This weekend will mark the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th consecutive days of peaceful Milwaukee protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd. Here are just a few of the weekend’s events, sure to be joined by many more.
FRIDAY, JUNE 19
Juneteenth: A Day Of Love and Remembrance
Milwaukee Health Services (2555 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.)
10 a.m.
Join us on June 19, 2020 as we celebrate day of independence while making a difference.
The event starts with a free COVID-19 screening from 10am-3pm at Milwaukee Health Services 2555 N. MLK Jr. Dr. Also a VOTER REGISTRATION and CENSUS 2020 COMPLETION will be held at the Victory over Violence Park from 12pm-3pm at 2601 N. MLK Jr. Dr..
A SOLIDARITY MARCH will take place from 4-5 starting at the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity house @ 2661 N. 2nd st and concluding @ All Peoples Church at 2600 N. 2nd St.
A PROGRAM OF COMMEMORATION will take place immediately following the march, with celebratory music and a host of guest speakers, to include County Executive David Crowley and Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes. Our keynote speaker will be our very own Bro. Eli Davis a TEDTALK live alumnus.
We will conclude the day at the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity house 2671 N. 2nd st. from 6pm-8pm with another round of VOTER REGISTRATION and CENSUS 2020 COMPLETION.
Come out and help celebrate our day of Independence while making a difference.
March and program wll be televised via FaceBook live.
Juneteenth Sit-In
Bader Philanthropies, Inc. (3300 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr.)
12 p.m.
We are People’s Movement and as of June 19th we have been marching for 22 days straight. We People don’t want to ever forget about George Floyd or any of brothers and sisters who have fallen victim to police brutality. Right now we are simply looking to spread awareness about the infinite amount of injustices people of color are facing every single day. That’s why we are still marching and will continue marching until Equality is for ALL PEOPLE‼️‼️
Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating all the way back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free!!
With everything going on in the world we still want to make sure to celebrate all of our victories as well as our ancestors. So on Friday June 19th at 12pm we are inviting you to come hang out with us and Peoples Movement. There will be music by DJ Mando, local music performances, spoken word, vendors, food trucks etc. The event will start on Dr. MLK Jr Dr & Concordia in front of Bader Philanthropies, Inc. extending south down Dr. MLK Jr Dr.
Come spend the day with us as we celebrate The People ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻
BLACK WMNZ Emancipation Protest & Juneteenth Block Party
Sojourner Family Peace Center (619 W. Walnut St.)
1:30 p.m.
In collaboration with Kamila Ahmed, Noga Salomon, Lashawndra Vernon, Connie Sille, Desi Roberts, Cree Myles, Jaqui Tavares, Elle Halo, Vanessa Johnson, Lauren B., Marie Kelly, Sasha Leona, Venice Willams, Angela Mallet, Antonia Drew Vann, Joanna Sabir, Dayzhane Anderson, Gwen Moore and Milele Coggs.
In observance of the Emancipation Proclamation, we will celebrate the mothers of the freedom movement. We have collectively organized this march to make space for Black Womxn because Black Womxn Matter. We start this journey at the Sojourner
Family Peace Center out of respect for Sojourner Truth, a Black Womxn. Our abolitionist. Our activist.
We march on Vel Phillips Drive to honor a Black womxn. Our leader, who fought for our rights here in our city, Milwaukee.
We march on Brown Street to honor the steps of our ancestors. Following the path of the Underground railroad to the old Brown Farm to Caroline Quarlles. Caroline was a White passing Black Womxn who was the first enslaved person to travel through Wisconsin using the Underground Railroad.
We will celebrate our people’s day of freedom from enslavement in Alice’s Garden which is home to Venice Williams, a legendary Black Womxn who we hold up with all Black Womxn.
The block party is designated to celebrate Black lives, Black culture and Black history. Community leaders, businesses, and artists participating in the celebration will highlight the importance of black wellness(Spiritual, mental, emotional and physical). This is a kid friendly event that will include activities, (free) food, garden tours and community resources.
Join us for this celebration! The event schedule will be listed down below.
EVENT SCHEDULE:
1:30pm-2pm OPENING CEREMONY AT SOJOURNER FAMILY PEACE CENTER
619 E. Walnut St. Milwaukee,WI 53212
2pm-4pm PEACEFUL PROTEST
4pm-7pm JUNETEENTH BLOCK PARTY CELEBRATION AT ALICE’S GARDEN
2136 N. 21st Milwaukee, WI 53205
Juneteenth Youth Rally and Expo – EMBRACE, EDUCATE & EMPOWER
Carmen Middle and High School of Science and Technology, Northwest Campus (5496 N. 72nd St.)
5 p.m.
This family friendly event it to celebrate the 154th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. We are striving to EMBRACE, EDUCATE, and EMPOWER our youth to be the change we need in society.
We are encouraging that the community gathers in solidarity during this time and to uplift each other and promote BLACK EMPOWERMENT!
There will be entertainment, vendors, giveaways, food, and FUN!
ALL PARTICIPANTS ARE ASKED TO WEAR MASKS AND ADHERE TO SOCIAL DISTANCING PRACTICE
MASKS WILL BE PROVIDED
SATURDAY, JUNE 20
Teach-in, Speak Out! Uprisings and Police Brutality in Milwaukee
Gordon Park (2828 N. Humboldt Blvd.)
11:30 a.m.
Like all urban areas throughout the United States, Milwaukee has a long history of institutionalized racist violence against its Black community. The time has long passed to eliminate the racist institutions in our society, but continued violent oppression by the security state apparatus and the large-scale indifference (or outright opposition) of white people toward the struggle for Black liberation, has made progress toward abolishing the police, or at least bringing them under control, and the systems that perpetuate state violence against black people, extremely difficult.
The recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Sean Reed, Joel Acevedo, Alvin Cole and dozens of others at the hands of police officers, has sparked uprisings across the country. Black and brown people, backed by white allies, have declared that they will not, cannot go on under these conditions. The present uprising in Milwaukee is of a specific historical material character due to the battles for Black liberation that have taken place here over the past century. The history of these struggles is invaluable because it informs us not only why the present movement has taken the form that it has, but how we can improve on our strategies based on past successes.
This event is organized and led by Black members of the PSL and other organizers from the black community. People of all races, sexualities, gender identities, nationalities and religious affiliations are encouraged to attend, but this is an event focusing on Black voices and Black histories. This being said, we want to reserve as much space as possible for questions from and discussion by Black community members.
-Lauryn Cross is a Black Queer organizer originally from the Sherman Park neighborhood of Milwaukee. She first got her start with the Rufus King HS Action Change Education (ACE.) coalition where they planned actions around various social justice issues. Shortly after she joined the Youth Climate Action Team (YCAT) focusing on climate justice. Currently she organizes with Freedom Road Socialist Organization and the recently refounded Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (MAARPR).
-Christiaan Cocroft is an organizer and member of the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL), Milwaukee chapter. He was born and raised in Milwaukee, and attended the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. While attending, he took courses focused on social inequality in America. He first got into organizing through attending political rallies and events, which led him to being introduced to the PSL. Christaan is a student of Black liberation history and theory, with his main influences being the Black Panther Party, and its leaders such as Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, Fred Hamption, and Angela Davis. Some of his other influences include Malcolm X, Assata Shakur, H. Rap Brown, and Kwame Ture (formerly known as Stokely Carmichael).
-Malik Pitchford is a writer, student, and organizer from Milwaukee. He attends DePaul University in Chicago, Illinois, where he studies political science and the African & Black diaspora. Malik has written and published articles covering topics such as race, politics, and capitalism in America. His introduction to Black liberation movements stems from his love of reading. Some of his favorite thinkers include Malcolm X, W.E.B. DuBois, Assata Shakur, and Carter G. Woodson.
This event is geared toward having a safe and family friendly atmosphere, so please wear a mask and practice social distancing. We will be in a large field so there will be more than enough space to spread out.
Water and packaged food will be available.
Mequon Black Lives Matter
Bed, Bath & Beyond (11110 N. Port Washington Rd.)
1 p.m.
Please meet at the intersection of Mequon and Port Washington Road. We will meet and begin in the parking lot of Bed, Bath, and Beyond. We will be walking 3.7 miles. Please do not hesitate to reach out for any questions. Please come with peace.
Marching for Inclusivity, for all Black Lives
North Point Water Tower (2288 N. Lake Dr.)
1 p.m.
First, let us thank every single person who made “Come together, Stand together” pivotal. We have to continue to strike while the Protest-Iron is hot. We need to continue to get our voices heard and our needs met. Lets bring all people together again, make our voices louder then they were before, and speak about micro aggressions/subtleties of oppression that Black and Brown people face every day from our own community. So let us march, have the conversation on how we can be better, do better, and invoke the unity we seem to be grasping by a thread. We’ve got this, lets continue this fight…inclusively!
PSA….. this time we will be headed south
BLM March – St. Francis & Cudahy
St. Francis Brewery (3825 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.)
1 p.m.
Today is the day we say no more! It is time to break the barriers that have been set up from the beginning. We need to be part of the solution! Standing together as one! Let’s show our corrupt biased system who is in charge.
Say their names. No justice, No Peace. ✊✊🖤🖤✊✊
Marching about 7 miles spreading love, unity, and peace.
We are starting at the corner of KK and Howard (where St. Francis brewery is) for poster making signs from 1-2.
We will then march from 2-5 past St. Francis PD and head into Cudahy to their PD.
If you are not able to attend the poster making portion, I highly encourage to stop by Find your Light LLC in Cudahy (3701 E Layton Ave) during the week -10am-4pm. Shoot them a message to make sure. They have some supplies to help you!
THIS IS A PEACEFUL PROTEST. NO VIOLENCE OF ANY KIND!!! We are using our voice to create change, not violence.
****Please also remember masks and social distancing are strongly encouraged.****
There is nothing they can do if we all become one! No more dividing us! We understand! We are with you! Justice for George and the many others that were killed and wrongfully accused!
Justice for Black Lives Matter!!
🖤🖤✊✊🖤🖤
SUNDAY, JUNE 21
Black Is Beautiful Ride
Reservoir Park (801 E. Meinecke Ave.)
1 p.m.
Fighting the power is a full-time job, especially if you’re Black. Take this event as a moment to collectively exhale as a community and join us on a ride for Black lives. We’ll keep marching, we’ll keep chanting, but for one day we need to feel the wind in our face again. Black Lives Matter. Black Mental Health Matters too.