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Rob Smith and Adam Carr talk with panelists Marcela Garcia, Jesus Gonzalez, and Ursula Twombly about development in the Walker’s Point community and the importance of including community members in future development. What does it mean to create spaces that celebrate culture in inclusive ways?

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The Pfister-Vogel Tannery in Walker's Point

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The Pfister-Vogel Tannery in Walker's Point

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In the 1920s the Pfister-Vogel Tannery in Walker's Point began to recruit Mexican workers. Today the neighborhood is home to the largest concentration of Spanish speakers in Wisconsin. After the Chicago and North Western Railroad Depot was demolished in 1968, Walker's Point residents translated their concern for the deteriorating condition of Walker's Point into action. Residents formed Historic Walker's Point, Inc. (HWP) in 1973, a community-organized historic preservation nonprofit organization, to begin restoration projects and neighborhood tours.

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Click the image to learn more.

In the 1830s and the 1840s, Virginian George Walker filed, lost, and reacquired a land claim for 160 acres bordered by the Milwaukee and Menomonee Rivers and the contemporary Greenfield Avenue and Sixteenth Street (S. Cesar Chavez Drive). Milwaukee's two other original settlements of Juneautown and Kilbourntown soon joined with Walker's Point to form the core of the city.

In the mid-nineteenth century, Yankee, German, Irish, and later other immigrant settlers were drawn to Walker's Point to work in the factories that developed near the rivers and, later, the railroads. By the early 20 th century, the area was the founding site of many major machine manufacturers, including Allis-Chalmers and Allen-Bradley. In the 1920s the Pfister-Vogel Tannery began to recruit Mexican workers. Today the neighborhood is home to the largest concentration of Spanish speakers in Wisconsin.[1]

Modern Walker's Point is noted for its distinct historic character and the opening of new restaurants, galleries, and loft spaces. Although the interstate highway project cut through neighborhood in the 1960s, still the neighborhood retains many Greek revival, gothic, and Italianate worker cottages as well as more substantial Italianate and Queen Anne residences. Decorated cornices on 19 th century buildings are evident on many commercial buildings that line Second Street, National Avenue, Fifth Street, and Sixteenth Street and factories in the neighborhood. Holy Trinity, the South Side's first Roman Catholic church, dates from 1850 (now merged with Our Lady of Guadalupe, founded in 1926). Other historic churches originally served other ethnic congregations in the neighborhood.

Residents translated their concern for the deteriorating condition of Walker's Point into action after the nearby Chicago and North Western Railroad Depot was demolished in 1968. Land Ethics, Inc., a newly formed non-profit historic preservation organization joined with the Junior League of Milwaukee to begin a pilot project. Subsequently, in 1973, Historic Walker's Point, Inc. (HWP) was founded as a non-profit organization of residents and non-residents to begin restoration projects and neighborhood tours. In 1978, HWP nominated a part of the neighborhood east of the expressway to the National Register of Historic Places. They argued that much of the 19 th century working-class neighborhood remained intact, showing the close proximity and scale of the factories, homes, shops, schools, and churches of the walking city. HWP also built a pocket park on a blighted lot at Third Street and Walker Street, lobbied to reopen a branch bank on National Avenue, and helped arrange the Milwaukee Ballet Company's move to Walker's Point. In 1979, HWP formed the Walker's Point Development Corporation to continue local rehabilitation. In 1981, HWP became Historic Milwaukee, Inc. and expanded walking tours and preservation activities citywide.

Today nearly 9,000 people live in Walker's Point.[2] While challenges continue, such agencies as the United Community Center on Walker's Square have emerged to serve current residents. Vacant factories are being transformed into loft apartments and offices, and new restaurants and bars are revitalizing underused commercial space. The emergence of a research hub around the Global Water Center is an additional example of Walker's Point's ongoing evolution.

For Further Reading

A Guide to Historic Walker's Point. Milwaukee: Historic Walker's Point, Inc. 1978.

Gurda, John. Milwaukee: A City of Neighborhoods. Milwaukee, WI: Historic Milwaukee, Inc., Milwaukee, 2015.

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Walker's Point - Encyclopedia of Milwaukee

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Click the image to learn more. In the 1830s and the 1840s, Virginian George Walker filed, lost, and reacquired a land claim for 160 acres bordered by the Milwaukee and Menomonee Rivers and the contemporary Greenfield Avenue and Sixteenth Street (S. Cesar Chavez Drive).

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Use this slideshow to introduce your students to primary archival photos from the Chapman Hall Takeover.

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Primary Source Slideshow - Latinx Student and Community Activism

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Some inspiring panelists introduce themselves and their work. Filmed during the pandemic shutdown in the summer of 2020, the group discusses Milwaukee's rich history of cultural festivals and shares how much they are missed.

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When Marcela Garcia was 9 years old she attended youth art classes at Walker’s Point Center for the Arts (WPCA). At the time Garcia wanted to grow up to be a doctor or marine biologist. Twenty-four years later, Garcia is the executive director of WPCA. Garcia, who was born in Guadalajara and raised in Milwaukee, said she was in high school when she realized that she was passionate about literature and art, and especially the stories of marginalized people...

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When Marcela Garcia was 9 years old she attended youth art classes at Walker's Point Center for the Arts (WPCA). At the time Garcia wanted to grow up to be a doctor or marine biologist. Twenty-four years later, Garcia is the executive director of WPCA.

Garcia, who was born in Guadalajara and raised in Milwaukee, said she was in high school when she realized that she was passionate about literature and art, and especially the stories of marginalized people. These passions led her to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison and earn a degree in English. After college, Garcia worked for Partners Advancing Values in Education (PAVE), an organization that helps schools tackle organizational hurdles that can prevent learning.

Garcia said that she is experienced in nonprofit management, program development and evaluation. "The fact that I have been doing art throughout all of my career in different aspects, I felt that it was a perfect opportunity for me to bring my whole self into the workplace," she said, explaining why she accepted the position at WPCA.

Prior to her new role, Garcia was a contributing artist at the center. The previous executive director, Ana Melo, suggested that she apply for the position. According to Lona Long Velasco, WPCA board chair, Garcia "stood leaps and bounds above the other candidates" because of her proven track record in the Walker's Point community as an artist and her experience working with local schools.

This year WPCA will be celebrating its 30th year and Garcia is using the milestone to work with the staff and board to plan the organization's future. According to Garcia, WPCA is at the intersection of art and social justice, and art is a perfect medium for connecting individuals of different backgrounds to bridge gaps in Milwaukee. She said she hopes that WPCA will draw attention to social issues in the city through art.

"We are really dreaming big, because that is the only way I know how to operate and really bringing as many folks on board as possible in meaningful ways," said Garcia. The goal is for WPCA to allow individuals who might not normally communicate to work together as a community.

"She brings the experience, the knowledge and enthusiasm that we need to go into this landmark year. Her knowledge about education and herself being an artist really gives her a good understanding of our programming and our mission overall," said Howard Leu, marketing communications director of WPCA. "I think what she brings to WPCA is a general passion for education as well as using art as a social dialogue."

Garcia's heritage plays a large role in her passions and especially her art. Garcia considers herself to be a Xicana artist, an identity that acknowledges Mexican roots in the Americas. According to Beth Haskovec, executive director of Artists Working in Education, Garcia's passion for art and her heritage make her a person the community can rally behind.

"I think Marcela is an excellent choice, both as an artist and as somebody that has been involved with arts philanthropy," said Haskovec. "[She] has gotten some really well rounded experience in the arts and is incredibly creative and is a terrific leader."

"I think Walker's Point is a community in transition," added Haskovec. "Marcela is a person that can build relationships and work collaboratively with lots of different members of our community."

As executive director, Garcia is responsible for planning and facilitating the vision of WPCA, as well as handling payroll, coordinating events, answering inquires, and fielding phone calls and emails. Connections to the local school system that she developed at PAVE will help her connect with the neighborhood while she attempts to grow WPCA's impact on Milwaukee, she noted.

"I am very excited and humbled to be leading this organization," said Garcia. 'When you nurture what you love, opportunities arise."

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New Walker's Point arts center leader plans to highlight social issues through art

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When Marcela Garcia was 9 years old she attended youth art classes at Walker's Point Center for the Arts (WPCA). At the time Garcia wanted to grow up to be a doctor or marine biologist. Twenty-four years later, Garcia is the executive director of WPCA.

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One of the most interesting places to eat in Milwaukee right now is Zocalo Food Park, the city’s first food truck park located inside Walker’s Point. It’s also uniquely positioned during the Covid-19 era to welcome guests while maintaining social distancing. Zocalo originated with Mazorca Tacos, founded by Jesus Gonzalez. Gonzalez is a formally trained chef (he attended CIA in Hyde Park) whose parents came to the U.S. in the mid-70s from a small farming community in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. And, Gonzalez says, he was brought up in a culture that valued food, as well as the stories it told...

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One of the most interesting places to eat in Milwaukee right now is Zocalo Food Park, the city's first food truck park located inside Walker's Point. It's also uniquely positioned during the Covid-19 era to welcome guests while maintaining social distancing.

Zocalo originated with Mazorca Tacos, founded by Jesus Gonzalez. Gonzalez is a formally trained chef (he attended CIA in Hyde Park) whose parents came to the U.S. in the mid-70s from a small farming community in the state of Jalisco, Mexico. And, Gonzalez says, he was brought up in a culture that valued food, as well as the stories it told.

When he opened Mazorca in 2017, it received rave reviews from Milwaukee press: "Their tasty bistec has three tasty going for it - the Wisconsin beer marinade, tender bean topping and delicious corn tortilla." ( Milwaukee Magazine)

We caught up with Jesus to learn more about the past few years building Milwaukee's first food truck park, fostering food entrepreneurship, and how they've continued to innovate during the pandemic.

HRN: To kick things off, we'd love to know about some of your earliest cheese memories.

Jesus Gonzalez: Well, I grew up on the south side of Milwaukee. It's a neighborhood that's really rich in the Latino culture. Growing up at their church, our parents would treat us by going to Don Pancho's restaurant on Pancho Villa. He sells carnitas (or pork) that has been cooked in its own fat - it's almost like a pork confit. We'd go there and buy a few pounds of meat.

Before we would go inside his little shop, I would always remember there's a man in his van, and he had the back door open to his van. And he would post up there and sell queso fresco - he would make this queso fresco. I'm sure, you know, he probably didn't have any permits to do this. But he'd do it. He sat there and he'd sell it. He would always wave us down and try to get us to taste it, because he knew that if people tasted his cheese, they would buy a few pounds of it.

It's one of those memories that I have of eating cheese at a very early age and having a relationship with the cheese maker. Every time I see queso fresco, it brings back that memory of a Sunday morning getting carnitas and buying freshly made queso fresco.

HRN: How do both your family recipes and the food culture of Milwaukee influence the menu at Mazorca?

JG: I've always said that Mazorca's menu is my story of growing up as a first generation Mexican-American here in Milwaukee. Being exposed to the flavor profiles that my parents brought with them and combining that with the rich culture that we have here in Milwaukee - I was able to combine those flavors and build the menu around that.

For example, if you take a look at the steak taco, it's thinly, thinly cut sirloin that's been marinated in beer. Milwaukee is the beer capital. You know, we have so many breweries.... Miller is right in our own backyard. So, there's always an abundance of beer. My parents didn't drink much, but they use beer in their cooking. Every summer cookout involved marinating our steak with this beer and it would change the flavor profile in the beef. I wanted to share that in my steak taco. That's just one example of how I take flavors and memories from being in Milwaukee into my menu.

HRN: Why did you decide to serve your food from a food truck instead of a brick and mortar?

JG: After living in New York for a while - after attending school, moving to the city, working there, gain experience, meeting different people - I decided to move back home to Milwaukee, and I knew I wanted to start my business. It was the only way in which I felt I was going to be able to tell my story. I looked at my bank account, and I was really honest with myself. I said, "Jesus, how can I start off and not give myself in debt?"

So, I started doing some research and I found a 1950 trailer. The only issue was it was in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I convinced my brother and my cousins to drive down there and negotiate with this very nice young couple.... and we bought this 1950 trailer. We drove it back, and we began to reconstruct the inside of it. That became the laboratory, the theater, the kitchen. We were able to create our menu and share it with our customers. It was just a really efficient and low-cost way of getting started.

HRN: How has Covid-19 impacted your business(es)? How does your business model as a food park help you navigate the uncertainty around the pandemic?

JG: What Covid-19 really did was to expose the creativity of the entrepreneur. The advantage of being in a trailer, being part of a food truck park, was that we had other food entrepreneurs looking for creative ways of reaching the customer. It helped keep us motivated, because we didn't feel alone. It really allowed us the opportunity to get creative and find ways to still fill the needs of our customers and followers. Being able to conduct contactless transactions was a big help, as was rolling out curbside at the park. We really felt the support of our community through this pandemic.

Was it hard? Absolutely. But what helped us get through it was this knowing and being in a space where we weren't alone.

HRN: It was just announced that a new concept was joining Zocalo Food Park for the next year (Dairyland Old-Fashioned Burgers). Tell us a bit about that concept and the process behind bringing featured vendors into Zocalo.

JG: Part of the beauty of the Zocalo is being able to provide a platform for food entrepreneurs. We're only a year in, and we've been very fortunate to work with some of the best food entrepreneurs in the city. A perfect example of that is that we now have a new food trailer called Dairyland. And their focus is on old fashioned burgers. Hands down - it is the best burger in Milwaukee. And I'm saying that without any biases.

Our goal with Zocalo is having a very diverse food offering. We see that there's a lot of beauty and diversity in being able to share different cuisines from different cultures. So, a big part of our role here is how do we curate the food offerings and vendors within the space.

Another example of that is Modern Maki. Their focus is on sushi and bringing that West Coast style of sushi to Milwaukee. Another example is Flower Girl and Flame, and their focus is on doing pizzas with this wheat that comes from Wisconsin. So, people will never get tired of Zocalo, because we are constantly bringing in new concepts into the space.

HRN: What have been your biggest lessons learned during 2020? What do you think the future of restaurants and food trucks looks like once we make it to the other side of the current crisis?

JG: Number one is the importance of community. The community that we have here within Zocalo really showed that if you rally together, you will survive together. I'm extremely thankful for having that sense of community within the entrepreneurs.

Secondly, out of all this fear and frustration and unknown is - we were able to create innovation. I think that in 2021, what we will see is some of the best food entrepreneurs showcasing what they've learned and what they've created while being in this very high-pressured environment.

I also do think that with restaurant closings, we will see more food entrepreneurs looking for food trucks or food trailers to be able to connect with their customers. We've learned that starting off a business or testing out a concept is more accessible by going with a food truck or trailer versus a brick and mortar. So it's a lower startup cost, which is very exciting because hopefully that's going to encourage more entrepreneurs to share their concepts, share their ideas with us.

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Jesus Gonzalez Melds the Flavors of Mexico and Milwaukee

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This is part of a series introducing the Cheeselandia Council, brought to you by Wisconsin Cheese. One of the most interesting places to eat in Milwaukee right now is Zocalo Food Park, the city's first food truck park located inside Walker's Point. It's also uniquely positioned during the Covid-19 era to welcome guests while maintaining social distancing.

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In Walker's Point, located south of downtown and Milwaukee's 3rd Ward, Twombly is a founding member and leader of the local neighborhood association. She continues to advocate to preserve the neighborhood's rent affordability for businesses, walk-ability, bike-ability and other features as more outside developers seek to renovate its buildings. "As architects we're trained as leaders, we're trained as visionaries and we can imagine things that maybe other people can't," Twombly said. "I think it's a natural for architects to become leaders in communities like this, just because we can see beyond the immediate trash that is laying on the street."

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Ursula Twombly's personality is mirrored in the buildings she designs: direct and without flowery decorations meant to invoke beauty through flimflam.

The principal of Continuum Architects & Planners SC, Milwaukee, wants her buildings "clean, not fussy, not a lot of ornamentation." She wants her housing high-rises to look like apartment buildings, and her libraries to look like libraries. She avoids designing new buildings to mimic the style of older ones, saying it's "just fake."

"It's about the honesty, integrity," Twombly said. "Beauty isn't made through decoration. Beauty is made through the function, the proportions, the materials, but it's all done in an honest kind of way. There's metal panels now that look like wood. To me, that's absolutely silly. I'd never use a product like that: these materials that are made to look like something else. A metal panel has a certain look and that is how it ought to look."

Her conversation is equally direct. The style has helped the 13-person Continuum firm succeed through a painful recession. Although relatively small, the acclaimed firm does major projects such as the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, the exterior of the 21-story Saint John's on the Lake on Prospect Avenue near Lake Michigan, and the Milwaukee Job Corps Center.

Twombly also is a leader in the rapidly evolving Walker's Point neighborhood where Continuum's office is located.

"I try to be uncomplicated, but that doesn't mean I'm simple," Twombly said. "There's still beauty in all of those things and I think we always have to find beauty in everything we do.

"But I'm not a good political person who can say one thing and think a different thing."

Dan Beyer, who became a principal with an ownership interest in Continuum three years ago, said he appreciates Twombly's approach.

"If you are not used to her blunt kind of comments, it might take you aback from time to time," he said. "She says it like it is, not really sugarcoating it. More often than not, it's accurate. It makes things easier."

Beyer is among three younger principals brought into Continuum by Twombly and her two co-founders, Falamak Nourzad and Robert Barr. The three founded the firm in 1996 after working at larger companies.

Twombly traveled a long road to reach that point. She was born in a small community in Switzerland whose name, translated, means "home of the sheep." After completing an architecture apprenticeship in Switzerland, she entered a volunteer exchange program because she couldn't find work.

She ended up in Burlington in 1975, 20 years old, in a one-year program helping to design housing for homeless families. She watched "Sesame Street" to learn English and met her future husband, who is the reason she moved to the area permanently.

Twombly created shop drawings for corrugated steel panels for flooring and joined an engineering firm. After completing an architecture degree in the U.S., she joined in 1987 the firm that became Kahler Slater in Milwaukee, where she worked with Nourzad and Barr. They founded Continuum to work in a smaller company and on a broader scope of buildings.

"Architects typically feel we can solve any problem within our realm of our influence," Twombly said. "To limit oneself to just health care or corporate office was just a little too stifling to us. You become an expert at one but that's all you really get to do."

Twombly said, with a laugh, that her current role in the firm is to do "everything that nobody else wants to do." Her lead design work has tapered off over the past five years as she focuses on client outreach and business development.

In Walker's Point, located south of downtown and Milwaukee's 3rd Ward, Twombly is a founding member and leader of the local neighborhood association. She continues to advocate to preserve the neighborhood's rent affordability for businesses, walk-ability, bike-ability and other features as more outside developers seek to renovate its buildings.

"As architects we're trained as leaders, we're trained as visionaries and we can imagine things that maybe other people can't," Twombly said. "I think it's a natural for architects to become leaders in communities like this, just because we can see beyond the immediate trash that is laying on the street."

URSULA TWOMBLY

Company: Continuum Architects & Planners SC

Title: Principal

Family: Husband, Dan Twombly, retired

Resides: Wauwatosa

Best decision: "Starting Continuum with two business partners - I would have never wanted to do this alone. Starting transition planning early - brought on three young partners at the end of 2011."

Toughest decision: "Letting employees go because of insufficient work. I feel a personal responsibility to keep our employees employed. With the downturn in the economy and the virtual standstill of construction projects from 2008 to 2011, we had our share of layoffs, working with reduced salaries, etc."

Most important lesson learned: "Stay true to your values and beliefs."

Pastimes: "Avid perennial gardener, hosting annual plant exchanges, reusing old/trashed things in new ways, dabbling in painting and other creative endeavors."

Favorite vacation spot: "At this time of the year - anywhere warm."

Role model: "David Kahler - I worked with him for nine years and always admired his vision and his community connections in order to facilitate important projects in Milwaukee."

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Local architect sees role as visionary and leader: Ursula Twombly (Video) - Milwaukee Business Journal

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Ursula Twombly's personality is mirrored in the buildings she designs: direct and without flowery decorations meant to invoke beauty through flimflam. The principal of Continuum Architects & Planners SC, Milwaukee, wants her buildings "clean, not fussy, not a lot of ornamentation." She wants her housing high-rises to look like apartment buildings, and her libraries to look like libraries.

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Jesus Gonzalez talks about the development of his business Mazora and creating community partnerships in order to create space for other vendors. Marcela Garcia talks about displacement, community investment, and the inclusion of community voices in urban development. "Our focus with creating this space was we wanted to cultivate relationships with food entrepreneurs and we really wanted to create an ecosystem that was going to harvest community."

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Historical Challenges for Mexican Americans in Milwaukee and Community-Led Economic Empowerment Movements

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Historical Challenges for Mexican Americans in Milwaukee and Community-Led Economic Empowerment Movements

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Rob Smith and Adam Carr talk with panelists Marcela Garcia, Jesus Gonzalez, and Ursula Twombly about the economic empowerment of community members and various types of barriers communities are faced with. Participants include the discussion of community voices as it relates to development.

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Report to the Governor: Governor's Investigating Committee on Problems of Wisconsin's Spanish Speaking Communities

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Report to the Governor: Governor's Investigating Committee on Problems of Wisconsin's Spanish Speaking Communities

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In the late 1960s, the state government began evaluating the needs and services available to minorities in Wisconsin, concluding, largely, that the state failed to provide proper funding and program coordination. In 1971, a special task force was created by Governor Lucey to investigate Wisconsin's Hispanic population, primarily in the Milwaukee area, and to make recommendations for state action. Their report, released in June of 1971, contains a list of recommendations for specific community issues, including education, housing, health services, and employment. The task force's recommendations were based on a report, part III of this document, that members of the Hispanic community prepared themselves on the problems they faced living in Wisconsin.

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Talking to Our Panelists about Taking Action

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Talking to Our Panelists about Taking Action

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Ursula Twombly discusses some positive aspects of increased population density and Marcela Garcia explores the responsibilities of living in a neighborhood and committing to create a world that will be to the benefit of most. Jesus Gonzalez discusses the importance of personal connections and how you can be a stakeholder as well as his personal experiences as a business owner and the space he has created. The final Q & A session includes discussion of natural restoration.

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Bunk beds used by the Contreas family, 1970-1980sSource: Wisconsin Historical Museum object #1999.16.1A-G

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Read a thought-provoking article inspired by a migrant worker's bunk bed...

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Read a thought-provoking article inspired by a migrant worker's bunk bed...

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If home is where you rest your head, this bunk bed documents the process of Chicano migrant workers learning to call Wisconsin home. It was used by the Contreras family, migrant agricultural workers from Mercedes, Texas, who worked on Waushara County cucumber farms from the 1940s through the 1980s. Learn more here.

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LatinX Migration and Community on the South Side of Milwaukee

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LatinX Migration and Community on the South Side of Milwaukee

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The first Spanish-speaking immigrants settled on Milwaukee's near South Side, in an area once known as Walker's Point, in the 1920s. Originally settled by Yankees, Germans, and Norwegians, by the 1950s, the near South Side had the largest Hispanic community in the city and was the only remaining place that retained the sense of ethnic "urban villages" that had characterized Milwaukee in the 19th century. This study, completed in the 1970s, looks externally at the history, geography, and demographics of this community, as well as internally, through interviews with community leaders and residents.

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Rob Smith and Adam Carr talk with Jorge Lopez about his family’s story of migration and development of their bakery business: Lopez’s Bakery. How has Lopez's Bakery impacted the community? Jorge Lopez explains how the demographics of the community have changed over the years since his family migrated.

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Episode 4.2, Mitchell Street Food and Culture

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Adam Carr talks with Jorge Lopez of Lopez Bakery about Mexican and Irish cultural appreciation and the significance of Día de los Muertos for their family's bakery.

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Episode 4.2, Mitchell Street Food and Culture

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Student-Led Social Change and the history of the Roberto Hernández Center at UW-Milwaukee

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Student-Led Social Change and the history of the Roberto Hernández Center at UW-Milwaukee

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The LatinX community has grown steadily in Milwaukee, and by 1970 there was a vibrant population of at least 30,000. However, representation within the University of Wisconsin education system was extremely low. In protest of this, student activists and members of the Committee for the Education of Latin Americans (CELA), led by Roberto Hernández, staged sit-ins, protests, and camp outs at the office of J. Martin Klotsche in 1970. In response,
UWM launched its Spanish Speaking Outreach Institute, what would eventually become the Roberto Hernández Center.

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The Latinx community in Milwaukee had grown steadily since the turn of the twentieth century, and by 1970 there was a vibrant population of at least 30,000 in the city. This community faced an array of urban social issues, including unemployment, competition for housing, lack of social programs, and under-representation in educational institutions. Although a number of Latinxs worked for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, only 12 students were enrolled during the 1970-1971 academic year. Many Latino activists attributed this low enrollment to a lack of support at the university: few administrators or advisers spoke Spanish; there existed no support center for Latinx students, and there were no means of transportation to the Kenwood campus. The absence of these resources provided very little incentive for Latinx students to enroll at UWM.

Officials from the UWM School of Education began outreach efforts in the late 1960s, working with the newly established Committee for the Education of Latin Americans (CELA) to develop plans for a Spanish Speaking Outreach Institute (SSOI) to be housed within the school. It quickly became apparent to education administrators, however, that the proposed scope of such an institute was beyond the ability of the School of Education to implement, and they suggested that Latino activists take their proposals directly to the Office of the Chancellor. Members of CELA, led by Roberto Hernández, did just that, staging sit-ins, protests, and camp outs at the office of J. Martin Klotsche during the late summer and fall of 1970. Their efforts proved fruitful: in November 1970, UWM opened its Spanish Speaking Outreach Institute, a forerunner of today's Roberto Hernández Center.
Excerpt above from UWM Libraries Digital Collections. Visit UWM Latino Activism Collection for a visual history of the origins of the Roberto Hernández Center. DVD of 40th Anniversary can be purchased at our office in Bolton Hall 183
Who was Roberto Hernández?

Roberto Hernández was one of the most active Latino leaders in the city of Milwaukee during the 1970's. In the late 1960's, he was one of less than a dozen Latinos enrolled at UWM. He became one of the leading voices in the Latinx community's efforts to increase Latinx access to and representation at the university, negotiating with administrators for the creation of the Spanish Speaking Outreach Institute (SSOI) in 1970.

As chair of the negotiating team for the Council for the Education of Latin Americans (CELA), Hernández presided over the committees that chose the first SSOI director and staff. He was also one of the key individuals that helped to negotiate the first language maintenance bilingual program in Wisconsin and assisted in the enactment of Wisconsin's first Migrant Worker's Act.

After leaving Milwaukee, Hernández continued his youth and community advocacy in Texas where he was regarded as one of the most successful organizers and social transformers. In 1994, Hernández died prematurely of a heart attack.

Roberto Hernández was a major force in shaping the collaborative work of Latinos in Milwaukee. One of his goals was to work towards educational advancement and a better life for all Latinxs in and around the Milwaukee area. It is our hope that this Center, dedicated to his memory in the 1990's, will make important contributions towards the advancement of Latinxs in Milwaukee and the rest of the state.

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The Latinx community in Milwaukee had grown steadily since the turn of the twentieth century, and by 1970 there was a vibrant population of at least 30,000 in the city. This community faced an array of urban social issues, including unemployment, competition for housing, lack of social programs, and under-representation in educational institutions.

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Learning about the Chapman Hall Takeover through Image Analysis

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Learning about the Chapman Hall Takeover through Image Analysis

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Rob Smith and Adam Carr introduce the story of the Chapman Hall Takeover through historical images. They talk with Alberto Maldonado and Eric Kleppe-Montenegro about the photos of an important, student-led movement that led to the making of the Roberto Hernandez Center at UW-Milwaukee.

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Episode 1.1, Chapman Hall Takeover Webinar

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Rob Smith and Adam Carr talk with Alverto Maldonado, Director of the Roberto Hernandez Center at UW-Milwaukee, and Eric Kleppe-Montenegro more specifically about the strategies students, activists, and community members used to protest underrepresentation of LatinX students and culture in UW-Milwaukee. The importance of community - mothers, families, and faith leaders - are introduced.

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Episode 1.2,  Chapman Hall Takeover Webinar

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LatinX Women in the Story of the Chapman Hall Takeover

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LatinX Women in the Story of the Chapman Hall Takeover

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Adam Carr uses images to discuss the significance of LatinX Women in the story of the Chapman Hall Takeover. Panelists Celeste Contreras, Dr. Stephanie Rivera Berruz, and Tammy Rivera provide insights on the photos.

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Episode 3.1, Latinx Women Voices Webinar

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Alberto Maldonado was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and lived there until the age of 4, when his family moved to Utuado, Puerto Rico. He began his post-secondary education at the University of Puerto Rico, where he was admitted on a full ride scholarship for Track and Field. At the beginning of his sophomore year he moved back to Milwaukee where he continued his academic journey at the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) and later at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. In his extensive career at UW-Milwaukee, Maldonado has collaborated with multiple communities and school districts in Southeastern Wisconsin, as well as with hundreds of students and their families. In those years his has helped develop programs and initiatives to prepare students and their families for post-secondary admission, select their courses and eventually graduate from college.

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Mr. Alberto J. Maldonado was appointed 11/6/18 as the official Director of the Roberto Hernández Center. As Director of the Roberto Hernández Center, Mr. Maldonado is the chief executive and administrative officer of the Center. Responsibilities include overall management and planning, including personnel, budget administration, and program development and implementation. In addition, Mr. Maldonado Co-Leads the Chancellors Committee for Hispanic Student Initiatives (CCHSI), areas of engagement with the community and implementation of commitments made by the Chancellor.

In his 23 year trajectory at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Mr. Maldonado has championed numerous initiatives in the areas of Pre-College, Community Outreach, Admissions, Multicultural Recruitment, and Academic Advising. Among the many things he has helped coordinate includes, the Annual Bilingual Open House at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, the Milwaukee National Hispanic College fair, the creation of the Undocumented Student Campus Task Force and the establishment of the "Excelencia en la Musica" scholarship fund. Alberto actively serves on a few Boards including the UWM Alumni Association, Carmen School of Science and Technology, All of Us with the Medical College of Wisconsin. Alberto also serves in several key UWM campus committees including MoonShot for Equity, the 2030 Think Tank, and the Multi-cultural Network. He laso volunteers in the Milwaukee community providing insights and education about college access and affordability to parents and students.

Mr. Maldonado was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and lived there until the age of 4, when his family moved to Utuado, Puerto Rico. His formal schooling includes a B. A. Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, and a M.S. in Educational Foundation of Education (Ed Policy) also from UW-Milwaukee. While completing his Master's, Mr. Maldonado also completed a Certificate Program through the Latino Non-Profit Leadership Certificate Program (RHC/Cardinal Stritch University).

Alberto began his post-secondary education at the University of Puerto Rico, where he was admitted on a full ride scholarship for Track and Field. At the beginning of his sophomore year he moved back to Milwaukee where he continued his academic journey at the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) and later at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee.

In his professional trajectory at UWM Maldonado has served as the Assistant Director for Recruitment and Community Relations in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, as well as the Coordinator for The Wisconsin Covenant Program. Prior to his work in then Admissions Office Mr. Maldonado worked as Senior Advisor for the College of Health Sciences and as a Senior Academic Advisor in the TRIO and Pre-College programs. In his extensive career at UW-Milwaukee Mr. Maldonado has collaborated with multiple communities and school districts in Southeastern Wisconsin, as well as with hundreds of students and their families. In those years his has helped develop programs and initiatives to prepare students and their families for post-secondary admission, select their courses and eventually graduate from college.

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Alberto Maldonado | Roberto Hernández Center

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Mr. Alberto J. Maldonado was appointed 11/6/18 as the official Director of the Roberto Hernández Center. As Director of the Roberto Hernández Center, Mr. Maldonado is the chief executive and administrative officer of the Center. Responsibilities include overall management and planning, including personnel, budget administration, and program development and implementation.

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Erik Kleppe-Montenegro is a community-oriented documentary filmmaker based in Milwaukee’s South Side. Eric’s artistic process is focused on challenging harmful media narratives and uplifting the voices of grassroots change-makers. He is passionate about using the arts as a tool for social change and popular education. Learn more about his role in MKE Film here.

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True love can flourish in many different ways. A shared passion for social justice, though perhaps not obviously romantic, is one of them.

South siders Kika Meraz and her fiancé, Eric Kleppe-Montenegro, are a case in point.

Kika teaches English as a second language at South Division High School. Eric is a photographer, DJ and filmmaker. They met at an immigrant rights gathering in 2012 and got engaged last year.

Kika's activism has deep roots. Her father came to the U.S. undocumented at age 16. Hard factory work and the injuries that came with it led him to union organizing. She watched and learned from his example.

"My dad was always super-involved in his union after he became a citizen," she said. "After suffering abuses in the workplace as an undocumented worker, finding that there is an avenue for labor protections and teaching me that became really important (for him), and then it really became important for me."

Her father's example continues to influence her work and her worldview.

"As an ESL teacher, at the heart of our job is advocacy. We have 26 different languages in our school. I have students who came from everywhere and have all different experiences. The community is not built for them; the world is not set up to understand them. If we can ... help the rest of the world understand what is going on, and then help influence policy that is more welcoming to immigrants and refugees, that's an essential part of my job beyond the lesson planning and the delivery of lessons."

Eric was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. His dad is from Texas and his mother is from Colombia.

"So on my mother's side, I'm the son of an immigrant," he said. "That's always been a huge part of what motivates me, to uplift immigrant voices and immigrant stories."

Eric serves the community by making visual art and teaching those skills to others.

"I like to create nonfiction media which elevates and amplifies the voices of community change makers," he said. "And I take the knowledge and experiences I've acquired, and I like to pass that on to anyone who's interested in learning how to use art as a hammer instead of just a mirror."

Eric's worked with the Coalition for Justice, which grew out of the 2014 police killing of Dontre Hamilton, Youth Empowered in the Struggle, an arm of Voces de la Frontera, and the Young People's Resistance Committee, a multinational organization that campaigns for the rights of immigrants, students and workers.

"I try to figure out how can we communicate the messages that these organizations are putting on the street, and put that message in someone's hand or on their screen at home as a way of helping them accomplish those goals that they've set out to do," Eric said.

Their work, done together or separately, was a cornerstone of their relationship from the start.

Eric's short documentary film, "Somos Millones" (We are Millions) is one example of how the couple's partnership bears fruit. It follows Kika and her students on a field trip to Madison for International Workers' Day.

"Kika always has helped serve as a compass for keeping my artistic practice centered around the community, Eric said. "Through her work, I see so many small but important direct things that need to ... be promoted and elevated. And it makes me want to make sure that those young folks, and people in the neighborhood, are being treated with as much respect as the voices of those in power."

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An NNS Valentine's Day: 'We never would have met each other if we weren't in these organizations': Activism is a common thread for South Side couple

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True love can flourish in many different ways. A shared passion for social justice, though perhaps not obviously romantic, is one of them. South siders Kika Meraz and her fiancé, Eric Kleppe-Montenegro, are a case in point. Kika teaches English as a second language at South Division High School.

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Mitchell Street Library Artist in Residence Celeste Contreras explores themes of family, ancestry, community and social justice in her richly colored drawings and multimedia works.

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Milwaukee artist Celeste Contreras explores themes of family, ancestry, community and social justice in her richly colored drawings and multimedia works.

Age: 36

Family is a major theme in your work. Do you come from a family of artists? How does your family continue to inspire you?

I was raised by a single parent - my mom, Anna Contreras. She has two degrees, one in printing and publishing and one in photography. While I was growing up in Milwaukee in the 1980s, my mom never took me to church; she took me to the Milwaukee Art Museum (MAM) every single Sunday. Art became my church, my religion and my altar at a very young age.

Family Sundays were amazing. My most vivid memory is standing in the old main MAM entrance, located on the east side of the building and facing Lake Michigan. I was standing there with pipe cleaners and glue in my hands as I stared in awe at Julian Schnabel's Broken Plates painting, which inspires me to this day.

My father's side, the Skierskis, have never been part of my life, but I do know that my father was a published author, playwright and musician. He passed away in 2006. Most importantly, my ancestors play a huge role in my art, especially at this time in my career.

From 2003 to 2004, during my spiritual journey, I hitchhiked through Mexico. I took this pilgrimage to find the roots of my Mexican heritage. The time there impacted me so profoundly. I am still inspired by having met my family in Mexico and having survived a year of roaming while searching for myself in the mountains of central Mexico all the way to Chiapas in southern Mexico.

You work with a variety of media and employ a variety of styles in your work, including pen and ink and collage. Do you have a favorite medium or style you like to work with?

Drawing is my absolute grounding point. It's where I find myself when I am lost, probably because it's the medium I began working with. Drawing is my strongest art form, but I also love working with multiple media at once.

I love drawing and adding a collage to it, or building a space such as a wooden box, where I can then place my drawings. I always incorporate drawings in some way into other media I work with. I even draw the faces of the dolls I create with fabric crayons or ink. Drawing is at the core of my work but is not the only media I use.

You have traveled overseas quite a bit. What impact have your journeys had on your work?

I began traveling and living abroad when I was 16, starting with an art program in southern Italy, where some of my work still lives. After graduating from the Milwaukee High School of the Arts, I bypassed college and headed to Chiang Mai, Thailand.

I lived there for one year, from 2001 to 2002. This changed my life forever. I learned about life, death, culture and how similar we all are - I am still moved and inspired by what Thailand taught me. Identity has always been something that has not always been clear to me, growing up half-Mexican and half-white. Thailand inspired me to find my roots.

Are you planning any future trips?

I have yet to plan my spiritual journey to Poland, and I'd also like to learn more about my Blackfeet Cherokee background (both bloodlines on my father's side of the family). I have been planning a trip back to Thailand with my mom, and I have been invited to show my work in Guanajuato, Mexico.

How does your work examine themes of social justice and human emotions?

My advocacy art pieces are really just reflections of myself and history. History and the world's recent and current political climate have inspired me to tell a story of the untold.

I have added text to some of my pieces that I created for immigrant reform and human rights. For example, I reference Mary Turner, an African-American woman who was tortured and brutalized - legally - in the U.S. I placed her name there for many reasons, the main one being so that we never forget her name. It's important that people know her name and the true history of this country.

I founded the Día De Los Muertos Parade project a few years after returning home from Mexico. I have experienced so many (too many) deaths, but I learned how to grieve in a way that was creative and expressive, such as with the creation of the home ofrenda and the altar/shrine full of offerings to the dead. Experiencing this ancient death ceremony in the land of my ancestors helped transcend my grief and helped me let go.

I knew I was not alone of this feeling of not knowing how to deal with death, so I thought Milwaukee needed the Day of the Dead holiday, at least to begin talking, thinking and working with death. Milwaukee is so segregated. I thought if we could unite in ONE thing, it would be death, the great equalizer.

I watched communities unite. I saw people from multiple backgrounds, many of whom were not Mexican, embrace this holiday, because they had experienced death and were still carrying unsettled emotions. It was beautiful to witness people and communities begin to talk about death and the healing process. Death can and will change us, but it does not always have to be negative.

What are some goals you have for your year of residency at the Mitchell Street Library?

Being chosen as the artist in residency at the library is a dream come true! My mother instilled a love of reading in me. Today I love researching all topics. It is a passion of mine that inspires and often creates context for my art.

I have some major goals for the year residency, including bringing Día de los Muertos to the Makerspace, printing, bookmaking and publishing, but also, I am excited to be part of an experimental space that encourages creativity.

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Artist Profile: Mitchell Street Library Artist in Residence Celeste Contreras - Milwaukee Magazine

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Milwaukee artist Celeste Contreras explores themes of family, ancestry, community and social justice in her richly colored drawings and multimedia works. Age: 36 Family is a major theme in your work. Do you come from a family of artists? How does your family continue to inspire you?

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Stephanie Rivera Berruz is an Assistant Professor of philosophy at Marquette University. Despite nomadic movements across the US, she proudly calls Puerto Rico home. Growing up on an island has meant that she always yearns for proximity to bodies of water; their fluidity, their power, and their grandeur are inspirational. She is a lover of sonic experiences. When she is not philosophizing with a book or conversation, she is thinking through the body by dancing.

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APA Member Interview: Stephanie Rivera Berruz

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Stephanie Rivera Berruz is an Assistant Professor of philosophy at Marquette University. Despite nomadic movements across the US, she proudly calls Puerto Rico home. Growing up on an island has meant that she always yearns for proximity to bodies of water; their fluidity, their power, and their grandeur are inspirational.

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When people think of a community organizer, they often envision someone on the front lines leading a crowd, but Tammy Rivera often works in the background mending the building blocks of local community organizations. Rivera came into the Southside Organizing Center (SOC) as a consultant to restructure the organization and fix the finances, but after being there for six months, she knew she had to stay. Soon, she became the executive director and focused on the nuts and bolts that held the organization together...

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When people think of a community organizer, they often envision someone on the front lines leading a crowd, but Tammy Rivera often works in the background mending the building blocks of local community organizations. Rivera came into the Southside Organizing Center (SOC) as a consultant to restructure the organization and fix the finances, but after being there for six months, she knew she had to stay. Soon, she became the executive director and focused on the nuts and bolts that held the organization together. With a diverse background in community organizing, education and administrative leadership, she understood that the organization could not achieve its goals without first diversifying its funding and rebuilding its programming. "Five percent of the movement is the romantic t-shirts, posters and rallies," she says, "95% of it is work."

Every SOC program and initiative now relates back to its mission, which is to work with residents to ensure safe, livable and economically vibrant communities. If the SOC provides the leadership training and support for its residents, then the people of Milwaukee's South Side will have a stronger voice when contributing to decisions made about their community.

One of SOC's main programs involves working directly with resident-led neighborhood associations with the intention of strengthening the groups and training leaders. Four leaders from each group can be sent to SOC's leadership institute to learn leadership development. Rivera built the curriculum based on her extensive skillset which also teaches grassroots organizing and economic development. The idea, she explains, is for these people "to have a voice whether the SOC exists or not." The SOC wants to put power into the hands of the people and give them the ability to dictate their future.

Outspoken, bold and unapologetic, Rivera will not hesitate to invite you into the doors of the SOC and get you involved. But, if you ask her what she thinks South Side residents need, she won't tell you. Her response will be, "Hold on a second! Let me see what the people think. That's what a community organizer does." Rivera and the SOC team make a point not to put words into the mouths of the people they serve. Rather, they regularly ask people in the neighborhood what they want to change by bringing people together for public meetings or going door-to-door. One change Rivera has implemented is building a new board of people that accurately represents the community. That means people from different races, ethnicities, generations and amounts of time on the South Side. The organization does not simply serve the community, it's a vital part of the neighborhood.

The essence of the South Side is the power of pueblo. Born and raised in the shadow of the Walker's Point clocktower, Rivera understands this strength. The residents of this neighborhood struggle together, but they build change together and support each other. Rivera, herself, has been through this struggle, but in her words uses her pain as her superpower: "The affirmation is the pueblo."

Learn more about the Southside Organizing Center at socmilwaukee.org. For more of Erin Bloodgood's work, visit bloodgoodfoto.com.

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Hero of the Week: Tammy Rivera Mends South Side Fences

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When people think of a community organizer, they often envision someone on the front lines leading a crowd, but Tammy Rivera often works in the background mending the building blocks of local community organizations. Rivera came into the Southside Organizing Center (SOC) as a consultant to restructure the organization and fix the finances, but after being there for six months, she knew she had to stay.

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After 47 years, Lopez bakery remains a south side, family-run staple. Baking is more than a business for the Lopez family. It’s part of their roots and their connection to the community…

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Baking is more than a business for the Lopez family. It's part of their roots and their connection to the community.

Since 1973, Lopez Bakery and Restaurant has been a south side staple built upon the recipes José Lopez memorized and brought from Mexico.

Jorge Lopez is the fourth-generation baker for the family business, and he learned from his father, José. In 2012, Jorge and his wife, Cindy, took over the business.

Throughout the 47 years in business, the bakery has been in various locations across the south side. The family's known for their Mexican cakes, cookies, conchas, breads, empanadas, tamales, moles, chips and salsa. Today, their only remaining location is at 1100 W. Historic Mitchell St. They also sell at area farmers markets, including Fox Point, Brookfield, Greendale, Greenfield, Menomonee Falls, South Milwaukee and at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center every other week.

Every year, the family marks the anniversary of the business the same week as Dia de Muertos (Oct. 31-Nov. 2), when they also feature a traditional ofrenda and specialty treats, including pan de muerto.

Jorge and Cindy Lopez live in Greenfield with their two sons.

Mexico to Milwaukee

Jorge: My father, great-grandfather and great-great grandfather were all bakers in Mexico and had businesses. A number of cousins did, too. My dad immigrated in 1967 and literally came to this country with $20 in his pocket. He worked at local bakeries, including Peter Sciortino's and Heinemann's, until he was able to find a place on South Fifth Place. He proceeded to rent a little space in the back of a grocery store. That was the origin of the bakery ...

Then my dad opened a spot where most people are familiar on Lapham. During the last recession, we were forced to sell that building. We had the building on 16th, and my dad opened the store on Mitchell Street, where we have run things since 2012. Now we just have the Mitchell Street, in addition to the farmers markets.

Becoming a baker

Jorge: The first couple years I worked just cleaning, then I started learning the techniques. Everything we do is all handmade, all from scratch. We don't use bases or mixes. These are original recipes handed down from generations. My dad brought the recipes from Mexico. He memorized them.

Popular picks

Cindy: The salsas are always available, and the mole, we make that three times per week at least, because we use that for our tamales. We are making tamales constantly.

Picking favorites

Jorge: The tamales have been very popular. We credit our market customers for coming down here and ordering during the shutdown. That helped us get by.

Cindy: It is my mother-in-law's recipes I love, and I was lucky enough to get all those recipes. My favorite though, there is a torta with steak, jalapenos and onions, avocado, and mayonnaise. That one is my absolute favorite.

Making memories

Jorge: Dia de Muertos, that's also the day we use as our anniversary date for the bakery. When my dad first opened it was end of October and early November. We settled on Nov. 2 as our anniversary. We make an elaborate altar at the bakery, and we use it as a big springboard for the holiday.

Cindy: We put up all our pictures of all of our customers who are not with us anymore. I tell my employees and customers if you want to bring a picture, please do. We'll put it up.

Jorge: The other big day for us is Dia de Los Reyes, on Jan. 6. That's another end to the holiday season, and we do Rosca de Reyes (Three Kings Bread).

Favorite thing to make

Jorge: The pan de muerto, it is more elaborate, more decorated. The cookies are all hand-decorated. The last couple years we've done a partnership with the Milwaukee Art Museum where they host a Dia de Muertos event and we'd make upwards of 700 cookies, all hand-decorated.

Cindy: The hand-decorated cookies are fun, and time-consuming, but fun. The art museum isn't doing that this year due to COVID, which is sad.

Mitchell Street mainstay

Cindy: When we first started on Mitchell Street in 1998, it was still considered "bridal alley." As the years kept going, a lot of the businesses kept pulling out. Now on our block, we have maybe four vacant storefronts because of the pandemic. There is a lot of vacancy, it is sad. It is quiet, not like years ago.

Family and food

Cindy: For every birthday, they ask Jorge to bring the cake. Everybody loves his cake. My sister loves the pink polvorones.

What they can't live without

Cindy: Conchas are a staple of a Mexican bakery. It's the first thing you usually see, the chocolate, the white, the yellow.

Jorge: The tamales. And cheese campechana, those are our original recipe.

Cindy: You don't see those everywhere. I think those (cheese campechana) are one of Jorge's specialties. It is like a phyllo dough, crispy with cheese, and once you bite into it it is all over your shirt.

Tamale tip

Cindy: When the farmers markets are done, we make a limited amount of tamales because we want them to be fresh. I always tell my customers if you call me the morning you want them, you can have them fresh off the steamer. That's the best way to have it.

What they want you to know

Jorge: We're closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Wednesday, we open only for curbside.

Cindy: We appreciate people continuing to support us. We rely on our customers. Sometimes I hear from people who don't want to come to the neighborhood because they're afraid, and they shouldn't be afraid. It is important they do come to us, because in the winter without the markets, it is slower. And with the coronavirus, we lost a lot of the regular customers. So please keep supporting us. That's the only way we're going to survive, not just us, but everybody. We're all going through the same thing.
Fork. Spoon. Life. explores the everyday relationship that local notables (within the food community and without) have with food. To suggest future personalities to profile, email psullivan@gannett.com. RELATED: Dragon Pit BBQ owner goes easy on salt, sugar, but big on smoky flavor

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After 47 years, Lopez bakery remains a south side, family-run staple

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Baking is more than a business for the Lopez family. It's part of their roots and their connection to the community. Since 1973, Lopez Bakery and Restaurant has been a south side staple built upon the recipes José Lopez memorized and brought from Mexico.