MILWAUKEE — This Saturday Shake James, owner of Black Market MKE and founder of JAY Academy, is hosting a "Black on the Block" event where hundreds of bikes will be given away to kids in the community. Kids must be present to receive a bike and they must bring their report cards so teachers can talk about education.
“We have a bunch of Barbie bikes over here,” says James.
The Spider-Man and pink Disney bikes will soon go to kids in the area so they can experience the joy of riding.
“I think they’ll be very happy, and it will bring them so much joy,” said Milwaukee resident Demya Decou.
This is the second year Shake has thrown this event—last year giving away 300 bikes, and this year, even more.
“This year we’re giving away 400,” said Shake.
In addition to the bikes, teachers from Siefert Elementary School will be on hand to stress the importance of education.
"We want kids to bring their report cards so we can stress the importance of education," Shake explains.
One of those teachers, Dannette Justus, an educator with a passion for reading, will be there talking about her weekly read-aloud videos through her YouTube channel, Dannette JustUs and Books. Her hope is to encourage continued learning through the summer months.
“My hope is that I’m able to encourage them to read with resources. I have a weekly read-along that I do called JustUs and Books, so I’ll be sharing that information with them and speaking to parents about different things they can do to help prevent the summer slide,” said Dannette.
And that’s what this event is—community members coming together, using their talents and skills to uplift the kids in the neighborhood.
“It takes a village. I got some good people around me. I got a good team,” said Shake. “I got a couple barbers that are going to come. They weren’t even a part of it but they were like, ‘bro, I wanna come and cut,’ so we have a couple cuts too,” he adds.
As the bikes are lined up and ready to go to their new owners, Shake reflects on the joy he got from last year's event, seeing the kids in the community happy and thriving.
“It was beautiful man. I was really touched,” said Shake.
He hopes this event and others will one day inspire the kids to give back in the future and look out for their community in the future.
The giveaway is from noon-4:00 p.m. on Saturday June 15, while supplies last. There will also be food, a bouncy house, music and more.
ADDRESS: 1935 W. Hampton Ave, Milwaukee WI
To follow the work Shake is doing around the community,click here.
To learn more about Black Market MKE, click here.
To follow Dannette JustUs, click here.
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