Art is a vehicle for memory, change, and community, just like water. Earlier this year, Milwaukee Water Commons (MWC) put this into practice, inviting our friends and neighbors to join us in imagining together how rivers connect us all.
On Juneteenth Day 2026, a river flowed through the heart of Milwaukee—not in its usual channel, but through city streets, carried by community. Watching our 30-foot Walking River make its way through Milwaukee’s 55th Annual Juneteenth Day Celebration, I felt a wonderful sense of gratitude. Made from reclaimed fabric, ribbon mesh, and pallet wrap, our Walking River honored not only the history of Juneteenth but also the enduring truth that water and freedom have always been intertwined.
This year marked Milwaukee Water Commons‘ (MWC) first time participating in one of the nation’s oldest and longest-running Juneteenth celebrations, and I had the privilege of helping bring our Arts & Culture Initiative to life in a way that felt both joyful and deeply personal. The parade theme, Honoring the Past, Embracing the Future, felt perfectly embodied by our 30-foot Walking River.
honoring the past: water is freedom
My family has celebrated Juneteenth for as long as I can remember. Long before it became a federal holiday, we understood what this day represented. It was about honoring those who endured, celebrating how far we have come, and remembering that freedom is something every generation is called to protect. This year, four generations of my family walked alongside me carrying the Walking River, making the experience even more meaningful.
As we moved through the Milwaukee streets, I found myself thinking about the more than two and a half years it took for news of Emancipation to reach the last enslaved people in Galveston, Texas. Freedom had been declared, yet thousands remained enslaved because they had not been told they were free. That truth has always stayed with me. It reminds me that freedom must do more than exist on paper; it must reach people, be experienced, and continue to move forward.
Perhaps that’s why the message of our Walking River felt so right: Water is Freedom.
Throughout history, rivers have carried people toward possibility. They have served as pathways, places of refuge, and sources of life. Water connects neighborhoods, cultures, and generations, much like the ongoing pursuit of justice connects us across time.
arts and culture for connection to water
One of the reasons I enjoy leading our Arts & Culture Initiative is that it gives me opportunities to create experiences where people do not just learn about water, they feel connected to it. We use art to help people experience water beyond facts and data that don’t speak to the heart or home. The Walking River became one of those moments. It reminded me that art can help us understand something our heads already know but our hearts sometimes forget: water connects us all.
During our Community Art Build Day, neighbors, artists, staff, and volunteers gathered around tables to paint banners, draw and cut out fish, sew flowing shades of blue, and imagine what freedom might look like if it flowed through a city. Together, we created more than a parade installation, we created a shared expression of belonging.
One of my favorite moments came when I invited marchers and onlookers to join me.
I called out, “We are Water!” and voices echoed back from both sides of the street.
Then came, “When I say WATER…” and more responded, “FREEDOM!”
Suddenly, people were not just watching the Walking River, they were helping carry its message. I smiled because, for a few moments, strangers were not standing on opposite sides of a parade route. They were speaking the same language. That is what art can do. It can create belonging before people even realize it is happening. I wanted the crowd to do more than admire the Walking River. I wanted them to become part of it.
embracing the future
On that hot day, as we travelled the parade route, we misted people with water as we walked. It was such a simple gesture, but it struck me that people were not just hearing our message, but they were feeling it too. Laughter spread just as quickly as the mist. Water became something we experienced together. The Walking River reminded me that protecting water is ultimately seeing ourselves in one another, and that caring for water is ultimately about caring for and protecting one another.
As the parade came to an end, I realized we had carried much more than a river. We had carried history, creativity, hope, and the belief that when communities come together with imagination and purpose, they can create lasting change.
Like water itself, freedom is always moving. My hope is that the waves we created together continue to flow through our city and beyond to connect people, inspire stewardship, and remind us that water is freedom. Because where water flows, life flourishes. And where communities come together, freedom continues to move forward.
What’s next?
Felice Green is a member of our Color of Water directory, a community of water experts of color across the United States. If you need an expert to interview, a speaker for your event, or a source to inform an article, check out the directory here. Know someone who would be a good fit for our community? They can register here.
