UW-Madison’s Black Student Strike of 1969
In 1969, Black students at UW-Madison called for a campus-wide student strike until administrators agreed to 13 demands. The Black Student Strike lasted for over two weeks in February 1969, putting it among the largest protests in university history. Joined by thousands of white allies, they held rallies to educate the community about racial inequities, […]
Wisconsin Senate Argument Over Dress Code
Chris v. Chris During a Wisconsin Senate session, an argument between Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) and Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) over the dress code broke out on February 16th. After Larson started to speak about a bill, Kapenga interrupted. “Senator from the 7th, under Senate rule eight I’m going to request that you pop your […]
Vel R. Phillips: Certified Bad A$$
Growing up, we hear a lot about Rosa Parks, but you probably haven’t heard anything about Vel R. Phillips. Phillips was the first woman, first Black person, and/or first Black woman to graduate from UW-Madison Law School (1951, first Black woman), serve in Milwaukee’s Common Council (1956, first woman and first Black person), become a […]