Golf is a multibillion-dollar sport played in many places around the world. Its modern origins date back to 15th century Scotland, but the game didn’t really gain traction in the United States until the turn of the 19th century. 

Eventually, modern legends like Arnold Palmer and Tiger Woods took the game to new heights. Still, after all these years, it’s a sport that lacks diversity. 

According to the Professional Golfers Association (PGA), African Americans make up just 7% of the general golfing population and a mere 1-3% of touring professionals. In Milwaukee, there’s a group dedicated to introducing the game to many more. 

WeBlackWeGolf (WBWF) is a social nonprofit building community from the tee box. They’re open to all but focused on getting more people of color active in the sport. 

In this episode, host Kim Shine takes to the the fairways and greens at Lincoln Park Golf Course in Glendale for the group’s opening day. In a golf cart alongside WBWG board member and mentor Calvin Lee, Kim talks with different members and newer golfers about why they love the sport and the group.

To learn more about WeBlackWeGolf, visit their website and follow the organization on Instagram.

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Episode host: Kim Shine

Uniquely Milwaukee is sponsored by the Milwaukee Public Library and supported by our Radio Milwaukee members.

We’re continuing our motherhood conversation – but this time, from the perspective of Dads, or non-birthing partners. In this episode of Uniquely Milwaukee, we’re going inside Dad Doula University.

Though pregnancy is physically experienced by the mother, or birthing parent, it is a process that impacts the entire family – and sometimes, Doulas are involved. A Doula is a trained professional who provides support and guidance to their clients throughout the entire process.  (Listen to our Mother's Day episode.)

Joshua Liston-Zawadi is the creator of Dad Doula University. The free program offers classes to help expectant fathers & non-birthing partners prepare for parenthood. 

In this episode:

Dad Doula University has serviced more than 500 families. Cohorts are available every month from April-September over two consecutive weekends. Right now, they are held in Milwaukee inside the Sherman Phoenix. Find upcoming sessions and at daddoulauniversity.com.  

Episode host: Kim Shine

Uniquely Milwaukee is sponsored by the Milwaukee Public Library. 

In honor of Mother’s Day, we’re dedicating this special episode of Uniquely Milwaukee to moms (and even those considering motherhood). We’re making sure to acknowledge the love, guidance, protection and sacrifice you give to — and for — your children. Thank you.

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Becoming a mother can happen at any age and stage in life. Increasingly, though, it seems that age and stage fall later and later. 

In March, the National Center for Health Statistics released a report showing that, for the first time, women 40 and older are having more babies than teenagers. In 1990, just more than 50,000 births happened for women 40 and older. Thirty-three years later, that number has almost tripled. Inspired by that trend, we decided to focus on moms over 40 with this Mother’s Day episode in three parts:

The Milwaukee Film Festival returns for another season of inviting film lovers to "enjoy the show." In this episode of Uniquely Milwaukee, we’re talking to filmmakers -- including two from Racine -- about stories of resistance and justice.

Representing southeastern Wisconsin are Laura Dyan Kezman & William Howell, co-directors of CYCLE, a documentary that explores the narrative of police violence, profiling and accountability through the death of 18-year-old Ty’Rese West of Racine. In June 2019, West was shot two in the head by a Mount Pleasant police officer who stopped him for not having a light on his bicycle.   There was no body camera footage, no witnesses and no charges were filed.

Our second conversation is with Elegance Bratton, director of Move Ya Body: The Birth of House, which confronts biased systems and spotlights a movement of freedom, resistance and innovation. The film shares the genres history through the life Vince Lawrence, who in 1984 in Chicago -- along with his friend Jesse Saunders -- recorded what many consider to be the first house song.

Episode host: Kim Shine

Uniquely Milwaukee is sponsored by the Milwaukee Public Library. 

For more episodes, visit radiomilwaukee.org/ourstories.

Everyone needs it. An informal, neutral setting within a community that supports the individual. It encourages conversation. It embraces differences. It’s a park, a bar, a coffee shop, a hair salon, a library — any spot that welcomes diversity and, sometimes, action.It isn’t home.

It isn’t work. It’s a third place.

This isn’t a new concept. Sociologist Ray Oldenburg is credited with solidifying it in his 1989 book, The Great Good Place, and it has since evolved over the decades as our increased access to things like money, technology and travel – while great – have shifted our need and desire for a blended community.

“The idea that we spend so much time at home, then we leave our home and go to work, and then for most folks they leave work and go home, there's nothing necessarily wrong with that,” said Michael Carrier, urban historian and professor at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). “In a lot of times that's almost done out of necessity because people may be working multiple jobs, they may have childcare issues. But, when your life is that bifurcated, you don't get the sociability that people need.”

Carrier does his own exploration of the topic in his book, The City Creative: The Rise of Placemaking in Urban America. On this episode of Uniquely Milwaukee, we dive into the significance of having places where people can just exist, including a new “third place” on the East Side called The Washroom.

At first, the activity of doing laundry may not seem social — until you give it more than a passing thought.“ I think a laundromat is a perfect place to make into a third space because you're getting folks from all different walks of life going to one space once a week,” The Washroom owner Kelli Johnson said. “That, within itself, is very powerful … building and creating community.”

Episode Host: Kim Shine

For more stories visit radiomilwaukee.org/ourstories. Uniquely Milwaukee is sponsored by the Milwaukee Public Library. 

We successfully made it through another Radio Milwaukee Spring Membership Drive! That’s 10 days of our listeners hearing us (and folks in the community) explain why supporting this station matters. Whether through sustaining memberships or one-time gives, everything helps keep us on the air and in the Cream City.

Radio Milwaukee is a nonprofit organization, and membership accounts for nearly a third of our annual revenue. As membership manager Maddy Riordan explains in this episode, members help sustain 88Nine and HYFIN, but also efforts like Grace Weber’s Music Lab, this very podcast and our Black Small Business Initiative.

Let’s not forget about those who donate their time. We asked one of our longtime volunteers, Rachel Bourbon, to talk about what attracted her to Radio Milwaukee 17 years ago and how the station has evolved in nearly two decades.

We also decided to have a little fun with this episode and lean on the fact that our organization is an award-winning media outlet. But that got us wondering: How many honors have we won since our 2007 launch? We’ll find out together as we take an “Award Tour” with HYFIN program director Element Everest-Blanks.

Episode Host: Kim Shine

For more stories visit radiomilwaukee.org/ourstories. Uniquely Milwaukee is sponsored by the Milwaukee Public Library. 

This week on Uniquely Milwaukee, Radio Milwaukee's intern, Amelie Stella Lichte, takes over to share her unique experience working at the Grohmann Museum.

On Uniquely Milwaukee, we wrap up Suicide Awareness Month and reflect on the complex emotions that surround loss, especially for those affected by suicide. In this final episode, we’re bringing back some of the voices you heard in Episode 1, mental health experts Emily Vander Velden and Jeremy Schumacher, unpacking strategies for coping with and balancing mourning and healing.

On this episode of Uniquely Milwaukee, we explore deeply personal stories that reveal the challenges and triumphs of navigating mental health. Featuring co-founders of Black Space, we discuss the detrimental effects of inadequate care and the importance of finding the right mental health provider. Together, they highlight the critical need for accessible, culturally competent mental health resources for Black and Brown communities.

The role of community and connection in suicide prevention by hearing from local organizations, support groups and individuals working to create safe spaces.