A new digital exhibit by the 51ΑΤΖζ Libraries documents the history of Hispanic activism at the university and Milwaukee overall, including a 1970 protest on campus demanding more support for the Latinx community.
The demonstrations led to the creation of what is now known as the Roberto Hernandez Center, which is dedicated to serving Hispanic students at 51ΑΤΖζ and the Hispanic population overall in southeastern Wisconsin. The center is who helped to lead the 1970 protest.
More than five decades later, a called βThe Roberto Hernandez Center: El Movimiento,β created by 51ΑΤΖζ archivist Abigail Nye, is one of the additions to the updated Latino Activism Digital Collection at the university. Other new items include with prominent members of the Hispanic community who have ties to the university, and more that date back to the early β70s.
βWe truly believe that the story of Latinx activism at 51ΑΤΖζ and what transpired back in 1970 is the history of Milwaukee too,β said Alberto Maldonado, director of the Roberto Hernandez Center.
Staff from the center and library worked together to assemble the collection, which is now accessible online, though organizers continue to work on the project ahead of an event at the Golda Meir Library on Oct. 21 to showcase the new material. The updates will include Spanish language metadata to go with descriptions written in English.
Organizers also will ask community members to help them to identify subjects in photos so that they can be added to the record, said Ann Hanlon, head of digital collections and initiatives for 51ΑΤΖζ Libraries.
The Latino Activism Digital Collection update is two years in the making after the idea first arose out of planning for the Roberto Hernandez Centerβs 50th anniversary in 2020.
βThis is a labor of love,β Maldonado said. βThe impetus for our celebration was looking at our history and making sure that our history was accurate and inclusive of all the parts.β
