The University of Wisconsin Latinx Heritage Month Planning Committee unveiled “Digging Up Our Roots,” an interactive exhibit showcasing Latinx history of activism and resistance at UW Oct. 9 in the Multicultural Student Center.
The Rebecca Blank Center for Campus History co-hosted the event which included a brief presentation by Center for Campus History Assistant Director Taylor Bailey.
The exhibit included art work, murals, political posters and documentaries created by Mecha de UW and La Raza Unida Party members throughout UW’s history.
Bailey spoke about the role Latinx students and organizations have played on campus and the larger Wisconsin political sphere and the changes groups like Mecha have helped make on campus.
Bailey highlighted the work of students in creating the Chicano Studies department in the 1970s. In 1976, UW established the Chicano Studies department following two years of student activism, according to the program’s website.
La Raza Unida, a political organization on campus, alongside Mecha, aided in this effort by meeting with UW administrators and raising awareness on the importance of a Chicano Studies Department at UW, Bailey said.
“These organizations weren’t just for students organizing politics. There were also spaces where students found community,” Bailey said. “We can think about it as well as … making space for your community to feel welcome and comfortable is actively changing the culture here.”
Mecha, a Registered Student Organization that empowers students through art and community, presented the history of their organization and shared current issues that the group faces at the event.
Mecha will be relocated to the Red Gym due to the demolition of Susan B. Davis Hall and the Zoe Bayliss Cooperative that will begin in November. Their previous three story house is located at 206 Bernard Court.
While in the process of moving out, Mecha contacted the Wisconsin Historical Society about archiving materials from their house with the intention of making an exhibition to showcase their activism, Mecha archive committee co-chair Karla Martinez said.
“The whole situation of having to be relocated really set in motion where are we going to put all these archives because if we have to relocate, more than likely, it is sure the space we will be going to be given is going to be tiny. Mecha has three floors, and all three floors are occupied,” Martinez said.
Alongside the “Digging up our Roots” exhibit, establishing an archives collection at the Wisconsin Historical Society enables the legacy of 206 Bernard Court to continue to empower future generations of students, Martinez said.
“Even though I’m in a predominately white institution, I feel like doing this exhibition has helped … make me more in touch with my roots,” Martinez said. “Just keeping my Mexican culture is really important because it’s my parent’s culture … it definitely has been a big role in my life and how I was raised and how I person I am.”
Latinx History Month Celebrations at UW will conclude with the Latine Ball Oct. 14 at the Pyle Center, where the UW community can gather to celebrate and recognize students, staff and student organizations, according to the event posting.
