Uniquely Milwaukee

‘What is justice without democracy? This was the question asked at Marquette University's 10th annual "Justice in Action" conference. It's a student-led initiative encouraging students, and residents, to think critically about their world.

“Justice is something that I think is hard to define. I think people have different understandings of justice, but being at a conference like this and seeing how everyone is so intentional about coming together to serve the greater good of everybody, that's what justice is about to me,” said Lauren Fitch, a master’s student in Marquette University’s Public Service program.

The session featured keynote speaker and former Wisconsin poet laureate, Dasha Kelly, and various community organizations held breakout sessions around the topics of social justice and civic engagement.

Rachel Tarby spoke to conferencegoers about what it means to be changemakers on campus, and in life. 

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Episode host: Rachel Tarby

Uniquely Milwaukee is made possible by the support of our Radio Milwaukee members.

“1,2,3 swing those arms!” 

This is the magic of young students learning to let go. They’re understanding the power of movement, as part of the in-school dance program – Mad Hot Rhythm. The Danceworks series is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a competitive event. Episode host Kim Shine visited Trowbridge School in Milwaukee as elementary students practiced their African Jazz, Tap and Tango skills.

The Danceworks 20th anniversary competition will be on April 28 at the UWM Panther Arena. To learn more, click here.

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Host: Kim Shine

Uniquely Milwaukee is made possible by the generous support of our members.

Comité Sin Fronteras has diligently worked alongside other organizations on leading immigration reform in Milwaukee. They support a community-defense network that’s responding to the growing ICE presence in the Midwest.

A grassroots collective, the help local undocumented communities in various ways, from family-to-family mutual aid, DACA support, migra watch and more. Comité co-chairs, Iuscely Flores and Jenny Melo, explain how the organization is preparing for ICE presence in the city, the importance of connection, and the value of the term “solo el pueblo salva el pueblo” - only people save the people. 

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Guest host: Paula Lovo

Uniquely Milwaukee is made possible by the generous support of our members.

Wisconsin’s Spring Election is April 7, and the most high-profile race is the State Supreme Court seat vacated by conservative judge Rebecca Bradley. So who better to talk with than someone who put the court at the center of an entire podcast season?

“Right now, the liberals are in the majority of the court. So, there are seven seats on the court, liberals hold four of those.”

That’s how Sam Woods, producer and co-host of WUWM’s Swing State of the Union, started his high-level explanation.

“Now it doesn’t quite work like a political party kind of thing,” he continued, “but when we’re talking about cases like abortion rights or redistricting or cases that involve hot-button issues, it tends to kind of side with that ideological — liberals go one way, conservatives go another.”

Woods and co-host Joy Powers focuses on 2025’s expensive Supreme Court race for season two of Swing State of the Union, and now they're going even deeper into the court with two bonus episodes they’re releasing in March, asking questions about accountability and interpretation of the State Constitution.

A few weeks before the spring election, we talked with woods about the upcoming election and Wisconsin's highest court.

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Host: Kim Shine

Uniquely Milwaukee is made possible by the generous support of our members.

Q: What do Queen, Prince, Led Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac and Martin Luther King, Jr. all have in common?

A: They’ve all played at the historic Miller High Life Theatre.

The venue earned that official designation in December of 2025, and a few weeks later the Wisconsin Center District commissioned a study to explore the “highest and best use” of the area that also includes UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena. One of the findings was that a new hotel would maximize investment in the Baird Center and pointed to the Miller High Life Theatre as a target for replacement.

Since the study’s release, there’s been an outpouring of support to preserve the venue, which got guest host Carolann Gryzbowski thinking about its importance as a Cream City landmark. And there was only one person she wanted to explore it with: OnMilwaukee senior editor and Urban Spelunker Bobby Tanzilo.

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Guest host: Carolann Gryzbowski

Uniquely Milwaukee is made possible by the generous support of our members.

The last time Lisa Caruthers visited the Wisconsin State Capitol she was about seven or eight years old, and on a school trip. More than 50 years later, she returned as part of “Black Advocacy Day," hosted by the Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus on Feb. 26.

Uniquely Milwaukee host Kim Shine takes you to Madison, where residents of all ages met with elected officials and learned how to champion their needs. 

As a whole, the Black Caucus campaigns for the best interests of African Americans, and all people of color, throughout the state. Currently, there are 11 Black Legislators in Wisconsin, 10 of whom are members of the caucus. 

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Host: Kim Shine

Uniquely Milwaukee is made possible by the generous support of our members.

“You know, we all are made in the image and likeness of God, and God is creation. So we're all creative, but sometimes I think some of us are given an extra dose.”

Celine Farrell has lived a lot of life, and those words are just a sliver of the knowledge she’s picked up along the way.

She's seen what it takes to get inspired and fired up creatively. At the end of the day, it's why she's kept engaged, making art as a sculptor and beautifying her space as owner and curator of Grove Gallery (she's also the curator and gardener of its grounds). Everything in her day-to-day touches on some form of tactile creation and inspiration from a higher power.

In this episode, guest host Erin Wolf spends time with Farrell as this creatively driven member of our community shares a few pieces of the vast knowledge she's gathered over the years.

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Guest host: Erin Wolf

Uniquely Milwaukee is made possible by the support of our Radio Milwaukee members.

In the heart of the Riverwest neighborhood is a weekly showcase of some of Milwaukee’s most talented voices.

Linneman’s Acoustic Open Stage began in 1993, making it the city’s oldest open mic and a staple of the local music scene.

“Linneman's is an institution, and it's meant a lot to tons and tons of people,” said Chris Porterfield, frontman for Milwaukee-based band Field Report and an alum of the open mic. “It's a really special place. And what Jim and Marty have built is a great gift and service to our city.”

Jim Linneman and Marty Hacker are longtime partners in life and nightlife. The venue’s namesake rarely misses an installment of the Acoustic Open Stage, and he was there the night we were on hand to experience the energy of a community built on a shared love for music.

“Each and every Wednesday we have a featured performer who gets a half hour,” Linneman explained from the stage as he introduced Ethan Munson, the night's spotlight artist. “And to be the feature here, you have to come in and take part in our Open Stage and show a love for music and the desire anyway to write your own songs.”

In this episode, we take you inside a typical Wednesday night at Linneman’s — a space for seasoned performers to connect with newcomers; and an eclectic mix of people, songs and instruments, ranging from banjos and guitars to keyboards and even a kazoo.

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Guest host: Rachel Tarby

Uniquely Milwaukee is made possible by the support of our Radio Milwaukee members.

A true calling always finds its way to you. Valencia Caldwell is living proof.

Her father was an air-traffic controller who always encouraged his children to follow their dreams. After his death, a special flight helped lead Caldwell back to her first love — one that wouldn't be easy to reconnect with.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimates there are 213,000 aircraft pilots and engineers in the country. Just 4% are African American, and organizations like Sisters of The Skies estimate there are fewer than 200 Black women professional pilots in the United States.

Undaunted, Caldwell has been accepted to the United Aviate Academy, an intensive flight school through United Airlines. On this episode, podcast host Kim Shine talks with her about the often-turbulent path she's followed back to flying and how she turned to her community to help support her dream.

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Host: Kim Shine

You can contribute to Caldwell's GoFundMe here.

Uniquely Milwaukee is made possible by the generous support of our members.

Step by step… Left foot, then right. 

Each month, line dancing takes over the Sherman Phoenix Marketplace at a free community event held in partnership with Primetime Line Dance.  Whether they're grooving on the floor or have two left feet, participants say the classes build community,  boost their mental health and provide an all-around good time. Kim Shine joined in as everyone celebrated the event's one-year anniversary. 

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Host: Kim Shine

Uniquely Milwaukee is made possible by the generous support of our members.