UMOS canceled their annual Mexican Independence Parade And Festival for September 2025 citing federal funding constraints (restrictions).
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
August 28, 2025
Thursday, August 28, 2025
UMOS Canceled The Annual September Mexican Independence Parade And Festival 2025 In Milwaukee Due To Projected Federal Funding Constraints
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
"Culture Of Fear And Retaliation" Practiced Under MATC President Anthony Cruz, Elimination Of The Multicultural Affairs Office Sparks Protests And Demands To Reinstate 4 Fired Student Services Specialists
Students and workers at the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) have lost confidence in MATC President Cruz and want his investure postponed.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
August 27, 2025
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Tuesday, the majority of Milwaukee Area Technical College Board of Trustees voted to limit speakers to 3 minutes instead of the usual 5 minutes allowed for those who signed up to address the elimination of the Multicultural Affairs Office and termination of 4 student services specialists. Some of the speakers accused the MATC Human Resources of lack of transparency and not giving prior notice to employees regarding wage reduction up to 7% for part time instructors and eliminating positions without allowing employees to be reassigned to other available positions as practiced in the past without being terminated. In this case, the 4 employees of color that were fired seemed to have been blatantly discriminated and legal action is being considered, if their employee rights were violated at the technical college, according to MATC AFT Local 212 union sources.
Floyd C. Griffin III, the African-American student services specialist at the Multicultural Affairs Office whose position was eliminated alleged that many of MATC's Black administrators who decided to eliminate his job and the Multicultural Affairs Office have created a "culture of fear and retaliation" at the technical college under the leadership of MATC President Dr. Anthony Cruz. Griffin III stated, "Many of the leaders driving this decision are themselves leaders of color. This is not just about race in the simplistic sense, it is about a culture of fear and retaliation that's overtaken this institution...Eliminating multicultural specialists here does not just undermine the department, it undermines the trust of our entire community."
Griffin III also asked the Board why wasn't he and three other staff members who were terminated not reclassified, or reassigned to other available positions at the college? The fired employees were encouraged by human resources to reapply for jobs positions, if they qualified, all of the fired employees have credible advisory experience.
According to MATC, only the manager and international service specialist from the Multicultural Affairs Office were allowed to transferred to the newly created Office of Community Impact, both are Hispanic, according to MATC sources.
On August 20, Michael Rogers, the Vice-President of Student Engagement and Community Impact notified MATC employees that the Multicultural Affairs Office was being eliminated and replaced by Office of Community Impact under the direction of Dr. Cruz, but it didn't mention that 4 student services specialists were being terminated without being given the opportunity to be reclassified, or transferred to other available positions on campus.
Christine Neumann-Ortiz, the executive director of Voces de la Frontera told the Board that MATC never included any participation from members of the community in discussions regarding the proposed elimination of the Multicultural Affairs Office.
Dr. Cruz held multiple listening sessions in the Milwaukee area about his 5-year plan for MATC, but he never brought up that he had decided to eliminate the Multicultural Affairs Office in order to comply with Trump's elimination of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) practices at educational institutions, and if institutions failed to comply, they would lose federal funding, which three federal courts have ruled that the threat of losing federal funding for not complying with the elimination of DEI was unconstitutional and illegal.
On Tuesday, dozens of students, employees, alumni and community of color representatives protested the elimination of the Multicultural Affairs Office and demanded for MATC to reinstate the 4 fired employees of color.
Also, the protesters are demanding for the investure of Dr. Cruz by the Board to be postponed indefinitely due to a lack of confidence by MATC employees, students and members of the communities of color.
On Wednesday, Carlos Aranda, the Counselor at the MATC Campus in Milwaukee began to circulate an email directed at the MATC Board of Trustees.
The circulated email reads as follows: Dear Members of the District Board of Milwaukee Area Technical College, August 26 was a significant day for our institution and community. We witnessed African-American, Asian-American, Latino, and Native-American voices unite to call for justice in response to decisions that reflect unilateral control, systemic oppression, and abuse of power.
On August 19, 2025, four Student Services Specialists—a Native American employee, an African American employee, a Latino employee, and an Asian American employee—received termination letters without any consideration of alternatives such as reassignment, retraining, or lateral transfer, as required by applicable policy. These letters were issued by Mr. Michael Rogers, Vice President of Student Engagement and Community Impact.
This same Vice President has previously denied Fair Work Arrangement (FWA) requests to his staff, while similar positions in other departments were approved. The individuals most affected by these actions have consistently been women of color. These concerns were previously raised with both the President and the Board, in writing and verbally, yet no corrective action was taken. There is a documented history of decisions that have disproportionately harmed women of color and other minority employees. The recent termination of these four employees, approved by the President, has now caused profound harm.
As a mental health provider, I must underscore that this pattern of behavior is severely impacting the psychological safety and well-being of employees. Just last week, MATC Public Safety was dispatched for a wellness check on one of the employees who was terminated. The termination letters sent to these individuals—all people of color—contained language that fails to align with MATC's WeCare standards and principles of respect and dignity in the workplace. This is deeply unethical and inconsistent with the values our college stands for.
Who advised the President to proceed in this manner? These decisions represent a serious failure to uphold ethical and professional standards, exposing MATC to reputational harm and further eroding trust among employees and the communities we serve.
With respect and a focus on integrity, I request the following immediate actions:
1. Reinstatement of the four terminated employees without delay.
2. A transparent, independent investigation into the decision-making process, including those who advised or approved these actions.
3. Accountability measures for all individuals responsible, including the Vice President named above and any current managers found to have engaged in unethical conduct.
The credibility of MATC and the trust of our diverse community are at stake. Inaction is not an option. Please confirm when these employees will be reinstated and what steps will be taken to ensure accountability and prevent future harm, Aranda wrote in the email.
The students and the communities of color want the 4 fired student services specialists reinstated as soon as possible.
HNNUSA article link: https://tinyurl.com/h8fvxp44
Live streaming of the MATC Board of Trustees, August 26, 2025 link (First 50 minutes of board meeting open for public comments): https://www.youtube.com/live/lqQncZsBrl4
Milwaukee Homeowner Released Video Showing Alleged Frustrated City Sanitation Worker Trashing Alley With Recycling Items
A homeowner says, she hasn't heard back from the City of Milwaukee Public Works Sanitation after contacting them and complaining about a sanitation worker trashing their side of the alley and taking their blue top recycling bin.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
August 27, 2025
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - A Milwaukee homeowner who wants to stay anonymous contacted Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) on Wednesday after the City of Milwaukee Public Works Sanitation department failed to return their call after complaining that a sanitation worker threw (trashed) recycling items back to the property and then taking the recycling bin, and to date haven't replaced it.
According to the homeowner at the 2700 block of S. 47 Street, she told HNNUSA that her recycling bin had vanished from the ally located between S. 47 and S. 48 Streets from W. Montana St. and W. Cleveland Ave around 10:47 a.m. on August 6th, but when she reviewed her rear garage video surveillance camera, she saw that the sanitation worker seemed frustrated and was trashing their side of her property with recycling items and then saw the sanitation worker place the recycling bin in the Milwaukee Waste Management truck number 32567.
The homeowner confirmed that the sanitation worker failed to pick up what he trashed in the alley. She released the video to HNNUSA to publish.
Monday, August 25, 2025
MATC President Anthony Cruz Facing "We Have No Confidence In MATC President" By Workers, Students, Instructors And Latino Community After Multicultural Affairs Office Eliminated
Widespread backlash from local communities of color ignited after MATC President Cruz eliminated the Multicultural Affairs Office and firing 4 student service specialists at the technical college.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
August 25, 2025
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - Controversy ignites in the Latino community in Milwaukee after MATC President Anthony Cruz approved the elimination of the Multicultural Affairs Office and its services to students of color, also firing 4 student service specialists, which former MATC Board member Tony Baez responded to Darryl Morin's Facebook post surrounding Cruz's action to close the Multicultural Affairs Office at the Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC).
MATC President Cruz is now facing "We Have No Confidence In MATC President" protest by workers, students, instructors and the Latino Community after the Multicultural Affairs Office was recently eliminated and its staff members fired with no recourse to be transferred to other open positions available at the technical college.
In most instances, when certain jobs are eliminated, the employees are given the option to transfer or their job title position is adjusted without being terminated, which in case, all of the staff members (people of color) from the Multicultural Affairs Office were fired (losing seniority) and must reapply for other available positions at the technical college, if they qualify. The alleged discriminatory practice by the MATC Human Resources office is being sanctioned by MATC President Cruz and the MATC Board of Trustees.
The Latino, Black, Asian and the Native-American communities are demanding for those who were unfairly terminated to be reinstated immediately.
The following message was sent out by organizers working to reinstate the terminated employees of the Multicultural Affairs Office, "We are calling on all members of the MATC community—past and present—to join us at the upcoming protest to demand justice for employees of color who were terminated by the MATC administrators."
"It's time for us to stand together, raise our voices, and make sure our concerns are heard. Whether you are an alum, a current student, or a supporter of the cause, your presence matters. Let's unite for change!
"We are requesting the reinstatement of the affected employees and the termination of the manager.
“Accountability before celebration — postpone the investiture of Dr. Cruz until voices are heard.
“We need equity and shared governance before any presidential celebration.”
The AFT Wisconsin also sent a letter to union members of Local 212 (MATC) saying, "Milwaukee Area Technical College President Dr. Anthony Cruz has made the devastating decision to eliminate the entire Office of Multicultural Affairs and its dedicated staff. For years, this office has been a crucial support system for students of color, first-generation students, and other marginalized groups. This move is a clear show of cowardice in our national political climate and a step backward for an institution that should be leading the way."
Members of the MATC Local 212 have raised more than 800 signatures in a circulating petition.
The Save Multicultural Affairs at MATC – Reinstate Staff NOW petition on Change dot org has raised more than 1,021 signatures at link: https://www.change.org/p/save-multicultural-affairs-at-matc-reinstate-staff-now
HNNUSA broke the story, article link: https://tinyurl.com/2ku26vsh
Students, instructors and those fired by MATC including other supporters will address the full MATC Board of Trustees on Tuesday, August 26, 2025 at 4:00 p.m., downtown campus room M210 located at 700 W. State Street in Milwaukee.
Issues to be addressed by speakers in front of the MATC Board if Trustees:
• The closure of the Multicultural Office
• The wrongful and unethical termination of four employees of color
• A culture of intimidation and retaliation
Live streaming of the MATC Board of Trustees, August 26, 2025 link (First minutes of board meeting open for public comments): https://www.youtube.com/live/lqQncZsBrl4
18-year-old Moses Xavier Martinez Found Guilty For The Double Homicide Of Isaac Rodriguez-Duarte, 15, And Diego Francisco Herrera-Mejia, 16, In Milwaukee
Martínez is facing two life terms without the possibility of parole for the double homicide of Isaac Rodriguez-Duarte, 15, and Diego Francisco Herrera-Mejia, 16, in the Southside Milwaukee.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
August 25, 2025
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On August 14, Moses Xavier Martínez, 18, was found guilty for the June 15, 2024 double homicide of Isaac Rodriguez-Duarte, 15, and Diego Francisco Herrera-Mejia, 16, and shooting of Emily Rocha, 14, at the 900 block of W. Manitoba Ave. in the Southside of Milwaukee, according to Milwaukee County court records.
A jury found Martínez guilty for two felony counts of 1st-degree intentional homicide including use of dangerous weapon, 1st-degree recklessly endangering safety including use of a dangerous weapon, and operating a vehicle to flee/elude an officer.
Martínez is facing up to two life terms in prison without the possibility of parole for each count of 1st-degree intentional homicide, and facing up to 12 years and 5 months in prison for 1st-degree recklessly endangering safety and fines up to $25,000, or both when he is sentenced on October 16, 2025.
According to the criminal complaint, Martínez allegedly shot at Rodriguez-Duarte, Herrera-Mejia after a brief altercation, and Martínez then fled in an electric scooter. Rocha who is Herrera-Mejia's cousin was also shot by Martínez.
Rodriguez-Duarte, Herrera-Mejia and Rocha were attending Herrera-Mejia's 16th Birthday party, when they decided to take a walk with other party participants when they were soon confronted by Martínez and another male suspect who were passing by in an electric scooter. A brief argument ignited and Martínez took out a handgun and then intentionally shot at the victim's.
Rodriguez-Duarte was pronounced deceased at the crime scene and Herrera-Mejia was later pronounced deceased at Froedtert Hospital.
Saturday, August 23, 2025
29-year-old Gustavo Rojas Recovering At Local Hospital After Losing Part Of His Lower Right Leg In Motorcycle-Vehicle Crash In Milwaukee
Rojas says that he has a long road to recovery after losing his right lower leg on his birthday when he was struck by a 19-year-old female driver who ran a stop sign and then fled.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
August 23, 2025
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Friday, Gustavo Rojas, 29, continued to recover at a local hospital after losing the lower part of his right leg on August 20, 2025. Rojas says, that he was driving his motorcycle when he was struck by a vehicle that drove through a stop sign without stopping at N. 27 Street and W. Medford Ave. around 2:15 p.m. in Milwaukee, and during the impact, he lost (amputated) the lower right leg and doctors couldn't save it. The female driver of the vehicle didn't stop and fled the scene. She was identified as Chamari Williams, 19, and was taken into custody on Friday and booked at the Milwaukee County jail pending several criminal charges.
The crash happened on Rojas' birthday.
According to Rojas, he was headed to eat with his family when he was struck by Williams, his motorcycle was totaled.
According to reports, Williams allegedly took her boyfriend's vehicle without permission and was speeding at the time of the crash. Her mother on Friday took Williams to local police so she could turn herself in.
A 19 second social media video posted on Facebook by ES Leadthawave Ringo that went viral shows Rojas removing his t-shirt and using it as a tourniquet on his leg to stop the bleeding, which saved his life. Other individuals also rushed to aid Rojas.
Rojas gave permission to Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) to post the short video by ES Leadthawave Ringo.
Rojas wants to thank everyone who has been supporting him throughout this trauma.
Rojas created a GoFundMe to help him with medical expenses and other costs as he recovers. Link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-gustavo-heal-after-hitandrun-tragedy
Update: On August 25, 2025, Chamari Williams was criminally charged with two felony counts, hit-and-run causing great bodily harm and knownly operating a vehicle without a license causing great bodily harm.
Thursday, August 21, 2025
Dr. Cruz And The MATC Board Allegedly Trashed The Multicultural Affairs Office And Its Staff Affecting Black, Hispanic, Asian And Native American Students, To Comply With Trump’s End Of DEI
Bonds-Jones, Vice-President of the Milwaukee Area Technical College Human Services, in an email says, that the elimination of the Multicultural Student Service Specialist staff would comply with the U.S. Department of Education guidelines "that prohibits positions with duties that provide services exclusively to students based on race or ethnicity."
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
August 21, 2025
Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Wednesday, Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC) Laquitha Bonds-Jones, Vice-President of Human Resources in an email shared by sources with Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA), in the email, she confirmed that four Student Service Specialist staff positions, including the Multicultural Affairs have been eliminated to comply with the U.S. Department of Education guidelines "that prohibits positions with duties that provide services exclusively to students based on race or ethnicity. The four student service specialist roles in question were designed solely to serve students of a specific race/ethnic group. Because those roles could not be restructured to comply with the guidance, the duties themselves were eliminated, and the positions tied to them no longer exist."
Apparently, MATC President Anthony Cruz and the full MATC Board are on board to cut any student services that were previously established for the underserved minority community and students (Blacks, Hispanics (Latinos), Asian, and Native American) based on race and ethnicity, in order to help attract recruitment and to retain them at MATC.
The four student service specialists staff members in the Multicultural Affairs include African-American, Mexican-American, Asia-American, and Native-American. These positions have been eliminated permanently and none of the staff members that were abruptly fired have not been offered alternative positions at MATC causing a backlash and major concerns by MATC instructors, workers and students.
The four staff members of the Multicultural Affairs received letters of termination and gave them a 30-days notice by the MATC human resources. The fired employees were encouraged to apply for any of the two positions in the newly created Office of Community Impact office, or apply for any open position at MATC for which they would qualify.
In the termination letter sent to the student service specialists that were terminated, MATC wrote that they were restructuring the Multicultural Affairs Office and replacing it with the new Office of Community Impact, which didn't say that those terminated would be allowed to transfer to the new office being created.
HNNUSA has learned that the the MATC Union (American Federation of Teachers -Local 212), is suing MATC for all the illegal practices taken under Dr. Cruz leadership.
According to a source, the MATC faculty union, AFT Local 212, has strongly opposed the cuts and is calling attention to a deeper issue: the lack of shared governance at the college. Union leaders argue that decisions of this magnitude – which directly impact students and faculty – are being made behind closed doors without input from the broader campus community.
Instructors have also voiced frustration about broader workplace issues, including harassment, retaliation against whistleblowers, and the college’s failure to promote long-serving part-time instructors into full-time roles. The union has stressed that the elimination of multicultural services represents not only a setback for equity but also a troubling erosion of collaborative decision-making between administration, faculty, and staff.
Bonds-Jones wrote in the MATC email, "We recognize that our handbook outlines that longevity is to be considered when eliminating interchangeable positions with the same title. In this case, however, all of the positions were impacted and were program-specific and functionally distinct from other student service specialist roles within the department. Longevity does not apply when an entire category of work is eliminated. The other Student Service Specialist - International role is not considered the same because it has a broader scope of responsibility with a unique specialization (ie. knowledge of immigration laws, experience with H1B visa and immigration status, initiation of I-20's through Homeland Security [SEVIS] etc.). Therefore there are no equivalent positions into which individuals could "bump."
"While position eliminations at MATC are relatively infrequent, we, (as we have been in the past), were consistent with the application and interpretation of the layoff procedure. We know these changes are difficult, and we want to reiterate that this decision was not based on performance or years of service, but in compliance with federal guidance, the structural design of the positions, and business needs. Moving forward, our focus will be on student engagement and success strategies that serve all students equitably.
"We remain committed to supporting both employees and students during this transition," Bonds-Jones wrote in the email.
Sources indicate that MATC President Cruz and members of the MATC Board seemed to comply and support Trump's elimination of DEI without making a stand against Trump, because Cruz nor the full MATC Board have stood against Trump's discriminatory Executive Order eliminating DEI and ordering the U.S. Department of Education to provide guidance prohibiting positions with duties that provide services exclusively to students based on race or ethnicity.
The U.S. Department of Education and Trump's threat to withhold federal funding from educational institutions who continue to practice DEI is illegal and infringe in the educators free speech in the classrooms, according to multiple federal court rulings in Maryland, New Hampshire and Washington D.C., according to edreformnow dot org.
According to Wisconsin state statues: 2024 Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 38 - Technical college system.
38.001 - Mission and purpose.
Under this statue it states that the principal purpose of technical colleges in the state is to (e) provide education and services which address barriers created by stereotyping and discriminating and assist individuals with disabilities, minorities, women, and the disadvantaged to participate in the work force and the full range of technical college programs and activities.
The elimination of the Multicultural Affairs Office can be considered a violation of MATC's mission and purpose.
MATC has not made it public yet and have not informed the Black, Hispanic, Asian and Native-American communities that the Multicultural Affairs office and its four student service specialists have been permanently eliminated.
At least 60% of the student enrollment at MATC are minority.
A petition has been created to save and reinstate the office and staff of the Multicultural Affairs at MATC https://chng.it/KZHjtFfv5P
Editor's note: HNNUSA has learned that multiple MATC students, some instructors and the four fired student service specialists from the Multicultural Affairs Office are expected to address the full MATC Board of Trustees on Tuesday, August 26, 2025, at 4:00 p.m., room M220, downtown campus located at 700 W. State Street in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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