(upbeat music) - Hello everybody and welcome to Black Nouveau.

I'm Earl Arms.

This is our June edition, so that means this month Milwaukee holds its 50th annual Juneteenth celebration.

We'll talk with some of the planners of the event about why it's such an important holiday.

And later that evening, Skylight Music Theater will premier, 'Forgotten Voices,' a celebration of the contributions of often unknown black artists to American music.

I'll talk with members of that creative team about the production.

It'll stream for free through July 18th.

June is also Pride Month, so James Causey talks with two members of Milwaukee's LGBTQ community.

And just recently, if you haven't heard, the Wisconsin Black Historical Society and Museum made headlines when a proposed increase to the museum was removed from the state budget by republicans on the budget committee.

Everett Marshburn talks with Clayborn Benson, founder and executive director, about the health of the museum.

But we begin with a collaboration between two local museums, Milwaukee's Public Museum and America's Black Holocaust Museum, working together to bring the American premier of Nelson Mandela, the official exhibit, to Milwaukee.

Our Alexandria Mack has that story.

- [Ellen] This exhibit story is really about a man who sacrificed everything for the freedom of the people.

He was so committed to anti-apartheid, to making sure that everyone was treated with dignity and that's what he fought for throughout his life.

- [Alexandria] Nelson Mandela, the official exhibition, takes Milwaukee Public Museum visitors into the life of one man whose persistence and patience changed the world.

- [Ellen] This is Nelson Mandela and his regent's son.

Also, the regent considers him his son, so they're brothers.

- [Alexandria] Visitors are immersed into the South African leader's long walk to freedom as an anti-apartheid revolutionary, revealing intimate details spanning his 27 years behind bars to his life as a global icon.

- [Ellen] This exhibit actually is comprised of four major sections from his early childhood where they drew on his family to present materials from from his culture and from them that represent his early childhood to the years of when he left his village and went to Johannesburg and first encountered apartheid.

- The title of this, 'From jailer to friend.'

And this just really speaks once again to the core of the man.

You immerse people into the activities, into the exhibits, into the sounds and the visuals.

People kind of feel that they've been transformed from where they are now to what they're actually witnessing and looking at, whether it's apartheid or whether it's art.

- Here and turn to the rights.

- [Alexandria] For many visitors, the exhibition will be an introduction to Nelson Mandela's legacy, but for South African native, Refilwe Goll, it's a nostalgic reminder of how the icon changed the country and her life.

- [Refilwe] He really did sacrifice his life for the freedom of South Africa.

I learned a lot about him from my dad.

For me, and I'm sure for a lot of people, it was way too far fetched that he could survive it.

Right.

When you look at how many times was he arrested, and prior to the 27 years that he spent just before he was released.

The chances that they took just to push for abolishment of apartheid and fighting for freedom.

Many lost their lives as we know.

- [Alexandria] Refilwe has lived in the Milwaukee area for 14 years.

But the exhibit still awakens the memories of the segregated South Africa she grew up in.

- [Refilwe] We would all go drive to town.

That's when you start seeing white people now.

That's when you start really feeling the discrimination.

Right.

Wherever you go, at a grocery store, there's two lines for whites and for blacks.

So yeah, that was a taste of Apartheid.

The visible taste of apartheid.

When you go to the towns or the cities or the Johannesburg, where you were now entering the territory of white Afrikaners, oppressors.

This is true.

The picture we had of Nelson Mandela was of this young person, all right.

And then we see him from 1964 to this.

This was his walk out into the world.

- [Alexandria] But the artifacts also revive Refilwe's eagerness for the change Nelson Mandela faught for immediately after his release from prison in 1990, despite a country in turmoil.

- [Refilwe] I remember when I moved to Johannesburg, because it was during that 1993 just before the elections.

My parents were very, very scared for my life.

But I was like, "I am going.

I am going.

I want to be part of this."

There were demonstrations all the time.

It was like people had it.

They had enough.

They wanted freedom to come like yesterday.

- Until the day came that Mandela's promises of change became reality in 1994, when the country held it's first democratic election.

- It was just unbelievable, because again, growing up and understanding South African history and it was like this huge mountain to conquer.

Like that's not possible.

Maybe not in our lifetime.

That's what I thought, so to see and experience it and be in it.

I was going to be one of the first black people to cast their vote for the first time ever in the history of South Africa.

- Now she shares that history with her daughter, filling in the blanks that she may have never expressed or explained.

- [Refilwe] Look at the lines, (indistinct).

I spent the night on the line.

- One of the most important parts of a museum visit is the walk to the car and the car ride home, or the bus ride or cab ride or now Uber ride home.

Did they talk about it?

Do you think about it?

Did you reflect on it?

Or did you just go on to the next thing?

We never want you to go on to the next thing, right?

We want you to have some kind of inner conversation or conversation within your family, your friends, or whomever went with you.

- [Refilwe] But I got reminded of so much that's about the man that I probably didn't share with them.

That's why I said unless she was here today, too.

And she paid attention.

She wasn't on the phone, so great.

- [Ellen] I believe it was important for this exhibition to premiere in Milwaukee, because this community has such a long history of racial segregation.

And I hope what people walk away with when they leave is that it may take a long time, but things can change.

And just like Nelson Mandela, don't give up the fight.

- [Refilwe] It made a lot of us believe in the impossible.

I mean, it happened for us in South Africa, you know?

I tell my kids all the time, "Never say never."

I watched it.

It happened.

(upbeat music) - Last year, Milwaukee student team celebration became a virtual affair because of COVID-19 concerns.

Now, there is still concern about COVID-19, but things are different this year.

- Good afternoon, everyone - [Crowd Members] Good afternoon.

- And welcome to Northcott neighborhood house.

I'm Elizabeth Coggs, the director of the Juneteenth Day.

This is our first official press conference of 2021 and- - [Crowd Member] Yeah.

- Yeah.

That's right.

We are opening back up and we are here to just share some of the good news.

- What we want you to know is that everyone is welcome at Juneteenth.

It is not just a black holiday.

It is an American holiday.

We put this on for the last 50 years, because it is important.

Not only to the community, but to future members of the community.

- At 50 years old, Milwaukee's Juneteenth festival is one of the oldest celebrations in the nation.

Milwaukee county has a history of supporting the festival.

So we're excited that we're able to work with the community once again to bring back Juneteenth festival to the streets after holding a virtual celebration last year at the height of the COVID 19 pandemic.

- Planners are concerned about COVID-19, because it's still a major health issue in our community.

We lag behind other groups in getting vaccinated.

- So Milwaukee health services, along with the Northcott Neighborhood Center and all the partners of Juneteenth Day say that, "Not today."

We are planning to make sure that we have our Conquer COVID-19 vaccination clinic event with education throughout the festival, and making sure that with our partners that everyone who wants to be vaccinated has an opportunity to be educated and to receive one of those three vaccines.

- That's right.

If you haven't been vaccinated and you want to be vaccinated, you can come to Juneteenth and start the process.

In fact, you can also come and talk to us, Black Nouveau, as we'll be at Juneteenth this year looking to talk to you.

We want to know 'Why do you celebrate Juneteenth?

What are your major life concerns now?'

We'll put some of the best responses on our special Juneteenth edition that will air on June 24 at 7pm on channel 10.

(upbeat music) Also on Juneteenth, over at the Skylight Music Theater, they'll begin streaming, 'Forgotten Voices, Unearthing The Roots of American Music,' celebrating the contribution of black artists.

Then I'm joined by two members of the production's creative team.

Shari Williams Pannel, writer and director, and Christie Chiles Twilley, music director for the show.

Ladies, welcome.

First off, talk about the motivation behind the show.

What made you create it and exactly what made you decide that Juneteenth was the day to premiere it?

- [Christie] Well, I was privileged to be a part of a conversation with the maestro.

That's how we named her Christie Chiles Twillie.

And Michael Unger, who is the artistic director at Skylight Music Theater.

We recognize that as we enjoy every form of popular music in America today, and really throughout the world, that there was a beginning, a route to it.

And that route started on the continent of Africa, through the Middle Passage.

It survived to the shores of the United States, back in 1619.

And every form of music that we think of as American popular music has its root in the music of Africans in America.

- Yeah, I would just add that I thought it was important to go farther than just the typical genres of music that most people associate with being black American music.

Often they want to attribute it to the time from about the 1950s moving forward.

And so I wanted to show that there was influence much earlier than that and if we just listen carefully, we can hear it.

- If you could talk more to that.

What's the research that went behind the music that goes into these performances?

- Well, it actually starts with African songs and calls and responses that are being taught and cultivated by Dr. Pascal Young.

He's a dear friend and a mentor of mine.

He's originally from Ghana, and has spent his entire professional career educating people at universities and all over over the world about the origins of African music and how to perform it correctly.

So we're starting with songs that were sung, actually on the continent of Africa, and specifically a few that speak to the lost ones, the ones that were taken and never came back, and specifically a king.

And then moving forward, just given my educational background in music, I provided a timeline of how music evolved from that point into work songs, how it translated into learning instruments like the fiddle, the piano, et cetera.

How that translates into old hymns now evolving into a style that's gospel music.

And moving forward, I just chose specific time points, where the genres in America changed and became socially acceptable.

But during the process of adapting those specific new styles and new artists as they were passed on and crossed color barriers that the credit was no longer given.

And the contributions as to where they came from harmonically, melodically, and in terms of interpretation, were also being left behind.

So we literally move all the way from songs on the continent of Africa sang by tribes, to modern day music.

- And Shari, to that point.

How do you write and then direct with all this research and all this music that has to go into this production and make it unique and entertaining for folks?

- [Shari] Well, I'll tell you.

I almost felt like the ancestors are writing through me, telling their own story through me as I was writing.

Looking at that timeline that was curated by Christie, I was able to draw from it and then begin to interpret through spoken word, the stories.

The circumstances that created that music coming out of slavery, the work and the work songs, the spirituals, the blues, jazz, Ragtime, all the way even through what we consider today, metal music, rock music.

All of it comes from the experience, the rhythm, the styles of people who originated from the African continent.

So there's a through line.

- Shari, Christie, thank you so much for joining us.

- [Shari] Thank you.

- [Christie] Thank you.

- [Earl] Forgotten Voices, Unearthing The Roots of American Music will stream for free.

We'll have the link on our website, milwaukeepbs.org.

(upbeat music) - [Everett] For more than three decades, the Wisconsin Black Historical Society and Museum has been a repository for Milwaukee's black history and its culture.

- [Clayborn] It was always supposed to be a center for people to enjoy their culture and their history.

- [Everett] The walls can't talk, but they do show more of Milwaukee's black history than you can find most anywhere else.

The museum serves as a social center for weddings, meetings, receptions, civic and social gatherings, and the largest Kwanzaa celebration in the state.

Like museums and other arts and cultural institutions throughout the state, it receives some financial support from Wisconsin State Government.

- We're supported through memberships.

We're supported through foundations.

The (indistinct), The Greater Milwaukee Foundation supports us.

And we have been supported through the state for the 35 years.

We've been supported through the states.

And that initiated through Gary George's efforts to us in a budget and Tommy Thompson's efforts to maintain and ensure that that stayed in the budget over the years.

- [Everett] Recently, eyebrows were raised because additional funds to offset financial issues caused by COVID-19 were removed from the state budget.

Beyond the political bantering in the news stories, historian, Reggie Jackson started a GoFundMe.

This has exceeded its goal.

Clayborn is realistic about the financial challenges and optimistic about the museum's future.

- We've never let money decide whether or not and what we do here.

And it's up to the citizens of this community in the state of Wisconsin to decide whether or not this institute should stay alive and it's very important.

We've been getting a certain amount of money and we will continue to get that money.

The Greater Milwaukee and (indistinct) folks have given us dollars.

People are taking the initiative to put their membership in.

It's looking very good right now.

(upbeat music begins) - Milwaukee's PrideFest is canceled for a second year in a row due to the covid 19 pandemic.

But for organizers, the decision gives them a chance to get back to their roots.

In June, organizers would do a number of smaller events in the community, along with a social justice march for change on June 13.

Here to talk about the march and other events planned for June are Stacy Clark, a program coordinator at Diverse and Resilient, and Elle Halo, an advocate for health equity for the LGBTQ+ community.

Thanks for joining us.

Stacy, I'm going to start with you.

Can you give me a rundown of the events planned for June?

- Yeah, sure.

At Diverse and Resilient, we have our own program that we're doing for the month of June.

And we also are supporting different things going on in the community.

Like you stated before, PrideFest is canceled this year again until next year, so it's important that we have these events for the community.

So starting off with our pride march for black lives, which will be June 14 at 2pm.

And it'll be at SummerFest grounds.

So it's a really good opportunity for everyone to come out and march for black lives in the spirit of pride.

We also have our prep Q&A, where we talk about PrEP, or otherwise known as Pre-exposure prophylaxis.

This pill is a pill that people who are not living with HIV take once a day to prevent them from contracting the virus.

So that'll be June 22, at Diverse and Resilient.

And it's really important that we get people to really come and be a panelist to really answer the questions about PrEP.

Frequently asked questions people have about PrEP.

And then our PrEP rally would be June 24th at Uncle Buck's.

And that's just a celebration.

And that's just a really informative, fun event that community could come out to and support.

And then we're supporting pride in July, and that is July 30th.

And there's a community leader that is throwing that event that we'll be supporting as well.

- [Earl] Okay.

Elle, organizers said this year's pride month is a chance to get back to it's roots.

What does that look like?

- I think that often in our celebrating just as citizens and as participants in PrideFest or in Pride season, having the opportunity to show that pride, have an opportunity to see people that you haven't seen the rest of the year, see performances, and all of the fun things, I think that sometimes we lose or set aside what the real meaning of pride is all about.

And that's just in general like that's nationally.

I started with the Stonewall riots and other riots like those across the country.

It started with Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera.

And this is the time more than ever to celebrate them and to uplift their work and their legacies, and to incorporate that into what we're doing for the community as we move out of the pandemic as well.

- Stacy, what impact has the black LGBTQ+ community had on the social justice movement?

- So the black LGBT community, we've had a huge effect on the platform of Black Lives Matter for overall all black people.

And we come together and we really remember in those spaces where we are marching with each other, that we all have the same health disparities, we all have the same disparities, whether it be educational, whether it be health reasons, whether it be any of those things.

So when we come together, we form a mighty fist.

And I just think it's really important that people see the correlation of how people in the LGBT community and how they're actually part of the black community and how essential we actually are.

So there's a lot of parallels between the LGBT community, especially of color, and the overall black community.

- So Elle, the past year has been tough for all of us.

How have you been able to elevate your voice in the movement over the past year?

- Thank you.

I think my experiences with our social justice movement last year.

The first thing that I saw that it made me feel connected to and an obligation to do was to remain active.

I work with the black women's emancipation group.

I've worked with the people's revolution.

And we from SHEBA, which is Sisters Helping Each other Battle Adversity, which is our black trans women support program at Diverse and Resilient.

We formed a group called the Black Rose Initiative and we went to the National Action network's commitment march in DC last August, at our nation's capitol with 300,000 protesters.

And we were able to do that social distancing, and to be safe to do it.

And then we, at the end of March, planned black trans visibility week, and our black trans visibility celebration march in a week of online events.

So I've just tried to remain diligent, remain involved.

I've tried to support all the things that I couldn't go to.

All the wonderful things that we've been seeing happening around the city.

And I'm constantly inspired.

And I think the two things from the whole social justice movement that we're experiencing right now that I love the most is just seeing black joy with people and seeing that freedom and the smiles and the faces, the kids and the tears.

And also just again, to remain diligent and that we have so much to fight for.

- Stacy, explain how the issues in the black community, in a black LGBTQ+ community are parallel.

You sort of got into it a bit.

Talk about that a little bit.

- Yeah.

Right now, we see the issue with inequity and representation with black people with police brutality, and all that.

We actually have seen these things happen in trans lives.

We've actually seen these things happen in other gay lives, across the world, across the country, and so we really look at the disparities and the amount of oppression and suppression put on people.

There are a lot of parallels.

Black people just got the right to vote not too long ago.

You know what I'm saying?

So it's a lot of laws and a lot of ways that we have to fight systematic oppression, as well as fighting the own things that we put against ourselves.

I stated earlier, James, like you said, how the black community has not always been supportive of the LGBT community.

Not really realizing that the LGBT community is inevitably going to be part of the black community.

And so it's just really important and that's why I think this march is so good for everyone, because like Elle said, there's just joy.

And we all come together and we all see that we're all part of the same community.

- Well, thanks a lot.

I appreciate it.

- Before we close tonight, another reminder that Black Nouveau will be at Juneteenth and we want to talk to you.

There's more information on our website, milwaukeepbs.org.

And we're also in another membership drive, so if you want to watch Black Nouveau, please support our effort to bring you this kind of program.

You are the public and public media.

And that's it for our program tonight.

Hope to see you at Juneteenth.

I'm Earl Arms.

Have a good night.

(upbeat music begins)