Earlier this month, a horrific, hate-filled video of a UW-Madison student spouting racist slurs, threats, and a desire to own enslaved people began circulating around the UW-Madison community. It didn’t take long for the video and responses to it to go viral online, resulting in a petition for the expulsion of the students involved with the video amassing tens of thousands of signatures.
United States
A Look at Nonviolent Protests by Indigenous People Throughout History
Throughout history, indigenous people have been using forms of nonviolent resistance to protest the atrocities and illegal acts done by the respective federal governments.
Always Been Here – Wisconsin’s History of LGBTQ+ Presence and Activism
In October of 2022, a well-known transphobic political commentator was invited to UW-Madison by a conservative student group and allowed to speak. What followed was an outraged student body, a clash of protestors and insults publicly thrown at university officials who spoke out for trans acceptance. The intensity of the event was felt throughout campus and sparked a discussion about LGBTQ+ presence and resistance throughout Wisconsin history, which this article explores.
Evaluating the Ethical Dimensions of Indigenous Civil Resistance
This essay was written for a class that Gabe took called Ethical Leadership at his UW in London Study Abroad Program. Disclaimer: The following blog post is not a reflection of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s …
Let My People Go: How an American Student Movement Helped Free Over a Million Soviet Jews
Emboldened by the various other grassroots civil rights movements of the 1960’s, young Jews in America banded together to demand the liberation of Soviet Jews. Their platform called for an end to government persecution of Jews, the right to emigrate from the Soviet Union, freedoms of cultural and religious expression, and other human rights.
CORE Set the Foundation
When taught about the civil rights movement the names of Martin Luther King, Ruby Bridges, Rosa Parks, the NCAA, and various others are brought up, but many have never heard of the Congress of Racial Equality or CORE. It is important to understand the impact this group had on civil rights and the fight against discrimination in the United States.
The History of the Women’s Rights Movement
The article examines the history of the protests women and others have used to gain gender equality legally and politically. It focuses on the nonviolent tactics they used that eventually led to the passing of the 19th Amendment.
Dr. Matthew Levin’s Cold War University and UW-Madison’s Legacy of Student Activism
Dr. Matthew Levin’s Cold War University offers a look at the circumstances that surrounded UW-Madison’s burst on to the national scene in the mid 20th century as one of the most politically active campuses in America. Through an interview with Dr. Levin himself and an analysis of his book, this article discusses how Wisconsin’s politically diverse climate, combined with the blending of in-state and out-of-state students informed what would become an epicenter of anti-war and Civil Rights protests.
Student Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam: A Pivotal Moment in Student Protest
The Student Mobilization Committee (SMC) was one of the most influential student-led groups of nonviolent protest in America’s history. The SMC developed clear goals that they adhered to, and their movements were organized and peaceful.
Juno Frankie Pierce: The Untold Story of a Southern Suffragist
Juno Frankie Pierce, more well-known as Frankie Pierce, was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1864. She was the daughter of Frank Seay, a freedman, and Nellie Seay, a former slave to Colonel Robert Allen, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.