Center street, uptown 4Block Wat’s hannen’ !?: Embracing the Power of Community Engagement in Research and Evaluation
When it comes to where I'm from, I've learned it's best to lead with "the northside of Milwaukee." You see, whenever I'd say "Milwaukee, Wisconsin," out-of-towners would respond with, "Oh, so lots of farms, huh?"
“No 🙄”
It's like they hear Wisconsin and just ignore the Milwaukee part completely. Now, I skip saying Wisconsin altogether and just say "the northside of Milwaukee." It usually eliminates the cows and cornfield jokes.
Looking back on my adolescence in Milwaukee during the height of the “bangin’ era” in the 2010s brings back vivid memories. This period was defined by fashion trends like dipped shirts, Rockport shoes, and Polo button downs. In many ways, this era served as an introduction to community pride and community engagement for me and my peers. We took pride in representing our neighborhoods, often referring to the actual street names we lived on rather than broader neighborhood names like “Grasslyn Manor”, “Lindsay Park”, “Capitol Heights” etc. People repped the actual block they lived on or grew up on like Hamp for Hampton Ave, Cap for Capitol Drive, Zoo street for Burleigh, and 1-9 for 19th and Atkinson.
Bash anthems like “Wats Hanen” by CNS and “Who you with” by Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz bonded us in repping where we were from. I believe this spirit of unity within our neighborhoods taught me at a young age about the northside, eastside, the wild 100s, was that there is power in uplifting your community. We were PROUD to be from the neighborhood we were from, and yeah sometimes it would get heated when this song blasted through the speakers at a party, but it was all love (usually) lol. Street names meant something. That sense of community pride and lifting each other up stuck with me. There is strength that comes with the people and places around you that make up your daily life. Being anchored in a community provides the roots to ground you. Even though there were hard lessons I had to learn during this phase in my life, one thing I can say is that I emerged with a deep connection to my city and the city blocks that raised me.
But, I’m not going to front like I’m an expert of Milwaukee. I'll leave that to Radaya Ellis, another UBUNTU staff member, the unofficial mayor of the Mil who could give you a tour of the city with her eyes closed. Shoot, I still need GPS when I drive out of the jurisdiction of the northside, ya girl be lost (especially on the south side whew once I cross “the bridge”)! Something in me wanted to change that so in the summer of 2022 I created a notes page in my phone that is titled “Born and raised in MKE and I never been to…” I was ready to expand my Milwaukee horizons.
And let me tell you the list was LONG!- There were over 20 things like a Brewers game, The Rave, Water Street bars that many locals and natives consider rites of passage (a rite of passage to do what - I would add it here!). I'd get dramatic reactions to not experiencing staples like Leon's custard or Kopps burgers. "You NEVER had Leon's?!" Part of me wondered if I was sheltered, staying in my northside bubble. But I grew up going to beloved neighborhood spots like Kitt's Custard on 70th and Capitol. I felt like all I needed was in my neighborhood so I rarely ever traveled outside of it, especially not to get no “ice cream” (I know its custard but y’all get my point).
This got me thinking about the different perspectives and experiences of the “Milwaukee Native”. Last month I participated in The Medical College of Wisconsin's Community Engaged Scholars Immersion Program. It's a 3.5-day program that focuses on the foundational elements necessary for creating successful, sustainable, and authentic community partnerships. The takeaway - don't just barge into communities asking questions like you're entitled to answers. Check yourself and build real relationships.
Many researchers and evaluators do this, operating from a white supremacist mindset that values speed over deep listening and bulldoze past relationship building. Everyone wants things done fast, now, ASAP. However, real community engagement requires slowing down to honor residents' voices. The answers are already within marginalized communities - we just need to tap into their wisdom.
Rushing in with assumptions erases community knowledge and agency. By resisting the urgency of whiteness, we make space for truths that can only emerge through time and trust. The longer road is the one that leads to liberation.
I realized the importance of positionality not just in research, but in community engagement too. We all have different standpoints based on our identity, background, and lived experiences within the same city - therefore we can have entirely different stories to tell. Every neighborhood has its own soul. Projects I'm architecting, like the Northwest Side Asset Map in collaboration with African American Roundtable, have me examining the communities I've called home with a completely new lens. Investing in your community means looking at it through the lens of the Cosmogram - learning about the history of your city and neighborhood and how it informs the present, then reflecting on the current state of your neighborhood to envision the future.
I'm looking at the infrastructure, businesses, green spaces, and gathering places that make up the northwest side with fresh eyes. I am seeing not just what's there, but the beauty of what we have, and what's missing. I’m thinking critically about past policies and patterns that shaped these spaces so much that this project has deepened my connection to home. As someone passionate about cities, especially Black cities, I'm reminded that urban planning must include community voices. For too long, decisions about infrastructure, zoning, and development in Black neighborhoods have happened without residents at the table. The people using and moving through these spaces every day have crucial insights. Their lived experiences reveal what's working, what's lacking, and what needs to change, so they should be driving the vision for their own communities.
During the Community Engaged Scholars Immersion Program the most eye-opening part for me was the walking tour of Silver City led by Adam Carr. As we walked through this neighborhood I'd never explored, I saw beauty, hardship, and history. I met folks with stories to share. But Adam didn't just tell us about the area, he let the residents and business owners in the neighborhood speak for themselves. Before the tour, Adam grounded us in the area's Indigenous roots, reminding us we stand on stolen land. This thoughtful framing went deeper than any performative land acknowledgement. We explored the storied history of Three Bridges Park before experiencing it in real time.
At the Urban Ecology Center, we learned how they engage residents through programming. Involving residents in the planning process of community events, making sure there were no language barriers by making sure there are bilingual staff members present moving from transactional relationships to transformative partnerships. After the overview of the Ecology Center we walked to the lush green three bridges park itself, its rivers and cyclists passing by. The gardener in me took note of herbs like chamomile and dandelion greens. I even spotted an elderberry and grabbed a snack en route.
Our next stop after the park was Rebel Ink, a tattoo shop off 33rd and National. There we met owner Ramiro Sandoval Argueta, who shared his journey becoming a tattoo artist and business owner in his own community. Ramiro found his passion in creating art and telling stories through vibrant murals. He showed us the colorful pieces behind his shop, rich with Mexican cultural influences. His goal is for this public art to uplift and inspire his neighborhood. With each stop on the tour, a new layer of Silver City came into focus. More than facts or buildings, it was the living stories of residents that brought the area to life. By letting their voices lead, the experience resonated with me on a human level. This is the heart of community engagement - not extracting information, but truly listening to understand. Adam showed me that often, the research "experts" live right there in the community if you take time to listen.
This exercise has deepened my connection to the city I call home and what it means to be an active participant of my community. As a northside Milwaukee Native in my own right, the more I learned, the more I realized there are always new perspectives to gain, even in places you think you know. I will approach community engagement in the projects I’m on with the same humility, curiosity, and care. By honoring each neighborhood's unique story, we can write an even better future story rooted in equity and love. The city we call home still has so much to teach us - if we listen.
As I reflect on my journey so far, a few questions emerge:
How can we rediscover our hometowns with fresh eyes?
How can we uplift the voices in our own backyards? What overlooked stories need to be brought into the light?
How do we engage with communities different than our own with openness, compassion, and respect?
What binds our shared humanity, even amidst our different life experiences?
Exploring different corners of Milwaukee brought back memories of house parties bumpin' hood anthems. But in listening to the youth today, I'm glad that sense of neighborhood pride hasn't diminished. We still ride hard representing the northside, southside, eastside. That feeling of community runs deep. Back then and now, we take pride in our blocks, our streets, our city. As a youth, Milwaukee molded me. And traveling to new areas this summer deepened my connection to home. There is so much left to discover if we stay curious.
“So throw yo hood up, Mil town wat’s hanen
Center street, uptown 4Block Wat’s hannen’ !?”
Check out this bash playlist taking it back to some classic anthems from my adolescence: