MILWAUKEE — “I have people come up to me on the street and say, ‘Good for you for getting out in the world.’ Like that’s not normal. I’m just a person.”

Ebony Lewis is just a Milwaukee East Sider who loves art, theater, and her dog. She especially loves to paint. However, she can’t paint with her hands. She uses her feet.

“Feel what you’re feeling through your painting,” Lewis said.

She was born with arthrogryposis. It’s a muscle disorder. All of her limbs are clubbed. Her arm movement is minimal, so she uses her feet to text, heat up coffee, and write things down.

“Honestly, anything you do with your hands, I can do with my feet.”

But that has also brought challenges both growing up and now as she navigates life as a 20-year-old seeking independence.

Since elementary school, she has been involved with school plays. At Tosa East High School, she was a stage manager for many of the productions. After graduating, she wanted to earn her bachelor’s degree at a film school. She tried attending a university in Chicago, but there weren’t many adaptive options. Then she looked at schools in Los Angeles, but there weren’t affordable caregivers, so she stayed in Milwaukee. However, that presented its own set of challenges.

Watch Ebony Lewis’ inspiring story…

How a Milwaukee artist navigates life using just her feet

“I had my roommates move out on me because they said they couldn’t handle the level of care I needed, which wasn’t them taking care of me. It was caregivers coming in, but they didn’t like that,” Lewis said.

Now, she lives in a one-bedroom apartment on Milwaukee’s East Side. While she has a license, she is forced to rely on help getting around because she can’t find funding sources for a modified vehicle to drive.

“It’s just kind of been one slap in the face after another of me just trying to live my life and society not allowing it,” Lewis said.

To handle all the stress, she took up painting as a way to express herself. She paints landscapes, her dog, and anything else that comes to mind.

In addition to her painting, she’s also advocating for herself and her community.

James Groh

“I want (life) to be more adaptable for us. I don’t want us to have to fight constantly to just live,” she said. “People view us as things that need to be helped and fixed and not as actual humans. And we’re all placed in the same bubble. It’s taken a lot to show people what I can do, and a lot of people have tried to stop me from just being a normal person. They want to keep you in this box, and you’ll try to change their mindset, but they’re so stuck on it, you know. It’s very hard.”

She also wants people to recognize that not all disabilities are the same.

“Because I have abilities other people don’t. Other people can do things I can’t do,” she said.

Lewis’ goals are to eventually attend film school, get more disabled people involved in filmmaking, and live a normal life.

“I’m very determined. I want to do what I want to do, and I don’t care if people tell me I can’t. I don’t care if I can’t. I’m going to try to figure this out. I’m very go-go-go. Nothing stops me.”

Given Ebony Lewis’ attitude, it won’t be surprising when she accomplishes all her goals.

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The Milwaukee Police Department is looking for a critically missing woman and baby.

Ziqrebineka Ingram, 21, and Zy’onna Haney, 1, have not been seen since 1:00 a.m. Thursday morning.

Ingram is described as a Black woman, standing about 5’5″ tall and weighing around 145 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes.

MPD

She’s believed to be with Zy’onna, who is described as a Black baby, about 2′ tall and weighing around 20 pounds.

Both were last seen on Thursday morning around 1:00.

Anyone with any information is asked to call the Milwaukee Police Department District 3 at 414-935-7232.

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The Social Development Commission has lost three more commissioners in the past week, leaving the agency with just four remaining commissioners. 

The latest board members to resign include: Marjorie Rucker, the appointed commissioner for the African American Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin; Donna Brown-Martin, appointed by Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley’s office; and Patricia Nájera, who represented Milwaukee Area Technical College; according to William Sulton, SDC’s attorney.

“I think all the board members feel very overwhelmed,” Sulton said. 

Their resignations come on the heels of former board chair Barbara Toles’ departure after attending a virtual board meeting on Oct. 23. 

Since the anti-poverty agency suspended operations and laid off employees six months ago, the SDC’s board has been meeting regularly to figure out a path forward. 

Reappointments remain uncertain

Brown-Martin’s term on the SDC board officially ended on Oct. 1, but she continued to attend meetings until she left the board on Oct. 31. 

“There was some discussion about whether the County Exec’s office could simply reappoint her because she had historical knowledge (rather) than having someone else come in,” Sulton said. 

After reviewing the SDC’s bylaws, county officials decided they could not reappoint Brown-Martin, Sulton said. 

Milwaukee County will defer replacing Brown-Martin’s seat on the board until it receives clearer information about the agency’s path forward, according to an email Brown-Martin sent to Sulton and SDC interim CEO Vincent Bobot. 

However, Brown-Martin will continue to volunteer with SDC, according to Sulton.  

“I think we are fortunate to have former board members and community members who are stepping up,” Sulton said.

Resignations leave more vacancies

Rucker resigned Monday and did not give a reason, Sulton said. 

Nájera submitted a resignation letter on Friday. In her letter, she said she was grateful for the opportunity to work with an organization that had a long history of positively impacting Milwaukee residents. 

“Essentially, she does not feel like the commission is actively operating,” Sulton said. 

NNS tried to contact Rucker, Brown-Martin, Nájera and Bobot for comment, but did not receive responses as of Wednesday night. 

The board now consists of Bobot, who is also an elected commissioner; Jorge Franco, of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin; Jackie Carter, of Port Milwaukee; and Matthew Boswell, who was appointed by Milwaukee Public Schools. 

Carter is the newest commissioner and was appointed to the board by Mayor Cavalier Johnson in June. 

Boswell’s term is set to expire on Nov. 18, Sulton said. 

Here’s more on the SDC

Smaller board puts SDC at risk of losing sizable funding

What you need to know about SDC’s progress amid frozen bank accounts

SDC sends out second round of paychecks to former employees

SDC puts main office and warehouse up for sale

How the Social Development Commission failed its Milwaukee residents

Why did the Social Development Commission fail? Here are takeaways from our investigation

Meredith Melland is the neighborhoods reporter for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America plays no role in editorial decisions in the NNS newsroom.