MILWAUKEE — Guests dressed in African and Caribbean-style attire walked the runway and enjoyed food and festivities at the Indaba African Ball, kicking off Black History Month with a celebration.
There was live music, a basket raffle and an African marketplace, to name a few of the activities at the ball.
The main event of the evening, however, was the introduction of the 2025 Hall of History Maker honorees.
Honorees:
Anthony "Tony" Courtney
Courtney is the founder of several nonprofit organizations like For My Brothers, inc. and Old School We Aint Through Yet-Black Men's Network. He is also one of the founders of 100 Black Men of Milwaukee and is currently a mentor to hundreds of Black men from 30 to 60 years old.
Bashir Easter, Ph.D
Easter is a scholar, entrepreneur and community leader who works to improve the quality of life for people of color. He also created Melanin Minded LLC and Melanin Minded Foundation as resources to help provide information and resources to marginalized communities about Alzheimer's disease and dementia. In his published research, he focuses on the experiences of African American adolescents who care for relatives with dementia and pioneered Dementia Villages designed for communities of color.
Dee McCollum
McCollum has been the director of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center for 13 years, and she began the center's tradition of hosting the Make-A-Family Smile Thanksgiving event by buying turkey baskets for 10 families. Today, the event has expanded to 1,200 turkeys for families and she has given away more than 14,000 turkeys since its start. She also gets credit for the Breakfast with Santa event that hosted more than 450 children in 2023.
Melody McCurtis
McCurtis is the lead organizer and deputy of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges. She works with people who watched her grow up, and she says they help keep her grounded. The organization is known for listening to residents and providing vital information and necessities like COVID-19 care packages and lead filters and kits.
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