A UW-Madison Diversity Update | Edition No. 10      February 13, 2019
Ultimatum to the Chancellor -- A group of black students led by Willie Edwards (later Wahid Rashad) brings a list of 13 demands to the chancellor's office. On Feb. 10, 1969, about 250 students, black and white, march across campus. Several hundred rally at Memorial Union. 
UW-Madison's legacy continues to  impact Diversity and Inclusion
 
Patrick J Simms
Patrick J. Sims

Dear Friends, Colleagues and Community,
 
This year our observation of Black History Month and UW-Madison's diversity history is richer than ever.

Wisconsin Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes. Photo by Jeff Miller.
More than 500 participants attended the UW-Madison third annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Day celebration on January 21.  The event noted another historic moment with keynote speaker Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, Wisconsin's first African-American lieutenant governor.  

We're observing the legacy and the promise of the  50th Anniversary of the UW-Madison 1969 Black Student Strike with a special multimedia documentary that captures the voices of alumni who organized and participated in the strike. The now historic event led to changes that resulted in the more diverse and inclusive institution we have today, in particular the Department of Afro-American Studies.   

I share my thoughts on the contemporary diversity and inclusion challenges of educating and developing leaders for a global society in,  "Hate: When ideas are cloaked in cutting words and deeds," an essay written for the Capital City Hues.  

 "...when we take the time to adequately reflect, we come to understand, and perhaps even appreciate, the full range of complexity and provocative possibility that sits within each and every one of us as change agents for social justice. This is precisely why we must take everyday to actively engage King's legacy, especially in the changing contexts of our current cultural, social and political discourse."  
                                                                   -- Patrick J. Sims, MLK Day 2019

Now more than ever, your continuing support and involvement is key to our vision of creating a community where everyone thrives personally and professionally in diverse and interconnected environments on campus and beyond. 
Patrick J. Sims 
Deputy Vice Chancellor for Diversity & Inclusion
Elzie Higginbottom Vice Provost for the 
Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement 
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Campus Events and Announcements 

UW celebrates 2019 Black History Month

Many of the 2019 'Striking B(l)ack: An Unmatched Legacy' Black History Month events will allow the campus to reflect on achievements of the past and the work that remains to be done.  Angela Rye, Esq., will speak  Feb. 20 at 6:30 pm in Varsity Hall. Free and public invited.
1969 Black Student Strike's 50th Anniversary

Fifty years ago on the UW-Madison campus, years of meetings between black students and the administration broke down in February of 1969, leading to the Black Student Strike. Those who organized and protested for increased diversity reflect in their own words.  
Outstanding Women of Color Honored March 5

The UW-Madison Outstanding Women of Color Award Reception honors women of color who are deeply rooted in both the campus and the Madison community through their work toward social justice, service, research and community building.

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