Wisconsin Masonic Center: Casino Night Fundraiser

Tickets On Sale: Madison Black Chamber of Commerce 7th Annual Black Business Awards Dinner 

Madison, WI –  The Madison Black Chamber of Commerce (MBCC) is thrilled to announce that tickets are now available for the 2025 Black Business Awards & Recognition Exhibition, taking place on Thursday, February 20, 2025, at the Monona Terrace. 

This year’s theme, Building Dreams: Honoring the Visionaries Who Build Foundations for Generations to Come, highlights the remarkable contributions of Black-owned businesses in industries like real estate, construction, landscaping, and home improvement.  

The event celebrates these “Dream Builders” for their vital role in strengthening communities, driving economic growth, and inspiring future generations. 

Attendees will enjoy an unforgettable evening featuring: 

• Dream Builders’ Networking Hour to forge meaningful connections 
• Awards Ceremony recognizing excellence in 7+ categories 
• Blueprint Stations showcasing nominees and their achievements 

Tickets are expected to sell out quickly, so don’t wait to secure your spot! Visit https://bbare25.madisonblackchamber.com/ to purchase your tickets today. Individual tickets are available for $150 and tables of 8 are $1,125. 

“The Black Business Awards is more than just an event—it’s a celebration of excellence, resilience, and the visionaries building a brighter future for all of us,” said Camille Carter, President & CEO of the MBCC. “We can’t wait to come together to honor these outstanding leaders and businesses.” 

For more information about the event, sponsorship opportunities, or tickets, please visit: https://bbare25.madisonblackchamber.com/ 

About the Madison Black Chamber of Commerce: The Madison Black Chamber of Commerce is dedicated to promoting economic empowerment and growth for Black-owned businesses in Madison and surrounding communities. Through initiatives like the Black Business Awards, we celebrate achievements, foster connections, and inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs.

For media inquiries, sponsorship opportunities, or ticket purchases, please contact: 
Tiffany Kenney
Director of Communications
Madison Black Chamber of Commerce   
(608) 843-7079 Cell
tiffany@madisonblackchamber.com

Hope & A Future III, Inc.: Assisted living alternative? Madison project aims to prove a new model

At 81, retired teacher Christine Cannon is ready to sell her house and move into the senior condo of her dreams.  

The only problem? That condo doesn’t exist yet.  

She and her husband, Ted, 86, already downsized once, leaving a two-story raised ranch house in Middleton 12 years ago for a stair-free, one-story house nearby.

Their current place has a bigger yard than the old one, a plus for Ted, an avid gardener who maintains the half-acre lot himself.  

Cannon knows her husband won’t always be able to handle all the mowing and yard work. But she’s not interested in the sorts of assisted living or nursing facilities her friends and relatives have moved into.  

“So many people just sit around and kind of waste away,” said Cannon, who swims three mornings a week, volunteers for the Middleton-Cross Plains Performing Arts Center and goes for nature walks with her husband. “They don’t develop their minds and bodies through activities.”  

Instead, she has her eye on the backyard of a 19th century farmhouse on Madison’s west side, where nurse Karin Krause and family educator Paula Reif are working to build an “intentional intergenerational neighborhood” they say would be the first of its kind in Wisconsin.

The 19-unit development, slated to break ground next year at 1115 S. High Point Road, would adjoin Krause and Reif’s existing four-bed assisted living home and be part of the same nonprofit, Hope & A Future. The new buildings would include 15 independent living condos for people 55 and up, four rental units of “workforce housing,” a preschool and an adult day care.

Read more from the Cap Times

Applications for the Winter 2025 Madworks by StartingBlock accelerator are OPEN!

Applications for the Madworks Accelerator 2025 cohort are open now through Friday, February 7. Please share with any founders you know who might be interested. 

Program Dates: March 12 – June 4 (12 weeks). New this year: 4 additional weeks of follow-up programming & mentor sessions in fall 2025.

Calendar: Tentative schedule here.

About: Madworks Accelerator by StartingBlock is an operations – and governance-focused accelerator located in Madison, Wisconsin. We help founders create a strong, sustainable foundation for their growing companies. Get your strategic financials in order, learn to run an effective board meeting, tackle legal issues, learn about raising capital, practice your pitch, and more – all while working with experienced mentors and Madworks & StartingBlock staff. Companies must be based in WI and see a pathway to scalability.

Benefits: Each participating company receives a $5,000 grant and a 1-year membership to StartingBlock, with dedicated space for Madworks companies. Teams have weekly group educational programming and regular mentoring sessions.

Location: In-person at StartingBlock Madison, 821 E. Washington Ave, Madison.

More Information: Expectations and additional details here.

Questions: Reach out to Program Director Susie Younkle, support@madworksaccelerator.org.

Wisconsin Union Theater: Solemn Brigham of Hip-Hop Duo Marlowe Will Perform in Madison on Jan. 30 as Part of Black Box Sessions Series

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 24, 2025

Contact Information:
Shauna Breneman, Public Relations and Communications Officer, Wisconsin Union
Email: sbreneman@wisc.edu
Phone: (608) 262-8862

READ RELEASE ONLINE: union.wisc.edu/about/news/marlowe

SOLEMN BRIGHAM OF HIP-HOP DUO MARLOWE WILL PERFORM IN MADISON ON JAN. 30 AS PART OF BLACK BOX SESSIONS SERIES

MADISON – Solemn Brigham, rap prodigy and half of the acclaimed hip-hop duo Marlowe, will perform selections from Marlowe’s albums in Madison, Wis., on Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. at the Play Circle Theater as part of the Wisconsin Union Theater’s (WUT’s) Black Box Sessions.

Formed in 2017, Marlowe arose from a more than 15-year friendship between Brigham and producer L’Orange. They first worked together during childhood as part of a group known as Lost Artists. Years later, Brigham was featured on L’Orange’s album “The Ordinary Man,” which ultimately inspired the creation of Marlowe.

Marlowe’s first two albums, “Marlowe” and “Marlowe 2” received multiple Album of the Year awards from BBC Radio 6, Yahoo! Entertainment and Amoeba Music and earned the title of #1 hip-hop album in the U.K. on iTunes. In addition, Marlowe was featured in Gatorade’s Olympic campaign in 2021 and video games like NBA 2K22, Saints Row and Fortnite.

Building off of the first album, “Marlowe,” Brigham became more involved in production and style with the duo’s second album, “Marlowe 2.” In an interview with PopMatters, Brigham discussed the themes of identity status and redemption when asked about the creation of “Marlowe 2.”

The album focuses on the inner reflection of the two artists and combines a broad range of emotions with jazz and gospel. Brigham said he wanted to dive further into who he is and speak on how people may be seen versus who they are.

“Marlowe’s music exemplifies what this year’s Black Box Sessions is about: celebrating the history of hip-hop and embracing the boundary pushing innovation happening now in the genre,” said Kate Schwartz, Black Box Sessions curator, Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts Committee programming advisor, and WUT artist services manager.

Through the Black Box Sessions, the WUT team hopes that audiences and artists alike will experience a strong sense of simultaneous nostalgia and novelty. The team designed the series as club-style concerts that occur in WUT’s black box theater, the Play Circle.

Tickets to all WUT performances are available online, in person at the Memorial Union Box Office or by phone at (608) 265-2787. Additional Black Box Sessions events include Smif-N-Wessun on Feb. 13 and Blackway on March 6.

WUT has a more than 80-year history of bringing what’s next now in performing arts to stages in Madison through student-led collaborative artistic direction.

Patrons can visit union.wisc.edu/theater for information about the full season lineup and to purchase tickets to WUT events, such as the performance by Marlowe’s Solemn Brigham on Jan. 30.

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About the Wisconsin Union Theater

For more than 80 years, the Wisconsin Union Theater has served as a center for cultural activity in the heart of the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus. The Theater hosts performances in multiple locations, including Memorial Union, and has an extensive history of remarkable performances. The Wisconsin Union Theater is committed to social justice and works to create an equitable, diverse, and inclusive place for all who engage with the Theater’s programming, events, and activities. The Wisconsin Union Theater is part of the Wisconsin Union, a membership organization that blends study and leisure to create unique out-of-classroom opportunities. Learn more: union.wisc.edu/wisconsin-union-theater.

About the Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts Committee

The Wisconsin Union Directorate Performing Arts Committee is part of the Wisconsin Union’s leadership development program for UW–Madison students and supports the Wisconsin Union Theater’s mission of serving students through the performing arts. By helping to program the Theater’s annual season of performing arts presentations, the students learn about program curation, relationship-building, marketing, communications, budgeting, and production. Learn more: union.wisc.edu/get-involved/wud/performing-arts.