53206 Cast
157 episodes - English - Latest episode: 1 day ago -53206, located in the inner city of Milwaukee, is the poorest zip code in the state of Wisconsin. 99.2% of residents are non-white and the median household income is $24,000. Meg and Alex talk about what they have learned over the last 15 years from living in a place that is very different than the suburbs they grew up in. Each episode typically covers thoughts on education, social justice, and the normalization of inequities they see on a daily basis.
Join Meg & Alex as we rethink our inner cities together
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Episodes
Episode 103: The White House On The Corner - Part 3
February 14, 2023 10:58 - 39 minutes - 30.1 MBAreas dominated by poverty are significantly more likely to experience gun violence. This week Meg and Alex talk about an instance of gun violence that took place at the white house on the corner and make a case that the poor are the last ones that should have to deal with the effects of gun violence.
Episode 102: Early Childhood Education With Ashley Harrell
February 06, 2023 15:06 - 38 minutes - 29.2 MBThis week Meg and Alex talk to early childhood education expert, Ashley Harrell. Ashley gives context to the importance of early childhood education and helps to redefine what school for our youngest learners should be and could be.
Episode 101: The White House On The Corner - Part 2
January 30, 2023 15:26 - 38 minutes - 30.2 MBThe impact of one house's story shouldn't matter much, but when that same story plays out across a neighborhood or even a zip code, the effects can be devastating. This week, Meg and Alex provide some humanizing context to what happens when an inner city home is bought by an out of state investor and the effect it has on the neighborhood.
Episode 100: The White House On The Corner
January 24, 2023 11:12 - 37 minutes - 30.3 MBOne house doesn't make a neighborhood, right? But what if that house used to be good for the block and now brings harm to the block. This podcast is a story of one house, that used be a blessing to the neighborhood but is now a liability.
Episode 99: Let's Go For A Run
January 17, 2023 11:19 - 37 minutes - 27.9 MBThis week's episode of the 53206 Cast is all about running. Chris Ponteri, who has run every street in the city of Milwaukee, Brian Hutchinson who is currently on a 9 year running streak and creator on instagram @mkejogwalker, along with Ashley Frahm, the Rufus King runner, join the podcast to talk about the surprising benefits of running in the city of Milwaukee.
Episode 98: Fixing Bike Tires With Noel Kegel
January 10, 2023 11:22 - 34 minutes - 26.3 MBNoel Kegel, president of Wheel and Sprocket, joins the show this week to talk about the impact bikes can have on a community. Meg and Alex interview Noel and offer a different take on what it means to be an advocate.
Episode 97: Talking About Home Ownership With Tyesha Shareef
January 02, 2023 13:55 - 45 minutes - 33.6 MBThis week Meg and Alex sit down with long time Borchert Field resident and current real estate agent Tyesha Shareef to talk about the promotion of home ownership within the Black community.
Episode 96: Let's Think Differently About The Justice Involved
December 27, 2022 14:02 - 24 minutes - 18.9 MBThis week, Alex and Meg talk about a couple of ways in which we can grow in our own understanding of what it might be like to be a justice involved individual trying make their way in the world.
Episode 95: Jamie DeJesus - Part 2
December 15, 2022 19:54 - 28 minutes - 20.6 MBThis week Jamie is back for part 2 of his interview with Meg and Alex. Jamie talks about good things happening in the justice involved community and gives some insights on what the non-justice involved can do to better understand the unique circumstances of those who have been incarcerated.
Episode 94: Jamie De Jesus
December 07, 2022 11:16 - 31 minutes - 23.2 MBThis week Meg and Alex are joined by Jamie De Jesus. Jamie is the CEO of Innovative Solutions 2 Consulting and a Manufacturing Skills Standard Council Instructor. The three talk about cinnamon rolls, the criminal justice system, and good things happening in the justice involved community.
Episode 93: Charlie's House!
November 29, 2022 11:10 - 25 minutes - 19 MBThis week Meg and Alex give an update on some things going on at We Got This and talk about the progress at Charlie's house.
Episode 92: Bay Bridge Wisconsin
November 21, 2022 11:32 - 43 minutes - 32.3 MBThis week, Meg and Alex are joined by the team at Bay Bridge Wisconsin. In 2019, Anne O’Connor, Kathy Wurzer, and Jennifer Koop Olsta founded Bay Bridge as a mechanism to address racial inequalities within their community. The group discusses the past, present, and future of Bay Bridge and how the organizations like Bay Bridge can be used to enact social change.
Episode 91: Be An Advocate In Your Own Way
November 13, 2022 12:51 - 27 minutes - 19.4 MBIt's easy to look at someone with a strong track record of community advocacy and think that we can never contribute in the say way as that individual. This week on The 53206 Cast, Meg and Alex talk about using your own talents, skills, and resources to enact change within your spaces.
Episode 90: An Interview With Andre Lee Ellis
October 31, 2022 10:05 - 46 minutes - 33.7 MBAndre Lee Ellis is the founder of the Andre Lee Ellis Theater Company, We Got This Community Garden, and his latest endeavor, The Cage. Meg and Alex sit down with Andre and discuss urban agriculture, theater production, and a vision for what our inner city spaces could be.
Episode 89: Who Should Get The Best?
October 11, 2022 10:03 - 23 minutes - 16.9 MBMeg and Alex are back to talking about libraries, specifically their neighborhood library and the possibility that it may be shut down. The two discuss this and pose the question, who should get the best or even who should we want the best for.
Episode 88: We Got This Summer Review
September 26, 2022 09:47 - 26 minutes - 19.5 MBMeg and Alex are back one more time to recap the summer with We Got This. The two talk about what they learned from their first summer working with the program and throw out some ideas around what might be coming next.
Episode 87: The We Got This Season Finale
September 18, 2022 18:25 - 27 minutes - 20.4 MBThe summer is coming to end which means that We Got This wrapped up its final week. Meg and Alex breakdown an exciting season finale for We Got This and talk about projecting ourselves outside of our current circumstances.
Episode 86: Being Neighborly And Week 10 At We Got This
September 12, 2022 11:03 - 43 minutes - 32.4 MBMeg and Alex are back and pose the question, are we doing a good job of taking care of the poor. Then the two discuss the concept of being neighborly and how challenging that can be in spaces where poverty is the dominant narrative. Afterward, the two talk about the Borchert Field Market event and Week 10 at We Got This.
Episode 85: 1 Out Of 10 And Week 9 At We Got This
August 18, 2022 11:46 - 38 minutes - 29.5 MBThis week Meg and Alex give a garden update for week 8 at We Got This and talk about how inequities are perpetuated when we fail to create environments where everyone is afforded similar opportunities regardless of socio-economic status.
Episode 84: Not Good For Some Is Not Good For All
August 09, 2022 10:47 - 35 minutes - 26.6 MBInjustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. - MLK On this week's episode of the 53206 Cast Meg and Alex throw out the idea that some of the conditions facing 53206 and inner city spaces across the country have a much greater impact to the surrounding areas than maybe we think. Then the two give an update on week 8 of the We Got This summer program.
Episode 83: The Deathscort
August 05, 2022 20:01 - 41 minutes - 30.8 MBGiving someone a little margin in their budget can make a world of difference to someone living in poverty. The challenge is finding ways to create that margin with whatever resources are already in your possession and in a way that is natural and easy. This week, Meg and Alex talk about ways to orient yourself to find those opportunities more regularly. Then the two give an update for week 6 at We Got This.
Episode 82:P Moving Without A Car
July 26, 2022 12:56 - 35 minutes - 26.2 MBMargin is luxury not all of us have. When faced with a major life change, like moving, not having something many of us take for granted, like a vehicle, can cause a family to fall further behind. This week Alex and Meg talk about moving without a car and give an update on week 5 at We Got This.
Episode 82: Moving Without A Car
July 26, 2022 12:56 - 35 minutes - 26.2 MBMargin is luxury not all of us have. When faced with a major life change, like moving, not having something many of us take for granted, like a vehicle, can cause a family to fall further behind. This week Alex and Meg talk about moving without a car and give an update on week 5 at We Got This.
Episode 81: Giving Your House Away and Week 4 at We Got This
July 14, 2022 10:55 - 32 minutes - 24.5 MBCan what happens to one house drastically impact a neighborhood? What if the same thing happens to another house and then another? This week on the 53206 Cast Meg and Alex discuss what happened to Tiffany, how she ended up giving away her house, and what the net result has been for the neighborhood years later. Then the two give an update on week 4 at We Got This.
Episode 80: Packing Dumpsters and Planting Pumpkins
July 04, 2022 14:46 - 33 minutes - 25.1 MBThis week, Meg and Alex talk about the cultural narrative around dumping trash in alleys and how when we assume a place is one way, our collective actions tend to perpetuate or maintain the status quo. Then the two recap the third week of the We Got This Summer Program and share some exciting updates in the neighborhood.
Episode 79: We Got This Week 2
June 27, 2022 11:55 - 33 minutes - 23.2 MBOn this episode of the 53206 Cast, Meg and Alex give an update from We Got This and talk about illegal dumping in the city.
Episode 78: Garden Beds and Baseball Practice
June 15, 2022 11:01 - 36 minutes - 26.5 MBThe summer program at We Got This has officially kicked off and Meg and Alex give an update on how the first week went. Then the two talk about little league baseball and recovering from small traumatic events.
Episode 77: On The Road Again
June 03, 2022 12:26 - 37 minutes - 27.8 MBMeg and Alex are back on the pod talking about small people hugs, 2 am alarms, and privilege when it comes to margin. The two also share some exciting news about We Got This and talk about some ways that listeners can help get involved with instilling change in 53206.
Episode 76: An Interview With Reggie Jackson
April 17, 2022 09:30 - 48 minutes - 36.8 MBMilwaukee historian Reggie Jackson from Nurturing Diversity Partners joins the 53206 Cast to share his wealth of knowledge about the history of some of the dynamics at play within Milwaukee's central city. The group discusses how segregation is measured, some of the history behind highway locations, and the ever present and looming topic of gentrification.
Episode 75: Resignation
April 11, 2022 10:30 - 27 minutes - 21.2 MBDismissing someones lived experiences and feeling a sense resignation around our circumstances never evolving are two of the topics discussed on this week's 53206 Cast. Meg and Alex breakdown how those dynamics can play out when re-thinking our inner city spaces and share a practical way to enact small change specifically in Milwaukee. Referenced on this episode are two books, the first is by Majora Carter: Reclaiming Your Community. The second is by Rob Bell: Handling Your Fire.
Episode 74: Heal The Hood
April 04, 2022 07:00 - 43 minutes - 32.9 MBThis week Alex and Meg are joined by Ajamou Butler and Jessica Butler from Heal The Hood to talk about their upcoming event on May 28th in Milwaukee. The group discusses the origination of Heal The Hood and talk about ways to join in the movement around healing our inner city spaces.
Episode 73: Our Most Controversial Episode Ever
March 27, 2022 21:16 - 27 minutes - 21.4 MBMeg and Alex are back in the studio sharing their most controversial take to date. The two discuss the idea that it's harder to grow up in 53206 than it is where they are from. While that might be a bit of a stretch to think of that as controversial today, that hasn't always been the case and how recognizing and acknowledging the challenges young people face in 53206 is a step in the right for long term social change.
Episode 73: Be The Change
March 18, 2022 17:24 - 30 minutes - 23.2 MBThe thing about the inner city is that most people don't want it to stay how it is. People living in the suburbs don't love the negative outcomes they see on the news and those living here would prefer a decrease in acts of violence or crime in general. Luckily the solution is the same for both groups - be the change they want to see in the world. On this episode of the 53206 Cast, Meg and Alex dive into what it would look like to be the change and encourage listeners to take action within t...
Episode 72: Be The Change
March 18, 2022 17:24 - 30 minutes - 23.2 MBThe thing about the inner city is that most people don't want it to stay how it is. People living in the suburbs don't love the negative outcomes they see on the news and those living here would prefer a decrease in acts of violence or crime in general. Luckily the solution is the same for both groups - be the change they want to see in the world. On this episode of the 53206 Cast, Meg and Alex dive into what it would look like to be the change and encourage listeners to take action within t...
Episode 71: Hope and Despair
March 12, 2022 16:18 - 23 minutes - 17.7 MBA curious part of living in the inner city is how close together hope and despair can be. A beautifully maintained house can be situated between two run-down abandoned buildings. Something exciting can be quickly interrupted by an act of violence and positive change can be overshadowed in an instant. On this weeks episode of the 53206 Cast Meg and Alex dive into that phenomenon and give some thoughts on how we can push for hope rather than despair.
Episode 70: Gentrified
March 04, 2022 21:16 - 24 minutes - 18.5 MBThe future of the inner city is many times siloed into going down two potential paths, continued denigration or gentrification. While a third option might not be readily available, Meg and Alex try to give shape to what that might look like as they think about the future of 53206.
Episode 69: What Must It Be Like?
February 27, 2022 06:00 - 28 minutes - 21.4 MBWhen a person has little to no frame of reference around how someone else might experience life, it can be difficult to empathize. That difficulty shouldn't be a reason to not engage in that work. Meg and Alex tackle this topic and more on the latest episode of the 53206 Cast.
Episode 68: Processing After Gun Violence
February 20, 2022 07:30 - 21 minutes - 15.8 MBThe 53206 Cast welcomes back Ashley Frahm to the podcast. Ashley talks about a recent shooting that took place outside of Rufus King High School within eyesight of her house. She shares how she approached processing the event with her children and gives some insight on some of the trickle down effects of gun violence.
Episode 67: Growing Up In The Inner City
February 12, 2022 22:46 - 23 minutes - 18 MBOn this special episode of the 53206 Cast, Meg and Alex welcome their 11 year old daughter Mae to the show. An avid consumer of podcasts herself, Mae shares insights on what it's like growing up in the inner city.
Episode 66: I Heard It Was A Drug House
February 07, 2022 15:42 - 26 minutes - 20.7 MBMeg and Alex are back to talk about the curious tendency we have to diminish the severity of tragedy based on our pre-conceptions of the inner city. The two discuss a recent mass shooting and give some practical advice on how we can re-think horrific events that take place across our inner cities.
Episode 65: Slumber Parties
January 30, 2022 22:43 - 25 minutes - 19.3 MBOn this week's episode of the 531206 Cast, we cover pre-teen slumber parties, flat tires, and our unfortunate tendency to judge what we don't understand.
Episode 64: The Adjacent Possible
January 23, 2022 14:17 - 28 minutes - 22.3 MBSometimes it's hard to be an advocate because the problems are so massive and the entry points aren't clearly defined. On this episode of the 53206 Cast, Meg and Alex talk about the adjacent possible and how anyone can shift their habits toward rewriting the narrative around inner cities by making small tweaks to their thoughts and actions.
Episode 63: Being Neighborly
January 16, 2022 08:00 - 29 minutes - 23 MBA home is a lot more than just a roof over our heads. A home in great condition is blessing. A home in disrepair is a curse. On this episode we talk about the process of re-renovating the first rental property and what has changed on the block since we bought this house in 2016.
Episode 62: Ghetto Self Esteem
January 09, 2022 08:00 - 24 minutes - 19.6 MBIf cities or even neighborhoods have self esteem, what would the self esteem of the inner city be? On this episode of the 53206 Cast, Meg and Alex dive into the topic of macro self esteem and give some practical advice to helping create a greater level of self esteem within our poorest and most marginalized places.
Episode 61: Guests!!!
December 21, 2021 16:49 - 27 minutes - 20.6 MBMeg and Alex are excited to have on their first guests ever to the 53206 Cast. Not only are Phil and Ashley Frahm family, they are former residents of 53206 and currently live in the inner city of Milwaukee too. The four talk about perceptions around living in an inner city neighborhood and talk about how they arrived at the decision to live in a place very different than where they were from.
Episode 60: Four Dollar Cups Of Tea
November 06, 2021 17:40 - 21 minutes - 14.9 MBOne of the best ways to work against systemic inequity is to pay attention for situations where one group is left out more predictably than your own. Meg and Alex tackle how this impacts the inner city and give some practical advice on how you can work toward creating a more equitable society on this episode of the 53206 Cast.
Episode 59: A Backpack Full Of Trauma (Our House Got Broken Into - Part 3)
October 26, 2021 10:32 - 33 minutes - 24.4 MBLike in many inner cities, the neighborhoods in 53206 experience traumatic events at a predictably higher rate than other places outside of our cities. On this episode of the 53206 Cast, Meg and Alex sit down and talk trauma and how traumatic events can impact children's ability to be successful in school.
Episode 58: Am I A Bad Mom?
October 18, 2021 17:04 - 23 minutes - 17.3 MBIn part 2 of Meg and Alex's conversation around their house being broken into, Meg processes through the feeling of being a bad mother for putting her children in a situation where they were more likely to be the victim of a crime.
Episode 57: Our House Was Robbed - Part 1
October 07, 2021 11:17 - 27 minutes - 19.7 MBOn this episode of the 53206 Cast, Meg and Alex process through their house being broken into. The two spend some time talking about the differences in living in an area with high concentrations of poverty and the correlation with assuming you'll be the victim of a crime simply because you live in the inner city.
Episode 56: Rifling Through The Junk Drawer Looking For A Flashlight
September 21, 2021 00:00 - 23 minutes - 18.1 MBNeed is everywhere. In 53206 the needs are pervasive, but meeting those needs in the moment they prevent themselves can be the challenge. On this week's episode of the 53206 Cast, Meg and Alex share an example of attempting to meet a need, a need which highlights the disparity in resources found in our inner cities.