Hello from the Public History Project and happy Latinx Heritage Month! September’s newsletter celebrates Latinx history at UW-Madison and includes links to project research, events, archival finds, new book recommendations, and more!
The University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Public History Project is a multi-year effort to uncover and give voice to those who experienced, challenged, and overcame prejudice on campus. 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 publichistoryproject@wisc.edu.
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Members of marginalized communities at UW–Madison have long fought for better representation in the classroom and on faculty lists.
As Public History Project researcher Dustin Cohan details in his extensive blog post, the push for Chicano Studies on campus is a prime example of that work and how challenging it can be. Starting in the 1960’s, student efforts to build a Chicano Studies program lasted decades, facing both meager support from university administration and competing visions among Chicanx organizers.
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Members of MEChA discuss the need for Chicano studies at the UW, UW–Madison Archives.
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"Bucky Tejon" flier from 1981, UW–Madison Archives.
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Born in 1949, UW’s Bucky mascot was created by students and has been a campus icon for decades. But what does it mean to be a Badger, especially if you’re part of an underrepresented group on campus? This 1981 archival find shows “ Bucky Tejon” (Tejon is badger in Spanish) donning traditional Mexican cultural clothing on a UW–Madison Student Services Program flier for “The Cesar Chavez: Empowerment Through Education Program.”
It’s an example of the many ways students from different backgrounds claim space as part of the campus community.
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Haven’t made it by the Chazen yet to check out the Project’s new exhibit, Sifting & Reckoning: Sifting & Reckoning: UW–Madison’s History of Exclusion and Resistance? Well there are some stellar events coming up that offer a chance to experience the exhibit and come together with the campus community.
Latinx Heritage Month Night
6:00 pm, September 21, 2022, Chazen Museum of Art.
Join the UW–Madison Latinx Cultural Center and the Public History Project in celebrating Latinx Heritage Month with an exhibit tour focused the history of UW-Madison and the impact that Latinx students, faculty, and staff have had on our campus community. Meal and conversation to follow the tour at the Multicultural Student Center Lounge at the Red Gym.
Student Night
5:00 pm, September 29, 2022, Chazen Museum of Art.
Explore the exhibit and enjoy free food and musical performances from UW’s own First Wave! No advance registration required.
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Each month, we like to share one of the many (many… many…) books that have helped the Public History Project’s research.
Historian Sergio M. González’s succinctly titled Mexicans In Wisconsin delivers what it promises, tracing stories of Mexican immigrants across more than a century of history, from agricultural and factory workers to renowned writers, musicians, and activists who have made their homes in Wisconsin and become a significant and diverse part of this state’s cultural and economic history.
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We get asked a lot of questions about UW history. Each month we’ll answer one in the newsletter. This month, someone wondered: Who was the first Latinx student to attend UW–Madison? Do we know anything about their experience?
The answer: William “Cesar” F. Terrazas was the first known Mexican student at UW–Madison. Graduating in 1906 from the agriculture department, he was an active member of the International Club. The statement he chose to include in his graduating yearbook hints at the solitude he may have felt during his time at the UW: “I traveled among unknown men / In lands beyond the sea; / Nor, Mexico, did I know till then / The love I bore to thee.”
Got a question? Email us uwpublichistoryproject@wisc.edu.
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William “Cesar” F. Terrazas, second from bottom, in the 1906 Badger yearbook, UW–Madison Archives
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Each month the Project's Director, Kacie Lucchini Butcher will share a book, podcast, movie, quote, or something else she think has been adding to the PHP. We're calling it "From The Desk of KLB"
This month From The Desk of KLBL the Tres Cuentos Literary Podcast. It’s a bilingual podcast telling the stories of Latin America’s diverse cultures and histories. It narrates all types of literature and reflects on the historical and cultural aspects of each story. From scary stories to science-fiction, Tres Cuentos shines the spotlight and appreciation on Latin American literature.
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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 publichistoryproject@wisc.edu.
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