm.”

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Arnass Hardan’s brace powers Robert Morris past Milwaukee in Horizon League playoff

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Arnass Hardan’s brace powers Robert Morris past Milwaukee in Horizon League playoff




Horizon League Men’s Soccer First Round

FINAL: Robert Morris 2, Milwaukee 1

Match Stats

With the match potentially headed to extra time, Robert Morris senior midfielder Anass Hadran buried a penalty kick in the 88th minute to lift the RMU men’s soccer team to a 2-1 victory over Milwaukee in the Horizon League Men’s Soccer Quarterfinal on Sunday afternoon.

With the win, the defending champion Colonials improve to 6-3-7 overall and advance to the Semifinal Round of the Horizon League Championship for the second straight season.

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“We try to manage the game wisely. Winning last year has given us more experience of how to handle being ahead,” Hardan said.

“We have a great group that fights every single minute. (Goalkeeper) Josh Lane had a big performance today saving Milwaukee’s PK — he’s a great goalkeeper.”

The Colonials will take on Cleveland State on Wednesday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Milwaukee came out strong and dictated possession early, firing six shots in the opening 15 minutes.

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Senior captain William Dodzi Afawubo provided the spark that shifted momentum, ripping off three shots in a two-minute stretch to help RMU settle into the match. The Colonials’ back line tightened up and didn’t allow a single Milwaukee shot attempt over the final 30 minutes of the half.

RMU closed the opening 45 with seven shots — five from Afawubo alone.

Just one minute into the second half, the Colonials broke through. Senior Fabian Overkamp cleared a ball out of midfield and into the attacking third, where Kosi Udeh corralled it through traffic. Hadran joined the counter and received a feed from Udeh outside the left corner of the 18. He then curled a highlight-reel strike into the far corner, giving RMU a 1-0 lead.

In the 55th minute, Milwaukee earned a penalty after a player was taken down in the box.

Josh Lane guessed correctly, stretching out for a full extension save to keep the Panthers off the board.

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However, moments later, Milwaukee equalized as Jack Bretzmann snuck behind the back line to level the match at 1-1. A minute later, Overkamp nearly restored the lead, but his shot rattled off the woodwork.

With the season on the line, both teams traded dangerous chances in the closing minutes. The decisive moment came in the 88th, when Riley Cotton drew a penalty in the box. Hadran stepped up to the spot and calmly slotted home the game-winner for his second of the day.

“We’re looking forward to our next match. We know it won’t be easy. We want to win again and make it back to the final.”

RMU travels to Cleveland, Ohio to face top-seeded Cleveland State in the Semifinal Round on Wednesday, November 12 at 4:00 PM ET at Krenzler Field.

The match will air live on ESPN+

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 RMU MSOC MATCH NOTES

  • RMU outshot Milwaukee 20–18; the Panthers held a 7–6 edge in shots on goal. Afawubo recorded a career-high seven shot attempts.
  • Milwaukee earned five corner kicks, while RMU tallied two.
  • Eight Colonials played all 90 minutes: Overkamp, Hadran, Udeh, Afawubo, Jaxson LeeKevin GorbellVictor Koah, and Miguel Dominguez.
  • Lane finished with five saves, matching his postseason career-high (also five vs. Oakland in last year’s final).

HADRAN HEATING UP AT THE RIGHT TIME

The senior midfielder has now scored in four straight matches, totaling five goals and one assist over that span. Today marked his first career multi-goal game.

Hadran becomes just the third Colonial in program history to score multiple goals in a postseason match. The last to accomplish the feat was Jacek Przednowek, who recorded a hat trick in the 2005 NEC Final vs. Monmouth. Musa Shannon was the first, netting three in the 1996 NEC Semifinal vs. Mount St. Mary’s.

Hadran now owns six goals and four assists on the season. His goal total is tied for second in the Horizon League, and his 16 points rank fourth in the conference. In his career, he’s tallied 14 goals, 16 assists and 44 points.

POWER FORWARD

Udeh continues to be a key driver of RMU’s playoff push. The junior forward has produced a goal and two assists over the last two matches. His late-season form mirrors last year, when he scored in four straight league games to close the regular season.

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John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of ‘Miracle on the Mon’ — a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).




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A former Milwaukee Uber driver was one of 200 men imprisoned in El Salvador, NYT reports

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A former Milwaukee Uber driver was one of 200 men imprisoned in El Salvador, NYT reports


A Nov. 8 story by the New York Times details the experiences of 40 migrants sent to a maximum security prison in El Salvador.

Their imprisonment, alongside more than 200 other men in El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, is tied to President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration and claims that the Venezuelan government sent violent gang members to invade the United States.

In March 2025, President Trump accused the men detained and expelled to prison by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement of affiliating with Tren de Aragua, a dangerous Venezuelan gang.

The men told the New York Times they were teargassed, beaten, sexually assaulted, isolated and experienced suicidal ideation while living in the facility.

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Experts from the Independent Forensic Expert Group said that the men’s treatment aligned with the United Nations’ definition of torture.

Luis Chacón, a 26-year-old man from the Venezuelan town of Táchira, told the New York Times he worked as an Uber driver in Milwaukee before his arrest by ICE officers. 

Chacón said he contemplated suicide at the facility. When word spread among prisoners that if someone died, they would be more likely to be freed, he considered taking his own life.

When Chacón attempted to end his life, other men intervened.

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Three of the 40 men interviewed by the New York Times faced criminal accusations beyond immigration and traffic offenses. Chacón was one of them.

Before his imprisonment, Chacón was arrested in 2024 on a domestic violence charge and, in 2025, was accused of stealing merchandise at a Walmart. The domestic violence case was dismissed and the theft charge had yet to be disputed in court.

Many men in the facility, like Chacón, were unsure why they were accused of terrorist activity, the story detailed.

In June, a federal judge ordered the Trump Administration to grant the men due process, because they were deported and imprisoned without hearings.

The men’s arrests occurred in tandem with a monthslong standoff between President Trump and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, including calls for Maduro’s ousting and military strikes against Venezuelan boats suspected of carrying drugs.

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Tamia Fowlkes is a Public Investigator reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be reached at tfowlkes@gannett.com.



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