Milwaukee City Wire

Rep. David Bowen attended the Discovery World Gala and gave a shoutout to community leaders advancing tech opportunities for people of color.

"Amazing time last night at the Discovery World Gala 2021! Met Paul @bartolottas possibly the coolest head chef in the city and engaging the amazing professional at the @NM_Financial table! Big shoutout to Sarah Dollhousen-Clark of Tech Community Outreach for NML and @nadiyahjohnson of the Milky Way Tech Hub! Both have a focus on increasing professionals of color in the Milwaukee Tech scene," read a tweet by Bowen.

Discovery World is a children's science museum in Milwaukee that has an aquarium and exhibits such as "clean air trek," "Great Lakes future," "automation everywhere," "physics & you," and "simple machine shipyard." All safety protocols were maintained in the gala. The attendees had to show proof of their COVID-19 vaccination. If they did not have it, then proof of a negative test conducted within 72 hours was made compulsory.

The gala is Discovery World's annual fundraising event. The museum does not receive any public funding. The gala was canceled last year due to COVID. During the pandemic, the museum offered virtual field trips, which over 80,000 students attended. The funding the gala gathered on Nov. 13 will substantially help the restarting of the institution in 2022.

The Milky Way Tech Hub is a network that is striving to help people of color succeed in the tech industry, leading to more economic inclusion and addressing the racial wealth and achievement gaps in Milwaukee. Northwestern Mutual's technology outreach program connects K-12 students with a curriculum to help them explore and learn about opportunities and needs in the tech field.