Hello August! While many of you are beginning back-to-school preparations and others are just excited about State Fair, we at Ex Fabula are excited to announce that applications for the Season 9 Ex Fabula Fellowship program are now open. Ex Fabula Fellows are community members who use personal stories to inspire community-led dialogue around some of the most pressing issues in the Greater Milwaukee area – segregation and economic and racial inequality. This Season our Fellows will focus on the idea of Race and Place, including the history of Milwaukee’s housing marches (celebrating its 50th anniversary this month), fair housing today, driving while black, and much more.
This week we’re focusing on the theme of Race and Place with two stories from former Ex Fabula Fellows. We hope their stories inspire others to examine this theme in your own lives and perhaps share more experiences as well.
Our first story comes from our April “Only in Milwaukee” StorySlam. In 1983 Sue Blaustein moved into a cute upper flat on 41st and Hampton. Her elderly landlords lived below and took an interest in young, single Sue’s comings and goings. When her new boyfriend, an African-American man, spent his first evening at Sue’s apartment her nosy neighbors revealed that they were more than harmless busy bodies.
In May of this year, we took the conversation to Bay View’s Sugar Maple for “Creating a Welcoming Community in Bay View.” There, Ex Fabula Fellow Antoine Carter shared his experience of being “the other black guy” in the booming Bay View neighborhood and how that and several other experiences began to tarnish his once bright and shiny image of the area:
Our Season 9 kick off is only a month away, which means this is a great time to go ahead and grab your Ex Fabula Membership. The benefits are groovy and your support helps us continue programs like the Ex Fabula Fellowship. To join, or just check out the awesome bennies, visit ExFabula.org today!
