Black History Month in Wisconsin

[dgridley]

February is Black History Month. Join us as we explore and celebrate Black history as it relates to the state of Wisconsin.

Black History Month

African Americans have a long and varied history in Wisconsin, having been here long before WWI, the Civil War, before the Germans and the Yankees and even the lead miners had arrived in Wisconsin.

The Wisconsin Historical Society possesses one of the nation’s largest research collections on African American history.

Black History at the Wisconsin Historical Society

Here are some significant landmarks relating to Black History and Wisconsin:

1746: French Captain De Velie has a black servant with him when he confronts the Fox Indians at Green Bay [Grignon, 204-205]

Seventy-two years' recollections of Wisconsin - Wisconsin Historical Society

1791 or 1792: Two African American fur traders settle among the Menominee at Marinette [Grignon, 265]

Seventy-two years' recollections of Wisconsin - Wisconsin Historical Society

1830s: Slaves are brought to southwest Wisconsin by lead miners from the South.
Davidson, J. N.
Negro slavery in Wisconsin and the underground railroad - Wisconsin Historical Society

1842: The first fugitive slave escapes through Wisconsin:

Recollections of Lyman Goodnow. - Wisconsin Historical Society

1861: Janesville residents refuse to give up a fugitive slave

He Came for the Slave. Janesville's War-Time History Recalled by the Death of William A. Eager. - Wisconsin Historical Society

1888: A Wisconsin commander of black troops from New York reviews the history of African American soldiers in the Civil War

The Negro in the War - Wisconsin Historical Society

1870: The history of two rural black settlements in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Historical Society Press

1923: An African American baseball team tours Wisconsin

More than a game: Gilkerson's Union Giants - Wisconsin Historical Society

1924: The Ku Klux Klan rallies in Madison

Thousands witness parade of Klan

1966: Pictures and documents from civil rights movement in Milwaukee in the 1960s

Selma of the North: Milwaukee and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s - Wisconsin Historical Society

1968-2000: The State of Public School Intergration

http://www.s4.brown.edu/schoolsegregation/desegregationdata.htm

[dgridley]

The Black Heritage in Milwaukee Project

The Black Heritage in Milwaukee Project was sponsored by UW-Extension Arts Development Department and was funded by the Wisconsin Humanities Committee. The project was completed in April of 1981 with intent to serve as a map of resources for students of Wisconsins African American History.

The Black Heritage in Milwaukee Project - Wisconsin Black Historical Society and Museum - African American Heritage and Culture Resource

[dgridley]

On October 1, 1948, the city of Milwaukee hired its first African¬ American firefighter - his name was William Emerson Curry. Curry, a World War II veteran and family man, had no idea that he would make history as Milwaukee's first African-American firefighter paving the way for many and creating the gateway to civil rights struggles and triumphs for Milwaukee's public service sector. He was quoted in a previous interview saying, "I was simply looking for a job. "

Our Brothers Under Fire - Wisconsin Black Historical Society and Museum - African American Heritage and Culture Resource

[dgridley]

America’s Black Holocaust Museum (ABHM) in Milwaikee, WI exists to educate the public of injustices suffered by people of African American heritage, while providing visitors with an opportunity to rethink their assumptions about race and racism.

ABHM welcomes visitors of all races and backgrounds, and encourages “community” understanding of the nation’s history of racism, prejudice, social change and cross-cultural understanding.

Welcome to America's Black Holocaust Museum

[dgridley]

King Kumanzi of the Universal Zulu Nation speaks with children in Milwaukee at a Black History event held on Milwaukee's South side at the Milwaukee Christian Center. Feburary 23, 2007

YouTube - King Kumanzi Celebrates Black History Month

YouTube - King Kumanzi Celebrates Black History Month

[dgridley]

Tour of Milwaukee Museum

YouTube - Tour of Milwaukee Museum

YouTube - Tour of Milwaukee Museum

[keith]

Great stuff, Dave. Thank you.

Regards,
Keith