Milwaukee City Hall transformed into a vibrant space for reflection and celebration Tuesday as the city honored Black History Month with a community-wide event. The gathering brought together residents, city employees and commun ity members to recognize a century of Black history while uplifting today's changemakers.The packed City Hall event emphasized the importance of looking to the past to understand the present, creating connections between historical legacy and contemporary community building."Honoring the legacy from which we're founded on, looking to the past to understand the present, and just really trying to examine the plight that Black people have had in this country," said Derrick Johns Jr., a Milwaukee resident who attended the celebration. For Johns, a Milwaukee native, the recognition feels particularly significant in today's cultural climate."We're in a moment within our larger global culture where various people are trying to erase Black history, erase Black movements, and the contributions of colored people throughout the world," Johns said.Watch: Residents celebrate Black History Month with community gathering at City Hall Residents celebrates Black History Month with community gathering at City HallCity leaders emphasized that visibility remains a central goal of the celebration."I think we're making a statement that here in Milwaukee our African American history is a critical piece of not just Black history, but America's history," said Alderwoman Milele A. Coggs. The event showcased personal pride alongside collective celebration. Johns wore clothing that reflected his pan-African identity, explaining his choice as a way to honor his heritage."I decided to wear it because I always want to call back to the pan-African nature of my identity and to my Blackness, my African-Americanness and I feel really good about it because I get to be proud of who I am and share that with other people," Johns said.Fellow attendee and city worker Lakeisha Harrison expressed joy at seeing the community come together in celebration."I love to see all the Black people. I like to see people with their Black history shirts. I like to see people dressed up. It's wonderful," Harrison said. For attendees, the celebration represented both personal meaning and community commitment. Johns hopes the interest generated will translate into ongoing community action."To have a city like Milwaukee say we're committed to thiswe see you as Black peopleand that we care really important," Johns said.The city's Black History Month events continue throughout February, with additional community conversations planned.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error ...read more read less