Rotary Club of Milwaukee Tuesday Speaker Series

Municipal Court Judge Derek Mosley will join us for a discussion for Black History Month.

A crash course in not just Black History, but Blacks in History. We will explore the richness of US History, that has been left out of history books, lecture halls, and classrooms. You will learn more Black History in an hour, than you have learned during your entire education.

Milwaukee PBS will air “Understanding Implicit Bias” on Thursday, February 11 at 7:00 pm. During the 90-minute special from the producers of Milwaukee PBS’ award-winning “Black Nouveau” series, husband and wife Kima and Dasha Kelly Hamilton will help people understand unconscious patterns and stereotypes that we develop that affect individuals, attitudes, and actions.

About the panelists:

Kima Hamilton is a facilitator, DJ and social justice engineer. Kima leads discussion and healing circles for men with the Alma Center and is an on-air personality with Radio Milwaukee.

Dasha Kelly Hamilton is Wisconsin’s poet laureate. She is also a widely-respected educator, culture producer, and founder of Still Waters Collective, an arts outreach organization committed to building community, capacity and confidences.

“Black Nouveau” executive producer Everett Marshburn is the recipient of numerous Emmy awards and in 2018 was honored with the Journalist of Distinction Award by the National Association of Black Journalists.

Bohdan Zachary is Vice President and General Manager of Milwaukee PBS. He joined the station in November 2015 after 18 years as a senior executive at the PBS station in Los Angeles.

Mike Knetter, President of the UW Foundation, will provide an economic forecast for 2021.

The Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism will discuss the state of journalism today, the impact of nonprofit, fact-checked news in Wisconsin and what news consumers can do to navigate through the spread of mis- and disinformation. The presentation will be led by WCIJ’s Executive Director Andy Hall, Managing Editor Dee J. Hall and Development Director Jay Burseth.

Rotarian Dr. Bob Gleeson and Dr. John Raymond, President & CEO of the Medical College of Wisconsin, will discuss the current state of the pandemic in Wisconsin and Milwaukee. They will talk about hospital capacities and the vaccination administration in the state.

Rotarian Richie Burke will have a conversation with Steven Olikara, Founder of Millenial Action Project. The Millennial Action Project has an audacious mission: activate young leaders to bridge the partisan divide and transform American politics.

Local Filmmaker Chip Duncan will reflect on his experiences interviewing six U.S. Presidents: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.

For years, people in Milwaukee have been experiencing the personal challenges surrounding unstable housing.  Listen as two current Rotarians talk about the intersection of housing instability and their work.  They each see daily the success of following people from a state of being homeless to independent living including sustainable income and home ownership.  They will also share how COVID has impacted their work and what they are doing to address racial inequities.

What is the Electoral College and Can I Get an Online Degree?

As we await certification of our State’s electoral votes for the U.S. president, join Kevin Kennedy who served as Wisconsin’s chief election official for 33 years and John Franke, a former member of the Election Commission, as they discuss the process by which Wisconsin chooses its Presidential Electors. They will cover who can actually vote for president and some of the controversies that have arisen in the current election. They will also debate whether the Electoral College should be continued, modified or abolished altogether.  Not to be missed! 

Dr. Tony Thrasher is the Director of Crisis Services with the Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division.

“Mental Health, Suicide, and Changes in Coping during a Historic Pandemic”

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to many challenges that affect individuals from all walks of life and all backgrounds.  Included in these challenges have been practices of social isolation and virtual communication that while medically necessary to remaining safe……..can lead to feelings of being distanced from others.  Hence, there has been enhanced focus on how issues pertaining to the pandemic have both directly and indirectly led to changes in mental health symptoms, suicide rates, and adaptive coping mechanisms.