In 1866, Milwaukeean Ezekiel Gillespie (1818-1892) sued for his right to vote in Wisconsin. At issue was a dispute over the results of an 1849 statewide referendum on black suffrage. Wisconsin’s Supreme Court found in Gillespie’s favor, declaring that African-American men had legally held the right to vote in Wisconsin since 1849...
Read moreDid you know that in the early decades of the 20th century Wisconsin was home to a small record company that made a huge contribution to American music and culture by recording blues performers from Chicago and throughout the American South, such as Ma Rainey, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Charley Patton, Skip James, and other blues greats?
Read moreMilwaukee Public Library's Historic Photo Collection contains newly digitized photographs of the Civil Rights movement in Milwaukee!
Read moreAs the feature film Selma contends for the Best Picture Oscar at this month's Academy Awards ceremony, it is a good time to also remember Milwaukee's civil rights history. In the mid- to late 1960s, Milwaukee was a hotbed of the Civil Rights Movement, earning the nickname that gave rise to the book titled The Selma of the North: Civil Rights Insurgency in Milwaukee, by…
Read moreCelebrate Black History Month by watching the new documentary on Vel Phillips, Dream Big Dreams, which will debut on television February 16th.
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