Posted inHarambee Connection

Harambee Juneteenth Day

“On Thursday, June 19, 2008 we proudly commemorate and celebrate the 140th Anniversary of Juneteenth Day!

Juneteenth Day is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the US. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19 that Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with the news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free. If one does the math it will become clear that this was two and a half years after President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, which had become official January 1, 1863.

Posted inNeighborhood News

Ask the Ecologist-June 2008

by Belle Bergner

Q: I’ve always followed my neighbors’ lead in plucking dandelions every spring and summer, but are dandelions truly bad for lawns?
A: The “perfect turf” people of the world will not be pleased with my answer, but it is true: dandelions can be beneficial to a garden ecosystem as well as to human health. Although dandelions are not native to Wisconsin or North America, neither is the grass that makes up your lawn.

Posted inNeighborhood News

Neighbor Spotlight – Patrick Frederick

by Ellen C. Warren, photo by Kurt Johnson

“My friend, Swami’s nephew, would bring me pure cow ghee from a remote village, by the bucket loads. I was making sure that Sativa got enough, because in Ayurveda, toward the end of the pregnancy, you want to make sure that [the expectant mother] eats a lot of ghee. And the birth was pretty effortless. Both births were pretty much the same. Ravi’s was a little bit longer. But Sativa’s whole labor with Bodhi was, maybe, three hours. I avoided the explosive delivery, dipped out one shoulder and the other shoulder. They both had the cords wrapped around their necks, but I just unwrapped the cords and they were fine. It was just beautiful!”

Posted inNeighborhood News

Riverwest Welcomes Habitat for Humanity

by Will Mueller
Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity (MHFH) moved its headquarters to Riverwest, 3726 N. Booth St., on April 15 and is currently building eight new homes in the adjacent Harambee neighborhood. MHFH moved its headquarters because their previous building, located at 2233 N. 30th St., was deteriorating, and because they needed more usable space for construction preparations and storage. Currently, MHFH is building 35 homes a year in Milwaukee neighborhoods: 20 new construction in Park West and Harambee, and 15 rehabbed condos on Milwaukee’s Northwest side.