The sixth annual 414 Day flag unfurling at City Hall is set for 11:15 a.m. on Monday, April 14, and this year the ever-more popular event will spotlight Milwaukee's Native American heritage.
In addition the unfurling of the flag on the tower of Milwaukee's iconic City Hall, the event – which drew more than 1,000 people last year – will include Indian Community School students, community members and a performance of an original song written specifically for the event by Red Lake Nation of Ojibwe musician and composer Joe Rainey.
Audra Two Thunders, Our Ways Coordinator at Indian Community School, and Mayor Cavalier Johnson will lead the countdown to the unfurling.
DJ Zac Christian will be on hand with audio and Bel Air Cantina will serve free breakfast burritos and coffee.
414 Milwaukee, which designed the flag also has a new T-shirt for the occasion. The 414 Marker Tree shirt is inspired by a trail marker tree at Indian Community School and proceeds from sales of the shirt will benefit the school, which also has been given the rights to use the design.
Directional trail marker trees were intentionally shaped by Native Americans as wayfinders.
“Singing our songs and sharing our languages and cultures is important to us every day," says Dr. Mark Powless, Our Ways Director at Indian Community School, "and to be here on 414 Day, representing our school and celebrating who we are as Native people, makes it truly special.”
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
