MILWAUKEE — Bronzeville Week is back in its 13th year and on Sunday neighbors marked the start of a week of festivities by attending the Bronzeville Cultural and Arts Festival.
According to a press release, Bronzeville Week is an official event hosted by the City of Milwaukee and Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs to promote health, art, culture, small-business and a positive and family-friendly atmosphere in the Bronzeville Neighborhood.
"It's African-American culture," said Rudy Buchanan who also described Bronzeville week as a week full of culture and community. He enjoys running into his neighbors he has met over the years.
"People you went to school with, people you know from church," he said.
He and his wife, Tina, stopped by the festival Sunday and spoke with TMJ4's Ryan Jenkins. They said the other exciting part of this festival is the food.
"All the different kinds of food. Different kinds of soul food, cultural foods, the corn," said Tina Buchanan.
Watch: Week full of events begins with Bronzeville Fest:
She wasn't alone in noting how tasty the food was.
"This food makes me very happy," said Khloe Ealy. She's a vendor working alongside her cousins and her mother at Seasoned to Satisfaction, LLC. "I love seeing people come down with a smile on their face. 'Oh, I love your food!' and just seeing people is my thing."
Bronzeville Week uses music, food, fashion, and art to celebrate the redevelopment of Milwaukee's Bronzeville neighborhood as a cultural and entertainment district, inspired by Milwaukee's original Bronzeville District of the early to mid 1900's.
"It's important here in Milwaukee because I think a lot of the time the light is shined on negativity instead of positivity. And this is kind of the positivity of the community," said Ealy.
Artist Vedale Hill says he participates every year.
"It feels great. Born and raised here," he said.
Hill said the neighborhood has been making progress in recent years, building the district up.
"It's the art and culture district and I live by it," he said. "It's good to have our people having fun and in the spotlight for something positive."
Some also say this type of event can help offer youth a chance to rally around something good in the neighborhood.
"If people, like some of the young people, have somewhere to go maybe they'll stop doing the things they're doing - like, you know, running into things, flipping cars over, car crashes, shootings, homicides," said Tina Buchanan.
Bronzeville Week runs through August 10th. Click HEREfor the full calendar.
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