On Nov. 9, the Mitchell Street Branch of the Milwaukee Public Library (MPL) hosted a collaborative community event called Unity in the Community. Activities included dance/music performances, arts and crafts, a makerspace and community kitchen tasting.
Unity in the Community was brought to Milwaukee by the Bay View, Tippecanoe, Mitchell Street and Zablocki branches to bring the neighborhood together. This event chose cultures, resources and performances to highlight that represent the southside of Milwaukee.
“The idea is these signature events will be yearly programs,” Rebecca Manz, a librarian at MPL, said.
Unity in the Community attracted about 650 attendees according to MPL.
Some of the attendees at the event were visiting the Mitchell Street library for the first time and were introduced to the services offered by MPL.
“We want to get people into the library to find out about all the programs, resources, books, movies and computer access that we have to offer,” said Manz, “and entertain and inspire attendees with performances, arts and crafts, and food.”
The Cargill Community Kitchen offered a world cuisine tour with foods from Tanzania, Jamaica, India and Puerto Rico, including curry chickpeas, jerk cabbage, chicken tikka masala, coconut basmati and tres leches.
All the regional dishes were free for anyone attending the event to taste and prepared by Chef Sharrie Agee, the library’s community kitchen consultant from the Cargill Community Kitchen.
MPL and Cargill also offer a Snack Hack program every Tuesday at noon, a fall feast on Nov. 26 and a winter dinner on Dec. 17.
The Milwaukee Taiko Group Hibiki performed a drum set of traditional Japanese drumming. The United Donauschwaben of Milwaukee performed a customary German dance. Youth from Bembe Drum & Dance brought their traditional Afro-Latino music and dance to perform live at the event.
“All three performances were a big hit with lots of dancing, singing, and clapping in the audience,” said Manz.
MPL sought to offer performances in activities that were in both English and Spanish as they have many Spanish speakers in the Mitchell Street Branch community.
“We also have many bilingual staff that work at this location, served on our planning committee, and work in our library cluster,” Manz said.
Throughout the event, the MPL mascot Browser the Library Lion went around greeting people and engaging with kids.
Crafts offered at the event included a tiny book-making workshop, Japanese ink painting and a button-making station.
Another aspect of this community event was a setup of booths from community partners like the City of Milwaukee Health Department and the local food bank to offer a chance for community members to learn more about local resources.
Outside the library, there were local food trucks set up that represented the food culture of the southside including Chucho’s Red Tacos, El Sazon Dominicano, La Finca Coffee Co. and Phresh Lemonade.
In celebration of Unity in the Community, MPL has a 30% discount on all merchandise using the code: COMMUNITY which is valid through March 31, 2025.