Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee's Maternally Strong Collective delivers hope and healing for new moms of color
MILWAUKEE — A group of Milwaukee women is making a powerful impact in maternal health—not by simply delivering babies, but by delivering hope.
Maternally Strong, a collective of doulas, is stepping up to support new mothers, especially in areas where the health care system often falls short.
For many new parents, the postpartum period is supposed to be filled with joy. But for many mothers of color, it is often marked by silence, stigma, and struggle. That’s why these four local doulas on Milwaukee’s North Side are rewriting that narrative.
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Though it might seem small, the space they’ve created is making a huge impact. Here, healing begins not with medicine but with conversation.
“We need a space for Black and Brown women to come together and feel comfortable in what they’re saying and how they’re feeling,” said Shanna Franklin, one of the doulas.
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Postpartum depression is a serious health concern that disproportionately affects minority women. For these mothers, it’s not just a statistic—it’s a crisis.
“Being able to have somebody along that journey who truly understands what it looks like from beginning to end is something you can’t duplicate,” said Michelle Wilkins, another member of the collective.
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Maternally Strong was formed by four CAPPA-certified doulas. Their focus is on postpartum mental health, offering free support groups specifically for Black and Brown families.
“We know there are cultural differences within communities, and we just wanted to create a space where people feel welcome and comfortable,” said Brandi Jewell.
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“Everybody needs somebody, especially Black and Brown people who don’t have a lot of support. So being able to be that in a room where they may have nobody is a very pivotal moment,” Wilkins said.
The weekly gatherings blend culturally relevant care with a sense of community. New parents are encouraged to open up about the anxiety, depression and isolation that are often ignored in the maternal experience.
Maternally Strong
“Postpartum isn’t really talked about as much. It’s like, ‘Okay, you’re having a baby—congrats! How’s the baby?’ They don’t really talk about you and what’s going on with you,” said Kiara Schott.
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Franklin agreed, noting, “It’s hard to be heard in that room. A lot of the time, they are only focused on what they see to be a good outcome.”
But it’s working. Dozens of families have found healing while helping shape a broader conversation around maternal health and equity.
“We’ve all had different experiences throughout our pregnancy and postpartum, and we were able to come up with the group and really pour into it from a lived experience,” Wilkins said.
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Their goal is to expand these free support groups, reaching more families who need this care.
“Come out, spend some time with our women. It’s a very good energy,” Franklin said.
In a world where maternal health disparities are real, Maternally Strong is not just a group of doulas—they’re a lifeline, offering support, care and a sense of community where it’s most needed.
Here are some of their upcoming free events:
Maternally Strong Doulas
Maternally Strong Doulas
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For more information, visit Maternally Strong at 9211 W. Capitol Drive, Milwaukee, WI 53222.
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Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee man charged in fatal shooting near 20th and Burleigh
MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man is accused of shooting and killing a 32-year-old after a hit-and-run on the city’s north side in April.
In court:
Milwaukee County prosecutors charged 25-year-old Daniel Evans with first-degree reckless homicide and two counts of felony bail jumping. He’s being held in the Milwaukee County Jail on $100,000 cash bond.
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Court filings said Evans was out on bond for two different felony cases at the time of the shooting. He’d previously been convicted of misdemeanors in two other cases.
Milwaukee County prosecutors also charged 22-year-old Joshua Evans with harboring/aiding a felon in the case. He’s being held in jail on $15,000 cash bond.
Daniel Evans, Joshua Evans
20th and Burleigh
The backstory:
The shooting happened on April 23. The victim, who the medical examiner’s office identified as 32-year-old Terry Brown-Maben, died at the scene near 20th and Burleigh. A criminal complaint said police found nine bullet casings there.
What they’re saying:
A witness told detectives that he and Brown-Maben had just left a liquor store when an SUV rear-ended them at 20th and Hopkins, according to the complaint. He said the crash snapped his car’s axle, and he was upset but told the people in the SUV to “just pull over” because he did not want to make a big deal of it. At the same time as the witness was talking to a passenger in the SUV, he said Brown-Maben was talking to the driver.
Scene near 20th and Burleigh (April 23, 2026)
Court filings said the SUV drove away, and the witness and Brown-Maben began to walk because their car was left inoperable after the hit-and-run crash. A short time later, the witness said the SUV came back, and the passenger started to shoot at them.
The complaint said the witness told detectives that he took Brown-Maben’s gun and hid it after the shooting, adding he did not see Brown-Maben with the weapon before the shooting. The witness was also “adamant” that there had been no confrontation between them and the people in the SUV after the crash.
Shooting investigation
Dig deeper:
Court filings said detectives watched surveillance video that showed an SUV turn near 20th and Burleigh, after which there appeared to be a muzzle flash from the passenger side of the vehicle. Video from the liquor store and a nearby gas station showed the SUV with front-end damage, and showed Joshua Evans getting out of the driver’s door.
Detectives showed the witness photo lineups in an attempt to identify the driver and passenger in the SUV. Court filings said he identified Daniel Evans as the passenger and shooter, but he did not identify Joshua Evans as the driver.
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Police ran the SUV’s license plates, and determined Joshua Evans was the registered owner. When detectives interviewed him, he said he thought he might have been at work or “with a female” that night but identified himself and Daniel Evans in surveillance video from the liquor store.
Another person told police that she spoke to Daniel Evans. According to the complaint, that person said Daniel Evans told her “Josh” hit someone’s car and there was a “shoot out.” When police showed her pictures of the SUV from the liquor store surveillance, she said she “thought it was Josh’s.”
Five days after the homicide, police interviewed someone who was arrested on unrelated charges. Court filings said he told police he’d bought his gun from “the Evans brothers” for $200. Ballistics tests of that gun determined it matched the casings recovered at the homicide scene near 20th and Burleigh.
The Source: FOX6 News went to the shooting scene after it happened. Information in this story is from the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office, Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee FPC meeting; to talk Flock cameras, MPD’s ‘use of force’ policy
MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission will meet on Thursday night, May 7, to discuss a number of items – including the use of Flock cameras, along with a resolution to tweak the Milwaukee Police Department’s current use of force policy.
Flock cameras
What we know:
Concerns over the use of flock cameras to fight crime – that’s one of the big topics set for discussion at tonight’s FPC meeting.
The cameras have faced push back from the community after prosecutors charged an MPD officer for misusing the technology in March.
Prosecutors allege Josue Ayala used Flock cameras to track a romantic partner and that partner’s ex. They say in the span of a month, the officer searched the pair 179 times. In February, prosecutors charged Ayala with attempted misconduct in public office.
A number of Common Council members wrote a letter expressing “serious concern” to the Milwaukee Police Department over the use of Flock cameras.
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In the letter, the Milwaukee aldermen said they had serious concerns about what they call “a lack of adequate guardrails, auditing, supervision and transparency.”
During Thursday’s meeting, the Milwaukee Police Department will be fielding questions from members of the FPC – including what guardrails are actually in place to avoid potential misuse.
“We also understand, especially from a recent situation, that we can do better. We understand that we have to put in more robust checks and balances,” said Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman.
Use of Force
What we know:
There are more possible changes coming to how Milwaukee police officers report the use of deadly force.
The modification to the use of force policy is specifically targeted at how and when officers must report the use of deadly force.
Under the current version of MPD’s standard operating procedure, a use of force report must be completed when a department member discharges a firearm. It excludes training situations, or if and when a member points a firearm at a person.
The potential change would include when a member “draws or displays a firearm (including a shotgun or rifle) to effect an arrest or seizure of a person.”
The resolution is sponsored by Alderman Peter Burgelis, who said in a meeting last month this essentially restores a recently deleted requirement previously in place.
Additionally, during Thursday’s meeting, they are also expected to dicuss the ongoing debate over MPD’s chase policy.
The Source: FOX6 News obtained Milwaukee Police Department data and utilized prior coverage.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee Bucks to decide Giannis Antetokounmpo’s future by NBA draft
Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam talks greater involvement, Giannis future
Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam says that he will have a greater involvement with the team and that includes the decision on if to re-sign Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In his first press conference to discuss on-court basketball matters with the Milwaukee Bucks, one in which the organization introduced Taylor Jenkins as its new head coach on May 6, co-owner Jimmy Haslam didn’t waste any time in providing a bit of clarity with the direction of the franchise the Haslam Sports Group bought into in 2023.
Haslam, who said he anticipates being around the Bucks more often going forward, flatly stated the team will decide either trade superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo or continue to build the team around him by the NBA draft, which will be held June 23-24.
It was a stark departure from the last calendar year, when the organization and locker room navigated through a consistent barrage of trade speculation about the two-time Most Valuable Player.
“I just think before the draft is a natural time, right, because if Giannis does play somewhere else we ought to get a lot of assets,” Haslam said. “And that’s [general manager] Jon [Horst’s] job to do. And if he’s here, you build the team differently.”
Haslam then took a beat to add, without a prompt, “I just want to stress though, that our relationship with him – despite what is reported by certain ESPN writers – is very positive.”
Questions about Antetokounmpo’s future with the organization didn’t entirely dominate Jenkins’ reintroduction to Milwaukee, as the former Bucks assistant and Memphis Grizzlies head coach was able to lay out some aspects of his vision for the team, his partnership with Horst and how he seeks to re-establish a winning culture.
But Jenkins did acknowledge the looming decision on which direction the team is going to take with – or without – Antetokounmpo was a key point in the hours long discussions he had with co-owners Haslam and Wes Edens, as well as Horst.
“It’s a big one,” Haslam said of the decision over the future of its franchise cornerstone. “It’s a big one. And you gotta get it right. And Jon knows it and Wes knows it. And we didn’t hold back with Taylor. We just said, listen, he may or may not be with us, so don’t come because of that because you want to be straight up with people.”
Horst added that Antetokounmpo did not meet with Jenkins in the interview process, but the head coach and the star have spoken.
And, Antetokounmpo gave an endorsement on the hire to the Journal Sentinel.
“I think he’s an incredible person,” Antetokounmpo said. “Obviously, he’s an incredible coach. I was able to be with him in 2019 and we made the Eastern Conference finals.
“After that he left, he was one of the first coaches that left the coaching staff and went to Memphis and he had an incredible six years in Memphis. He made them contenders in the West. He had incredible culture in Memphis.
“I had the conversation. I don’t think Milwaukee is just getting just a good coach, I think they’re getting a good person. And that’s where it starts with. Having a good person around that’s gonna be able to set the tone, that set the culture and what Milwaukee Bucks basketball is all about. He’s a really good coach.”
As for the prospect of being coached by Jenkins, Antetokounmpo said, “We’ll see.”
And clearly that is the approach the organization is taking as well.
“Giannis has brought Milwaukee its second championship and the first in 50 years,” Haslam said. “He’s a phenomenal player. He’s a phenomenal person. He’s arguably one of the best basketball players in the world and we will do what’s best for Giannis and what’s best for the organization.
“We don’t know whether Giannis will stay with us or not, but we’ll work through that with Giannis in the coming weeks.”
For his part, Antetokounmpo addressed how he was going to approach his immediate future with the team on April 12.
“Nothing – phone on do not disturb,” he said after the Bucks’ season finale in Philadelphia. “Working hard every single day to improve my game, be in the best physical shape that I can be and just stay away from it – all of it.
“I feel like this season, not just because of the way it went, it was draining for me for sure and how everybody approached my situation and the Bucks situation. But again, if it was draining for me, it was definitely draining for the team and for the organization, but I feel like sometimes people just don’t listen.
“They listen to the sources, and the main source is me. It is what it is. So again, do not disturb phone, go about my day, improve and come back better.”
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