Greetings from the Center for Campus History and happy Black History Month! Get ready because February’s newsletter is packed: new Center research, events, archival finds, book recommendations, and plenty more. 

The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Rebecca M. Blank Center For Campus History is an ongoing effort to expand and enrich UW-Madison’s historical narrative by centering the voices, experiences, and struggles of marginalized groups. As always, if you have a story to share, an event you think should be researched, or a person you think has been overlooked, please email us at centerforcampushistory@wisc.edu.

For seven decades the UW-Madison International Club provided a space for connection and camaraderie among international students on campus, while also seeking to promote understanding across races and nationalities. But as the above quote from their own promotional materials shows, the club existed in an era when racism and cultural stereotypes were the norm on a white American campus. 

In a new article for the CCH’s Siftings, one of the Center’s student researchers dives into the history of the International Club in the 20th century, exploring its lofty ambitions for cross-cultural understanding, its role as an early example of marginalized students creating space for themselves on campus, and how, in some ways, the club actually served to reinforce stereotypes and prejudices. 

Okay, so we know we’re a few days late this year but we really wanted to include this Valentine’s Day photo from the archives. 

According to the caption, the image shows Flora Davidson (Class of 1901) celebrating with classmates at 813 State Street. But honestly, we can’t rule out the possibility that they’re actually having some sort of romantic seance to conjure the ghosts of lovers past. You never know what you’ll find in the UW Archives.

Don’t miss out on music, tradition and community at Wunk Sheek’s annual Winter Round Dance coming up at the end of this month!

Saturday, February 28th – Memorial Union Great Hall

Pipe Ceremony at 5:30 p.m.

Round Dance at 6:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. 

Find out more on Wunk Sheek’s Instagram.

Each month, we like to share one of the many (many… many… ) books that have helped the Center’s research.

This month, we’re recommending The National Alliance of Black Feminists: A History.

In this in-depth study of an overlooked organization, author Ileana Nachescu tells a remarkable story of Black women’s liberation in the Midwest, from the push for the Equal Rights Amendment to connections with queer liberation and the group's erasure from the history of the larger feminist movement.

We get asked a lot of questions about UW history. Each month we’ll answer one in the newsletter. 

This month: This is kinda meta, but I’m curious about the history of Black History Month. How long has it been celebrated, both nationwide and here at UW-Madison specifically? 

The answer: Well, it’s a little complicated. You could say that 2026 is both the 50th and 100th anniversary of Black History Month. The monthlong celebration originally started in 1926 as “Negro History Week”, organized by Dr. Carter G. Woodson as a way to recognize the contributions of Black Americans to the country’s history. After years of activism from educators and students to expand the event, President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976. And as for UW-Madison, the first student-organized, campuswide Black History Month celebration came in 2014 (though there were certainly events and programming in the decades before that.) 

Check out what’s going on as part of this year’s UW-Madison Black History Month here. 

Do you have any burning questions about UW history? Stories or people you think we should look into? Let us know! Email us at centerforcampushistory@wisc.edu. 

Usually Center Director Kacie Lucchini Butcher uses this space to share a book, podcast, movie, quote, or something else she thinks has been adding to the CCH. But this month, CCH Assistant Director Taylor Bailey is filling in. 

So this month From the Desk of KLB TLB: This Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets edited by Kwame Alexander.

This comprehensive and vibrant collection contains poems exploring joy, love, origin, race, resistance, and praise from the most prominent and promising Black poets and writers of our time.