Center for Black Excellence and Culture: At Bucks fame, The Center gets high-profile introduction to Milwaukee

Madison, WI – In a major moment in its historic $33 million capital campaign, The Center for Black Excellence and Culture will receive a high-profile introduction to Milwaukee residents this Friday when it is featured at the Milwaukee Bucks game, through a video narrated by one of the most recognizable faces in Milwaukee, former 20-year WISN-TV news anchor Toya Washington.

The promotional opportunity – sponsored by the Milwaukee Bucks Foundation – speaks to the transformational opportunities The Center will provide and how its benefits will uplift the entire region. Black-inspired, Black-designed and Black-led, Madison-based The Center is a first-of-its-kind space that will advance Black excellence by revolutionizing the way that communities can come together to celebrate, collaborate and create solutions. Its historic capital campaign is just $3 million away from securing the funds to break ground debt-free this summer and is backed by an unprecedented coalition of public, private and individual support.

“As someone who has called both Madison and Milwaukee home, I’ve reported on and lived the unique challenges facing Black residents in Wisconsin. That experience is one of many reasons why I’m so excited by the positive change The Center will inspire. I highly encourage everyone to learn more, donate and get involved,” said Toya Washington, former 20-year news anchor at WISN-TV in Milwaukee.

The Center will open at a critical time as Wisconsin grapples with historical racial disparities, with the state and Milwaukee ranking as some of the most racially inequitable places in the U.S. The Center will address this and more by opening the door to greater cultural belonging and celebration and offering a space for professional collaboration, leadership development and incubation of innovation that will benefit communities statewide.

“The Bucks are proud to support and spotlight The Center in Madison for its continued efforts to celebrate and uplift the Black community across Wisconsin,” said Bucks and Fiserv Forum President Peter Feigin.

“This incredible opportunity by the Bucks is a momentous moment for The Center’s capital campaign as momentum grows across the region. As a cultural, professional and community home, The Center will be transformative in changing the narrative about the prosperous opportunities for Black residents to live, work and thrive in Wisconsin,” said Dr. Gee, founder and CEO of The Center.

To learn more about The Center for Black Excellence and Culture, please visit www.TheBlackCenter.org.

About The Center for Black Excellence and Culture: 

The Center for Black Excellence and Culture (The Center) will answer the decades-long absence of cultural space to celebrate and advance Wisconsin’s Black community. Located within the heart of a historically Black neighborhood on Madison’s South side, The Center will be a physical place where Black residents and others throughout the community can gather to plan for and celebrate current and future growth and advancement.

Specifically, The Center will: Celebrate and promote Black excellence; Foster a sense of family and community; Pay tribute to Black history; Nurture and develop Black business and community leaders; Attract, connect and retain Black talent; and Provide the space for conversation, connection and growth.