Highlighting Harambee

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Nestled in Milwaukee’s North side between Keefe Ave to the north, North Ave to the south, I43 to the west and Holton street to the east; Harambee is a vibrant neighborhood with proud traditions and a rich history and a strong civil rights background that can be seen when you walk the streets. The residents of the neighborhood are predominantly African-American, with smaller groups of Hispanics, Multiracial and White households. Harambee is a neighborhood that has a lot of residents actively participating in community gardens, youth involvement and public art. The word Harambee is Swahili for Lets Pull together and the Harambee Great Neighborhood Initiative is a good example of the unity this community has. Some of the local businesses working to build for a better Harambee are Dreambikes, the YWCA, and All Peoples Church. Our goals are to help instill a sense of pride through historical sites and landmarks, showcasing the local businesses that service the area and highlighting neighborhood way finding and pedestrian/bike accessibility through safer routes.

Highlighting Harambee

A major focus of our project is to highlight the areas of Harambee with cultural significance. Historical sites and public artwork such as murals and statues are integral to the development of a sense of pride within the Harambee community.

Kids Working to Succeed Collaboration

We collaborated with the Kids Working to Succeed group at All People’s Church, a group of kids that work to improve the neighborhood of Harambee through developing their own personal work ethic and various skill sets. Through our collaboration, they painted a sign that will house our Harambee map permanently in a community garden.