Have we Blossomed? [A reflection on Carvd N Stone's first documentary "Blossom"]

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Have we Blossomed?

The question is one I would like you to ponder as you continue to read this reflection.

CopyWrite Magazine was recently invited to see Carvd N Stones first documentary project "Blossom". The journalistic piece previewed at Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, with the help of Alderwoman Milele Coggs on December 14th, 2021. The project featured Mikel McGee, the owner of 414loral, a florist shop in the heart of Milwaukee's Bronzeville Culture & Entertainment District.

The documentary was a micro-capture of how Black entrepreneurship in Milwaukee is possible, though the idea of the project was to show business elevation despite pandemic impact. As it showed McGee's recollection of her story [a very positive one indeed], and small anecdotes from her staff, it also triggered questions [for me] about community we don't often ask publicly.

Questions like:

When an individual in our community has a craft that brings joy, how is it celebrated?

What defines Black Entrepreneurship in Milwaukee, and who does it have to benefit to be acknowledged?

What is the media's role in expanding what stories should be told? Or, What is the community's role in supporting their local [no-conglomerate] media?

Is being seen more important than creating systemic impact?

Are wins, wins without communal validation?

Is quality a prerequisite for success? Or can that be negotiated?

What is a local media maker's responsibility to another local media maker? 

Blossom may be a niche story but the fact that it exists adds to a larger narrative. It's a community story. A community story of how one Black Journalist [Stone], received a grant, and used it to tell a Black business owners story [McGee], and asked a public official to help with its showing [Coggs], then in turn invited their community [Me, a Black Journalists? Us? Ours?] to see it. 

The narrative was even further pushed forward with a talk back panel discussion with Mikel McGee (star of the film), Tonda Thompson (owner of She Slangs Wood) and Corey Fells (co-founder of Black Space), that unfortunately I couldn't stay for, but am sure had nuances of hope and rhetoric of change we strive to suggest.

So to return to my initial question, "Have we blossomed?", is to suggest we think about how we pour into each other as a city and a people. Have we grown out of the idea that we can not build community or businesses alone? Have we cultivated enough relationships to suggest that the foundations we have made may have been watered by many? That when we break ground it gives seeds a chance to grow. 

It's nice to see that there are flowers being given [all puns intended] to those who are just at the start of their journey's and I hope that pushes more flowers to be given [maybe more documentaries?] to those who tilled the soil.

Lexi S. Brunson

Editor-in-Chief /CW

Kennita Hickman is First Black Woman to Win Local Music Award

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We would like to congratulate Kennita Hickman on the win!

Making history is one thing, getting that love from home is another! Your /CW Fam just want to say. . .

“Look at that Black Women in her greatness. SHE DID THAT!”

information provided by Catera Omnivision

Kennita Hickman, owner and chief culture curator of Catera, a musician management and media company, won the 2021 Radio Milwaukee Music Ambassador award. This award is given to individuals or organizations for their outstanding work towards advancing and elevating the Milwaukee music scene. Kennita is the first Black woman to win the Radio Milwaukee’s Music Ambassador award since the awards began in 2007.  

Radio Milwaukee emailed in a statement, “Anyone who knows Kennita knows she’s a BOSS. Through her work with Catera, she uses her creative marketing know-how and entrepreneurial spirit to uplift our music community and show them new and unique opportunities.”    

Catera’s recent projects include the curation, promotion, and production of Artist Eats, a series highlighting independent musicians and local restaurants as a bridge to food and music, two avenues that bring diverse groups of people together. Hickman also lined up local musicians for Lakeside at MAM, a summer activation program at the Milwaukee Art Museum to encourage a safe gathering place outdoors. In addition, Hickman facilitated local talent for Music on the Beerline, a one-day event with Riverworks MKE to activate underutilized outdoor space in Harambee. Hickman has also penned several opinion pieces for local news outlets on the importance of pay equity, and work balance for creative entrepreneurs. 

“I’m humbled to have been chosen as the winner for this prestigious local award. Thank you in part to Radio Milwaukee for ensuring that Milwaukee's music scene continues to thrive. Catera is proud to be a part of it,” Hickman said. “As a Black-woman entrepreneur, this is, even more, special because of those who continuously work to amplify artists of color but are often overlooked. This award is for them,” Hickman added.  

Past recipients of the Radio Milwaukee Music Ambassador award include Milwaukee Public Library’s “Library Loud Days,” Vic Thomas, Milwaukee World Festival, Jim Linneman, Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, and Kelsey Kaufman, Cactus Club. 

About Catera 

Kennita Hickman is the Chief Culture Curator for Catera. She is a brand influencer strategist, project manager, and event producer for creative entrepreneurs. She serves as a board member for #IVoted and Milwaukee Theatre Alliance. Prior to her work at Catera, she wrote for various music publications including Urbanology, Relevant, and The Source, and served as Director of Artist Support and Outreach for Imagine MKE, an arts non-profit. Learn more about Kennita and Catera’s work at https://www.instagram.com/cateramusic or https://www.linkedin.com/in/kennita-hickman

Miss Mocha Presents: “Black Vibeday” w/ DJ Freakish Nerd [ Post Event Recap]

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What a Room it was when thinking back to the faces seen at Company Brewing on Black Fri- I mean ‘Vibeday.’ DJ FreakishNerd kept our favorite musical artists, both mainstream and local of course, in a grand rotation as the space was overtaken by creatives, known and unknown, along with the ‘average joe’. This was very tactful of  Miss Mocha; bringing the Artistic Community together as an indirect way of experiencing a bit of that Thanksgiving energy with our peers. Watching the room gradually fill up with so many way makers, innovators, and game changers is something to be thankful for. Now of course when that first hour or 2 goes by, we start feeling good, including the DJ, having had a few shoots himself, we all get to hittin’ that two-step, whether we're still hesitant and keeping near to our seats or are casually making our way to the main floor, but that was not the case for too long. Towards the night’s end, the spirit of Milwaukee’s golden age of fun and youth came out as a circle of models, rappers, CEO’S, dancers, musicians, and entrepreneurs alike were provoked to form a circle at the sight of two creatives engaging into a battle: I’m talkin’ bout hittin’ the stollie and bangin’ like its ‘09! ‘Aye, Aye! Huh, Huh!’ Everyone was shouting and cheering altogether. Personally, what I believe to be the highlight of a night like this.

/Naomi-Re’a for CW

Miss Mocha Music Presents: Black Vibeday

/ Company Brewing/

DJ FreakishNerd will be providing Hip Hop, R&B, & Vibes in his debut solo DJ event. Expect a little bit of old, a little bit of new, and a little bit of music you’ve never heard before. Just the know the vibe will be major.

Friday November 26th, 10pm-1am, 21+
Company Brewing. $10.
735 East Center Street.
Milwaukee, WI

Nic Stokes Presents: “NOBody Knows”- A WorldLife Camp event [POST EVENT WRITE UP]

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However, the host of the night won it all! He gave us his portrayal of Chicago's ‘Lil’ Durk’ to a T’, gold locs and all. Everyone else who wasn't with the theatrics decided to simply dress to impress, like 2021 Milwaukee Film Festival winner, independent filmmaker Marquise Mays who gave a smooth Nupe shimmy on the dance floor, or Milwaukee fashion model JuJu Kujjo who dressed up as herself- but ‘made it fashion!’ There wasn't a corner in the room that wasn’t filled with people and the vibes kept going all night; A great mixture of early 2000’s favorites and current summer hits kept us all jammin.’ After having indulged in the vibes of the night long enough, I finally pulled Nic Stokes to the side, into the semi-quietness of the stairwell for a brief interview

CW: …[Lexi] was telling me, “WordLife Camp was a part of our come up...CopyWrite would be nothing without [our] collaborations with [WorldLife Camp]...” Would you tell me what your background with CopyWrite is; what your background is, period- how you got started?

N: Yea, so back in the day, my big brothers from WorldLife Camp built a relationship with CopyWrite. CopyWrite threw a lot of events. I remember one specifically at 88.9 radio, I believe, there was a concert series and they did an event there…


 (“So icy” by Gucci Mane started playing in the background during this interview. . .  Ha, how player is that?)

N: ...I've always been supportive of CopyWrite; it's Black and woman owned, and I'm all about diversity so that was really it for me. I definitely wanted to have them as a part of this event. For my background, I've been doing parties since I was 9 years old. I've been on the radio- my dad is Earl Stokes from 98.3- people may know me as ‘Jammin Nic’, some people just know me as ‘Nic Stokes’, so that's kinda just my background. I went to Atlanta for school, Morehouse, so I got the chance to get a different perspective on partying, curating events and the possibilities that can happen. I tried to bring that back to Milwaukee. 

CW: Is partying something that you simply feel good doing or do you feel that there is a greater purpose for you in bringing people together? What is it about the lane of partying for you that means a lot?

N: Well, I think that the underlying thing about partying is the music. Music brings people together, it takes you back to different times and points in your life where you might have struggled, when you might  have had success, when you were just having a good time... I think it's just a good thing that you can do to bring people together….just partying with your friends and family, you might get a chance to network and meet somebody that may be in your same field or endeavor of work; you might get the chance to cross paths with someone that you might not have before. So that's what I try to do. I try to bring diverse crowds- and not necessarily race but it could be different lanes, it could be somebody that's an artist, somebody that's a journalist, somebody that's a construction worker, somebody that does real estate- so that's why it's important to me to create spaces in Milwaukee where people can do that. 

CW: What I've noticed about certain individuals, or even certain groups who resonate with one doing things their own way tend to be the “black sheep” of their families or of where they come from...do you feel that you are the black sheep of where you come from- socially, creatively, in your background….?

N: I wouldn't necessarily say that I'm the black sheep, I would just say that I just took my own lane, and I see other people doing that same thing… I don't wanna be self-serving and say ‘oh I'm the only person doing this and the only person doing that’, you know what I mean? 

CW: I feel that. As far as the end goal for your impact, is it being a party host, is it doing something more? What is the end goal for your influence of bringing people together and doing things that come naturally to you? Where do you see yourself? 

N: That's something that I would wanna do full time because I enjoy it. That's my passion. I wanna make sure that people are good, people are having a good time, making sure that people have a space where they can be themselves and have a great time, so whether that be parties, concerts or networking at social events, things like that are kinda my lane...not kinda, that is my lane.  

CW: I see that you have newer faces like DJ Gemini Gilly here-

N: She's awesome. 

CW: Yeah, she's great. Do you feel that you have a responsibility to the newer [faces] of creatives in Milwaukee because there are a lot of people who are a part of the older scene of Milwaukee- the influencers, the people who were the go-getters, the initiators, the parties, the bashes, the concerts, the shows. . . Do you feel that you have a responsibility to the up-and-coming [creatives], the youth? 

N: I think that you definitely- 



(Speaking of Big Gilly, “Ski” by Gunna and Young Thug cuts on and Stokes can't help but to feel it)


N: ... Awww this is my song, I'm sorry…. 


(He puts on his MC voice and speaks into the mic, still by the stairwell, unseen but still heard)



N: ... Yeah, yeah, yeah! I need yall to hit that dance! Yeah! Yeah! . . . My bad.

CW: It's all good. That was awesome!

N: I've known DJ Gemini Gilly for a long time. We went to ‘King together and when she first got on her D.J. journey I was like ‘yo, I gotta support you. You're Black. You're a woman. You’re independent. You're strong. You're trying to get out here. I have to support you because you have a passion.’ I think that anybody that has a passion for something, anybody that's really honest and really wanting to express themselves and reach their goals and go after their passions, I think the whole city- I think that everybody should support them. It was only right that I had her come here to D.J. tonight.

CW: I appreciate that..the way you just say that, Black man supporting Black woman, Black woman supporting Black men and Black people just supporting each other, genuinely.


N: As a Black man, you gotta support the queens. . . Got to. I just feel like I have that responsibility because I have a Black mom, I have Black sisters, I have a Black niece, you know what I mean? It's only right.

CW: We appreciate that, so thank you. . . It's poppin tonight. It's lit!

You should have been there, but we are sure there will be more. 

/Naomi-Re’a for CW