(gentle music) (upbeat music) - Hello everyone and welcome to "Black Nouveau."

I'm Earl Arms and this is our March edition.

And March, of course, is Women's History Month.

Later in the program, we'll tell you about upcoming celebrations for some of Milwaukee's pioneering Black women.

We talk with some of the dads and some of the daughters who attended last month's daddy daughter dance.

We'll go behind the scenes of the Milwaukee Rep's, new production of August Wilson's "Seven Guitars."

And we'll talk with two doctors about a new program starting this summer that will bring more Black physicians into southeastern Wisconsin.

But we begin with two historic firsts in Milwaukee County, and the county has some historic firsts worth celebrating when it comes to Black women in positions of leadership.

Alexandria Mack takes us into the worlds of two first responders that are shattering glass ceilings while protecting and serving our community.

(upbeat music) - Engine Two is about to get a run, so you'll see all of the members come down, quickly get on the engine and go out and see what's going on.

Who in the community is in need of help at this time?

(engine revving) (siren wailing) - [Alexandria] They say there's strength in numbers.

- It feels great seeing the state of Wisconsin, and all over the world actually, making these historic strides with women of color because it's something we didn't used to see.

- [Alexandria] But the real strength may be staying the course when you're one of only a few.

- I Denita Renee Ball.

- [Official] Having been elected to the office of Milwaukee County Sheriff.

- Having been elected to the office of Milwaukee County Sheriff.

There are oftentimes when we are the first, or just one of a few.

But we should not be discouraged if that's what we really want to do.

- [Alexandria] Assistant Fire Chief Sharon Purifoy and Sheriff Denita Ball have built careers in fields long dominated by men.

But as first responders, it was never about the numbers as much as it was about the people they were able to help through some of their darkest moments.

- Once I got on the job, I saw that I probably helped more people during stressful situations as a Milwaukee firefighter, as I did as a social worker, or at least just as many.

You know we always say, we're seeing people at their worst time.

You are their go-to person at that time.

- Just working with the people, making a difference in the lives, in their lives.

Sometimes we would encounter people on some of the worst days of their life, and so it was my hope that I would make a difference.

- [Alexandria] Now, as the first African American female Assistant Chief for Milwaukee Fire and the first female Sheriff of Milwaukee County, history doesn't feel like a thing of the past.

- So this is Engine Two.

We also refer to it as headquarters.

It's actually the engine that I started on in April of 2003.

It was the first house that I was assigned to as a firefighter.

I had never set my bar so high.

I was going to get in, do so many years, and then get out.

So when I found out that I had gone higher than anybody else, you know, it made me realize that this is where I was supposed to be.

And then when I got the promotion to Assistant Chief, I definitely knew that this is where I was supposed to be.

- [Alexandria] Raised in Sherman Park with her parents and four siblings, she never imagined a degree in psychology would lead her to a life of fighting fires.

- Women firefighters, even in 2023, is a very small, almost embarrassing percentage of firefighters.

And it is hard, it was hard for me coming on.

I think at that time I made 50.

So it was about 900 sworn and civilian employees, and I made the 50th female firefighters out of 950.

So you try to find your place and it's very hard because you can go on a run that day, and in that 24 hour period, never see another female.

- [Alexandria] This was a similar experience for Ball during her 25-year tenure with the Milwaukee Police Department.

- It was low numbers then when I started out.

There are more now.

Even in my class, there was four of us.

But I did have a small class of only 28 at that time.

And so the ranks were low.

Women had just started getting into the police field just maybe less than 10 years before.

- [Alexandria] Born in a small town in Arkansas, Ball had to overcome more than just the obvious barriers that came with her gender.

- Well, I was born to a single mom who wasn't ready to have children.

And so I was raised by my grandmother.

And she died when I was 12 years old.

And as a result, I ended up being in a couple of foster homes.

But I've also had to battle breast cancer, stage four, where I had the surgery, the chemotherapy, the radiation, all of that.

And so I didn't let that get me down.

I just knew that I would get through this.

And as a result, the Lord had different plans for me, and here I am today.

- So help me God.

- So help me God.

(crowd cheering and applauding) - [Alexandria] It's that resilience, paired with impressive resumes, that prove these historical appointments aren't just to meet a diversity quota.

- [Denita] I'm not here to check off a box.

So I'm trying to make sure that we have meaningful change within the community.

And I think most people who are in these positions feel the same way.

They actually want to make a difference within their respective communities.

- [Alexandria] Although Purifoy and Ball are fairly new in their positions, their legacies are already being written.

Purifoy, the highest ranking Black woman across all Wisconsin fire departments, and Ball, the first Black woman Sheriff in Wisconsin.

- I just want to be a positive reflection of what I believe someone in criminal justice should be.

I want to, when I encounter people, and I do treat them with dignity and respect.

- The legacy that I would like to leave is here was a person who did not know what they were gonna do at one point in their life, found a knack and gave 100%.

So my legacy would be one of fairness, inclusion, diversity, and just 100% hard work.

- [Alexandria] Two first responders making history in the city of Milwaukee.

Though the paths are different, they did agree on what their progress symbolizes.

- My story represents that you can do anything if you put your mind to it.

- My story represents the fact that if you put your mind to something that you can do it.

(upbeat music) ♪ I thought I heard, buddy Bolden say ♪ - [Actor] What he say?

- He say, "Wake up and give me the money!"

- No, no.

He say, "Come here.

Here go no money."

- What he give you?

- He don't give me nothin'.

- [Everett] It's the first week of rehearsal for the cast of the Milwaukee Rep's production of "Seven Guitars" by August Wilson.

The actors are still on script, costumes are being made, and the set is under construction.

But the production team has allowed us a peek at the process of turning words on paper into life on stage.

- She told me, if I didn't have the paper, I can't get my money.

I told her, "All that wasn't gonna change nothin'."

The government still owes me 30 cents a day for my time in the workhouse.

I'm the one who worked out there in the yard!

They wasn't!

She told me to come back tomorrow.

I'm gonna go down there, 'cause they gonna give me my money!

- [Everett] The action takes place at the boarding house in the Hill District in Pittsburgh in 1948.

Milwaukeean Dimonte Henning plays the lead role, blues singer Floyd "Schoolboy" Barton.

- I've done August Wilson before.

This will be my third August Wilson production.

His writing, Ron talks about it a lot.

The poetry, the lyricism in his writing.

I can identify with every single character in this play.

I know these characters, I know these voices.

They're my family.

And I love telling the stories that represent the Black experience.

- [Everett] Ron O.J.

Parson is no stranger to the Milwaukee Rep.

He directed their version of "A Raisin in the Sun" in 2013, and August Wilson's "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" in 2011.

The production of "Seven Guitars" is his 31st direction of an August Wilson play.

But "Ma Rainey" and "Jitney" hold special meanings for him.

- I was there, I met August before that was produced on Broadway.

I was able to be there at the opening night of the first August Wilson play.

So it has a special place in my heart.

As far as doing them, "Jitney" I think is one of my favorites because I've done it five times.

I was around one of the early productions with Stephen McKinley Henderson, Paul Butler, Russell Hornsby, and those guys.

And I understudied Anthony Chisholm and Stephen McKinley Henderson, who became two of my best friends.

Stephen I knew from Buffalo 'cause I'm from Buffalo, New York.

And Anthony, I just knew from being an actor and just hanging out with those guys.

So I would say those two because being a part of the early productions of those plays, you know, made it something that I could look at as special, have a special place in my heart.

- [Everett] Like "Ma Rainey," "Seven Guitars" is infused with blues and jazz.

As we produced this segment, the music was not available.

But here's a clip from a previous production that Ron O.J.

Parson also directed.

(jazzy music) ♪ Gypsy woman told my mama ♪ ♪ Before I was born ♪ ♪ You got a man child risin' ♪ ♪ He gonna be a son of a gun ♪ ♪ Gonna make pretty women ♪ ♪ Scream and shout ♪ ♪ Whole world's gonna wanna know ♪ ♪ What's this all about ♪ ♪ 'Cause I'm here ♪ - August was into the blues and jazz and, you know, and I told somebody once, you know, he used to listen to the music while he was writing and this and that.

And I just think that it's an effect of all of these stories in the 10 decades of the century cycle.

Music is a big part of us as African American and a culture.

And I think the stories are told best with that central, you know, character.

Because everything in here is a character.

The music is a character, the set is a character, the city, the time, all of that.

And I think that's a very key part to any August Wilson play.

- [Everett] Henning hopes the audience will leave the play with a sense of hope and optimism.

- Regardless of the circumstances and the struggles that we face on a daily basis, there is always a solution to any problem and to any challenge, much like Floyd.

We see all type of challenges, all type of flaws that he's had.

But he's a believer and he believes in himself.

And that to me is what attracts me to this play so much, that attracts me to this character so much is that we all have issues in our lives that can bog us down.

But it's the choice that you make.

Do you choose to let that bring you down?

Or are you gonna make a choice every day to say, "Hey, I may have made that mistake, I may have some flaws, but I'm better than that.

I know that I have something to offer the world."

- [Everett] "Seven Guitars" continues at the Milwaukee Rep through April the 2nd.

(upbeat music) - Southeastern Wisconsin, like other parts of the country, is experiencing a doctor and nursing shortage.

African American physicians are in high demand, but many hospitals say they're hard to find.

Closing a gap is key.

Here to talk about a unique medical residency program to bring in more Black physicians are doctors, Camille Garrison and Tito Izard.

Thanks for joining us.

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

- So I'm gonna start with you Dr. Izard.

What is the purpose of this new residency program?

- So thank you for having us.

What we're creating is referred to as a teaching health center.

And a teaching health center is simply a comprehensive team-based approach of not just doctors and nurses, but also, located in a fairly qualified health center, we have dentists, we have psychologists, other therapists, we have case workers, we have social workers, we have pharmacists.

And so if you think about addressing health from a much more broader perspective than just diagnosing and treating the medical ailments, we actually use a whole team to make sure that we address all the issues that may be affecting somebody from the physical, to the emotional, psychological, and sometimes even the spiritual aspects that may impact a person's health and wellness.

- Dr. Garrison, why was this teaching program formed?

- Yeah, so this is such an exciting opportunity for Dr. Izard and I both being from Milwaukee to bring something like this to our community.

In medical school, students are taught how to treat and diagnose a lot of illnesses.

When they join the residency, they learn hands-on how to take care of these patients.

But one of the things that they're not taught very well in medical school is about social determinants of health and the things that impact one's health.

And so the purpose of this teaching health center is to bring in residents, some who reflect the community that's being served by coming from a similar background, but also those who don't come from that background.

Teaching them how to provide culturally competent care, how to be in-tune with their implicit biases when they're taking care of patients and really learning from the community so that they can meet the needs of the patients being served there.

And so this is a unique residency program, unlike many others in the state of Wisconsin, and locally or regionally, that will have a focus and a mission directed at taking care of patients on the north side of Milwaukee, which is predominantly African American.

And as you mentioned, there is a shortage of physicians that reflect these types of communities.

And so one of the intentions for this training program is to bring in those who come from a similar background as the patients that are being served, but then also making it a point to really teach to the needs of the community while they're caring for them.

So they're treating their diseases, they're treating their illnesses with, you know, medications and procedures and all of these things.

But the program is also focused on having our residents getting involved in the community that they're serving so that they can do that in a much better capacity.

- Dr. Izard what will your role be?

- So my role, I'm president and CEO for Milwaukee Health Services Incorporated.

So we're the federally qualified health center where the residency program will be housed.

And so some of the comprehensive services that I was mentioning such as the dental and the behavioral health program, and all the other specialists and team members are all employees of the organization.

I also will serve a part of the team that actually develops the curriculum, which is the work that we will use to help train and educate the residents as well as working as a part of the team to establish community-based relationships.

Because what's unique about this program, it's not just about what we're doing internally within the four walls of the building or what we're doing in the hospital.

It's about all the education and learning that the residents will be exposed to that are being taught from the community itself and making sure that the residents have opportunities to be aware and to participate with other community-based organizations and programs so that their experience is not just about medicine, but about overall health.

And if you think about health and wellness, it's really about stability in the mind, body, and spirit.

And we would need to treat them and expose them to that level of learning that addresses the mind, body and spirit.

- Dr. Garrison, you mentioned social determinants of health.

What is that?

- So social determinants of health are all of those things that impact one's health and wellness.

So we know, based off of, you know, our backgrounds that those things include, you know, education, economic opportunities, you know, also health, the things that they experience in their communities, the environment that people are living in.

Those all impact one's health.

And it impacts it in a much greater way than clinical care.

And so being able to teach doctors about those specific aspects of one's health and what you can do as a physician in a position of leadership to address those things that impact one's health is what our focus is.

- Is that different than what doctors are doing now?

I mean, I guess I'm trying to understand.

How is that different than what they're doing now?

- Yeah, I will say, I mean I trained here at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

I definitely take care of a patient population very similar to the one that we will be caring for within this new residency program.

And my learning experience years ago at the medical college, there wasn't a lot of emphasis put at that time on social determinants of health and, you know, the ways in which that affects one's wellbeing.

But now more and more schools are teaching to some of those things.

And so we will have some residents who will come in with a little bit of understanding, some with more understanding of what that means and the care that they're providing.

But it is very important, if you are a physician caring for a vulnerable patient population, a population that historically has been marginalized and underserved, that you have a full understanding of what that means and of what your responsibility is as a physician taking care of these patients.

- Well thank you.

We invite you to continue this discussion with us online at milwaukeepbs.org in "Black Nouveau" web exclusive.

(upbeat music) - [Uzezi] It's moments like theses that make Milwaukee's annual daddy daughter dance so special.

This was the 18th dance hosted by Milwaukee Rec.

It was held on February 18th at North Division High School.

Since 2003, men in Milwaukee have been taking their daughters to this dance.

The event has become a tradition for many fathers in the city.

That's why even after a two year hiatus due to the pandemic, the dance was still sold out, nearing 1,000 attendees.

- Every year we have the pictures stacked behind each other so we kinda could see the growth we've had since she was a little girl to being a young woman now.

This year I had to ask her if she wanna go, 'cause I didn't know if she was at that age where it's, could be kinda, you know, corny to go with your dad.

So she was like, "Of course."

So it did my heart good that she still wanted to hang out with her dad, even though being a teenager.

- He's my dad.

I can never get sick of my dad.

He's always there for me.

He's funny, and it's just great.

I love hanging out with my dad.

I think my dad is my superhero.

And so looking back on moments like this is just really amazing.

I see how happy he makes me and how happy I am when I'm spending time with my family and with my dad.

And it's just, it's great.

It gives me a warm feeling inside.

- What is the importance of a day like this to the fathers?

- It gives them an outlet to understand that they have things that they can grow their daughter up with also.

So having them have a rich tradition in their family.

So this might be something that extends 10, 12 years.

If the kid is two years old, she might be doing this till she's 15 or 17, you know?

So this a great tradition.

And then also the daddies, I know want to show their queens and their princesses a great time.

- [Uzezi] Aiden and her dad, Antonio, have been attending the dance since she was three.

Going to the dances is their tradition.

But color coordinating outfits for the dance, is their tradition within their tradition.

- The first one, wasn't it pink?

- It was, yeah, pink.

- Pink.

So it's been pink, white, gold, blue, purple, green.

And then now.

- [Uzezi] How'd that come about?

- [Antonio] It just happened.

It was just a traditional thing.

Just try to figure out what different color to wear, You know, I dunno, just try to switch things up and try to make a little more fun.

- Also, so I think after, like, a couple times of us having different colors, I was like, "We're not wearing the same color twice."

(all laughing) So.

- [Uzezi] One of the purposes is to give fathers an outlet to show their daughters the proper way a man should treat a woman.

- Man, I love this.

I've been waiting for her to get old enough just to be able to take her to this.

It means a lot to me to be able to show her how a man is supposed to treat her.

But one day she's gonna be a woman.

So, just knowing that you're raising a woman, me making sure that I'm making the right decisions, and I'm presenting the right things to her so that when she does go out and eventually find her a man or a mate, that she's able to choose the right person.

- Her mother jokes with me that I make it unrealistic for her to find a love because I love her so strongly that the expectation, the bar I set is extremely high, which I take that as a badge of honor, so.

But yeah, it's unconditional love.

It's, you know, making sure she knows that I see her, and I recognize her, and that she's important to me.

- [Uzezi] During this day, father's show their daughters how a man should treat them.

The reward they get is the gratitude they receive back.

- Makes me feel like I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

It makes me want to go even harder, you know, to be able to provide for them, to let them know that I care, to show them that I love them.

It just shows me that, you know, they care, they pay attention.

It makes me want to make sure I give them more memories for hem to have to go back on and be able to recall.

- Her telling me that this was the best day ever.

You know when your child says that, that day was definitely a success.

But seeing her in that light makes me feel good 'cause it lets me know that I'm doing what I'm supposed to do.

Making sure she has what she needs, that, you know, she feels good inside.

- It gives me purpose and knows that I'm doing something right.

You know, sometime as men we can be really hard on ourself.

So to see your daughter look back at you and smile, it's like, "Okay, you're doing something right."

Like, you know, the world is heavy.

We're balancing everything in life, and this is one moment that someone says that, you know, a validation, a sense of worth.

There's nothing like a daughter's smile.

(tender music) (upbeat music) - And before we close tonight, we want to note that two women of distinction will be celebrating landmark birthdays with their families later this month.

Josephine Hicks, who ran the Q F & H Diner for over 40 years is turning 90 years old.

Liddie Collins joins us now, longtime customer of Q F & H. What made that place so special in this community?

- The hospitality.

She was always welcoming people.

The food was excellent.

And it was a place to be seen.

You were always gonna run into someone there.

And she didn't make any bones about it.

She was just so open.

If you wanted to relax and have a nice breakfast, she was there and she welcomed, and you felt comfortable.

You really felt comfortable there.

- [Earl] And 40 years running a restaurant, turning 90 years old.

What makes this woman so special?

- Just her personality.

When you have people who are customer-friendly, who just are warm and welcoming, that adds to your business.

That's what hospitality is about.

- Liddie Collins, thank you so much for joining us.

And the family of Anna May Wilson-Robertson, the Army veteran who served in the 6888 Battalion during World War II will be celebrating her 99th birthday.

- The mail from America was piling up in England and the 6888 was brought in to fix the problem.

Your unit, all African-American women.

- [Anna May] All.

- Moved the mail.

- [Anna May] Yeah.

- What'd you think of that assignment?

- It did all right.

They always had some way that they could manage to get the work done.

- [Joanne] I understand that you were a group that would've done it half the time.

- [Anna May] Yeah, just will and workers.

They could do.

- [Joanne] During those years in England and France, she got to know dozens of women.

Women from many different places, and some from close to home.

You must have met women from all over the world, literally.

- I did, I met one from Milwaukee.

- [Interviewer] You met one from Milwaukee?

- Yes.

- [Interviewer] Did you stay in touch with her?

- Yes.

I was discharged.

I went to Detroit, Michigan and I stayed in touch with her.

And I came back here for her wedding.

She was getting married.

I came back for her wedding.

And I went back to Detroit and I decided that I'd like Milwaukee and I came back.

I never went back to Detroit.

- [Joanne] She married Milwaukeean Dan Robertson, had eight kids, and among other places, worked at the VA Hospital.

- Congratulations ladies, and of course, happy birthday.

That's our program for this month.

Be sure to check us out on social media, and especially on our website, milwaukeepbs.org.

For "Black Nouveau," I'm Earl Arms.

Have a good evening.

(upbeat music)