Building Unity Winter Summit

media release: The Winter Unity Summit’s Theme is: Building a Unity Plan for a Peace, Justice, Sustainability and Democracy Movement in 2024

With 4 powerful Wisconsin Leaders Speaking on the “Four Pillars of Our Unity Movement!

Janan NaJeeb on peace

Tamra Oman on justice 

Anakwet (Guy Reiter) on sustainability (the Rights of Nature) 

Tomika Vukovic on democracy

*** Brief information about these speakers below.

As time permits, we will hear from other partners about what they are doing and discuss our shared plans and ideas related our 2024 Unity Plan: 

Building Unit Gatherings (BUGs) 

Our Spring Tour - Community Forums across the state (Mar 15 - June 15)

Our Calendar of Solidarity and Transformation (COST) - Ending the war on Palestine - NAACP Climate Summit (2/24/24) - Poor People’s Campaign Rally at Capitol (3/2/24) - Launch of the Spring Tour (3/15) - Earth Day (4/20-22) - Spring Festival and Unity Summit (4/27) - May Day with Voces de La Frontera in Milwaukee - Juneteenth Everywhere - MREA Energy Fair (6/21-6/23)  - Building Unity on Rock Island (7/2 - 7/9) - Summer Summit - Peace Day (9/21) - Indigenous Peoples Day (10/14) - GOTV - Election Day Weekend Celebrations - Fall Summit

https://www.facebook.com/events/1019164895953018/

Janan Najeeb was born in Palestine. She is the founder and executive director of the Milwaukee Muslim Woman’s Coalition, the founder of the Wisconsin Muslim Journal, the founder of the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival, the founder of the WI Muslim Civic Alliance which works to build civic capacity amongst the Wisconsin Muslim Community. She serves on numerous boards including Wisconsin Public Radio and for 20 years has served on the board that creates the annual Dr. MLK, Jr Birthday celebration in Milwaukee. Most recently, Ms Najeeb is the founder of and convener for Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine.

Tamra Oman Oman is an organizer with EXPO - Ex-incarcerated People Organizing. As a directly impacted person, Tamra knows firsthand about the cruelties of our criminal justice system. She works hard to amplify the power and voices of fellow impacted people and as a united force, they are dramatically changing this broken and cruel system.  hope to a world in need of justice.

Anakwet (Guy Riter), (Menominee) is the founder and the Executive Director of Menikanaehkem. Menikanaehkem is a Menominee word that can be translated as “Menominee Rebuilders.” Menikanaehkem works to remind Memominee people of their ancient understandings for how to live and sustain their lives and our world. They do this by engaging with their Menominee culture and language. For many years, Anakwet has led within a number of the Indigenous-led efforts to protect our natural world in Wisconsin and beyond. Today he will give us an introduction and update on “The Rights of Nature” movement here in Wisconsin and how we might build unity with it.

Tomika Vukovic is the co-executive of Wisconsin Voices and serves as an alder for the city of Glendale in Milwaukee County. She is known around the state as a fierce champion for progressive values, participatory democracy and lifting up other groups who promote justice and democracy. Building Unity has never been the same since Tomika brought Wisconsin Voices to the project.