February is Black History Month and many Wisconsinites may not be aware of the deep history African Americans have in building Wisconsin. The hard work of slaves did not earn them the same benefits of their white counterparts and Black men were forbidden to exercise their voice through voting.
According to University of Wisconsin Associate Professor of Afro-American Studies Christy Clark-Pujara, Black history and Black people in Wisconsin predates what became the state in the 1720s. Black people in Wisconsin were brought in by French fur traders some were free, others were enslaved.
“You have small pockets of Black people so it’s not a torrent of people. We’re talking about dozens of people, hundreds of people and then thousands of people in the period that I study,” Clark-Pujara said. “It’s an experience that is both oppressive and progressive.”
Friday, December 18, 2020
Brits may not have been first off the mark in print, in comparison with some of our neighbours, but their contribution to the craft has nevertheless been great
The printing industry is not always good at honouring its past: the inventions, processes, products or the people. That is a pity because it is the men and women of the past that have brought the industry to where it is today, just as it is the individuals of today who will shape the printing industry of tomorrow. We do not move forward in isolation, today we build on what happened yesterday and we have much cause to give thanks to our forerunners.