Unity in the Community Will Serve Up Global Food, Music and Dance

Mitchell Street Branch Library. Photo taken September 21, 2020 by Cari Taylor-Carlson.

Milwaukee’s cultural and ethnic diversity will take center stage on Nov. 7 as the Milwaukee Public Library hosts its third annual Unity in the Community celebration.

The event, held from noon to 4 p.m. at the Mitchell Street Library, will feature a global lineup of music and dance performances, arts and crafts activities, and culinary selections. Booths from a variety of Milwaukee community groups will also be stationed around the event.

Among those preparing to welcome guests is chef Sharrie Agee, who leads the branch’s Cargill Community Kitchen, the library system’s only full-sized kitchen and culinary makerspace dedicated to food programming. As the kitchen’s leader and head consultant, Agee plans and executes weekly culinary and nutrition lessons and cooking demonstrations, but for Unity in the Community she is preparing dishes and desserts from around the world for an expected crowd of 400.

Agee told Urban Milwaukee that representing globally diverse food is important in Milwaukee because it provides representation for all who live in the community.

“There’s a melting pot within the city itself. There are so many cultural aspects that we want to tie into the programming and events that Milwaukee Public Library hosts,” Agee said.

From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., guests can try Agee’s ndizi nyama, a Tanzanian beef and green banana stew; char kway teow, a Malaysian stir-fried noodle dish; arroz con gandules, a Puerto Rican rice and beans dish; and tres leches, a Mexican sponge cake soaked in three types of milk.

“And from the great United States of America, we will have a southern American gulf shrimp and grits dish,” Agee said.

Agee’s offerings will be served out of the Cargill Community Kitchen, located on the branch’s lower level, for free.

Outside the branch, food trucks will be stationed with food for purchase. Among those planned are Rose Mob Grill and Tots on the Street.

Alongside culinary offerings, Pulpa de Guayaba, a six-piece bilingual reggae, soul, cumbia and jazz band formed in Milwaukee in 2019, will perform at 1 p.m. Dancers from Aparna Dance Studio, based in Franklin, and dedicated to preserving Indian dance, are set to take the stage at 2 p.m. The Milwaukee Flyers Tumbling Team will follow at 3 p.m., featuring youth tumblers prepared to show off somersaults, cartwheels and other gymnastic feats.

DK Nutz, a Milwaukee artist collective, will be stationed at the event. From 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Rumana and Friends, a henna art group, will offer henna tattoos.

Voces de la Frontera, Neighborhood House of Milwaukee and League of Women Voters of Milwaukee County are among the organizations that will set up community info booths.

Learn more about Unity in the Community on Milwaukee Public Library’s website. It is free and open to the public. Mitchell Street Branch is located at 906 W. Historic Mitchell St.

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