MILWAUKEE — Throughout the City of Milwaukee, windows and business marquees are filled with message of support to the Black Lives Matter movement. Many of these businesses are helping elevate African American voices to help lead the conversations on change.
The two windows outside of the Jazz Estate have short messages with a simple but powerful message.
"Respect Black Arts"
"Amplify Black Voices"
It's an important message from a business whose identity is steeped in Jazz music; a genre of music with roots in slavery and dominated by African American musicians.
Owner John Dye says, "We are being supportive but are letting the conversation be led by others."
In short, this is a time for white allies to listen rather than speak. It's something Antonio Stewart is hoping for with his podcast, Put You on Notice.
Stewart, who goes by Watcha Tone on the podcast, started about two years ago. With the help of four other co-hosts, they are a segment based podcast with a range of topics from current events, entertainment, local restaurants, local artists and more.
"My hobby has become my passion," Stewart said. "Our platform is your opportunity is our tagline. We're trying to impact and influence everybody we meet along the way."
Stewart has hosted a number of entrepreneurs and business owners on the podcast. He hopes the platform they have with the podcast can help elevate those local folks with an idea and a dream. It's an opportunity to use the podcast as a launchpad for their work.
"Your local Black entrepreneurs or local Black businesses," Stewart said. "We're definitely trying to highlight those individuals as well. It's giving people a voice. I'm influencing the youth which is our tomorrow. That's the biggest thing to do. They're going to guide us. They'll lead us. We're going to do this for them. I definitely think this podcast has helped in so many ways. The fact, I'm able to empower the youth, that's the biggest thing I take from it."
It sounds heavy, but Stewart and his co-hosts have a lot of fun; raising thought provoking questions like, "there are dry wines, does that mean there are wet wines?" The group has chemistry and has fun together.
It doesn't mean they can't be serious and draw on their own experiences to help educate their listeners; especially in light of everything that's happened since George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis by a police officer.
"It's definitely important for times like these to educate the uneducated," Stewart said. "To inform the uninformed. With podcasting or any other medium, I use these platforms to actually educate others or inform or entertain. I think it's beneficial in so many ways for what's going on right now."
In the windows of Boswell Books on Downer Avenue, it's filled with dozens of books by Black authors or about racial inequities. It's an effort to show their support but also show people how they can better educate themselves with literature from a diverse group of authors.
"This side is almost all looking at race issues," Daniel Goldin, proprietor at Boswell Books said. "It's a way to make you a better, more complete person I think."
Goldin says he's always felt it was important for the books they offer to be reflective of the community consuming them. It's why they have always had diverse author's come in for meet and greets. They continue that tradition now, even during the pandemic. Over the month of July and August, there is a wide variety of diverse authors doing virtual events with the bookstore.
"There are still authors that get left behind," Goldin said. "We'll focus on an author like Steven Wright's Coyotes of Carthage or Megan Giddings' Lakewood that maybe still didn't get the attention but are really great books. They tell great stories that impact people and there is still room for people to be heard that maybe aren't being heard. We're trying."
The books on his shelves can help educate or give an escape. No matter the book, Goldin hopes the readers can connect to them. If they happen to have a variety of voices to choose from, that only helps progress.
"Some books are mirrors," Goldin said. "Some books are windows. I'm very interested in the windows."
A window is what Stewart's podcast offers. He welcomes anyone to step up and take a look.
"We want to empower and uplift others," Stewart said. "To give a platform they didn't have. I think that's great and something I want to continue to do."
Put You On Notice can be heard wherever you consume podcasts but, due to the pandemic, the most current episodes are on YouTube. For more information you can follow the podcast's Facebook or Instagram pages or donate to the podcast.
Boswell Books is still open during the pandemic for pick up orders. For more information about the author events, you can visit their website or sign up for their email newsletter.
