In Our Lives’ July Pride in Color issue, we honored Rita Adair as a member of our first annual Pride in Color Hall of Fame, a list of prominent LGBTQ+ community members of color who have made a lasting impact on Wisconsin’s LGBTQ+ community.

Now, Rita Adair is once again making headlines as she works to open Madison’s first woman-centered sports bar on the city’s east side. The new space, called ‘Bernell’s’ will be an homage to Adair’s late wife, Bernell Hooker, who passed away a year ago in August from ovarian cancer.

Hooker is well-known for starting and owning the Milwaukee Aces professional women’s basketball team. “She was also a trailblazer to get WNBA games to come to Wisconsin,” Adair explained. ” The Chicago Sky came to Milwaukee a few times because of her. She was a basketball and soccer coach for over 20 years, went to college for basketball and track, and worked with nonprofits that taught the business of sports.”

“She wanted to teach women who weren’t athletes, but who wanted to be involved in the games, how to be involved on the business end,” Adair went on. “And she was really hyped when women’s basketball started to get more visibility and more equity. Her dream was to own a women-centered sports, bar. So this is her legacy.”

But the bar isn’t just about Hooker’s dream, it’s about visibility of women’s sports in general, Adair explained. “I did a survey in the Madison area and asked a number of bars to turn on women’s sports. Only one place did. They had all kinds of excuses. To me, that was not OK. That really gave me the passion to do this. It fired me up. I just thought I should really make this happen.”

Adair has big plans for Bernell’s: the bar is meant to be women-centered, but they plan to show all sports, not just women’s sports. In addition, the bar will also serve as a live blue’s music venue to honor the history of the Red Rooster, Madison’s only dedicated blue’s stage, which was previously in the same space. She has also partnered with a well-known local chef to create a soul food menu that she hopes to feature.

The project began on firm footing, but unexpectedly ground to a halt when Adair’s financial backer pulled their funding. Adair is now faced with making up the $20,000 deficit in order to cover the necessary expenses to get the business up and running.

Without adequate funding, the dream of honoring Hooker’s legacy may never come to fruition, but Adair says she has faith in her community to help make her dream a reality.

She is asking for donations to help her meet the goal of $20,000 by October 7th.

If you wish to donate, you can do so via CashApp $3Adair or Zelle: Rita Adair, 608-213-1200.