Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou is revered today for her work as a poet, writer, actress, dancer, and activist. She was a woman of many talents and her wisdom lives on through her many works of art, most notably, her autobiographies. Angelou was born in 1928 in St. Louis, MO and had a traumatic childhood.

A Pinch of Salt and the One of the Largest Nonviolence Movements in India: The Salt March of 1930

The Salt March was one of the most famous early acts of civil disobedience, led by nonviolence leader Mahatma Gandhi as part of India’s protest to gain freedom from the British. In 1882, the British government implemented the Salt Act which prohibited Indians from collecting or selling salt, forcing them to buy salt from the British instead.

Practicing What He Preaches – Pietro Ameglio’s Nonviolent Pursuit of “Peace with Justice”

Since his death in 1948, Mahatma Gandhi’s employment of civil disobedience has famously inspired some of history’s most prominent freedom fighters, including Nelson Mandela, the Dalai Lama, and Martin Luther King Jr. Gandhi’s name has even become the root of an adjective used for the principles by which he lived.

Para Los Mártires (For the Martyrs) – A Lenca Woman’s Fatal Fight for Environmental Justice

From the start, she spoke with passion and a sense of urgency.  She was accepting the largest award for grassroots environmental activists in the world, and yet she seemed apathetic toward the esteem.  Zeroed in on her cause, she admonished the audience – “¡Despertemos! Despertemos, humanidad.  Ya no hay tiempo” (Let us wake up!  Let us wake up, humankind.  We are out of time).

Vietnam War Protests at UW-Madison

The Vietnam War, fought between 1955-1975, drew attention across the U.S. It was one of the most highly protested wars in history, especially at UW-Madison. A notable protest at UW occurred in April of 1965 with faculty teaching over 1,500 students about the conflict outside of an academic building.