The documentary explores the experiences and achievements of eight LGBTQ+ elders in the Milwaukee area.

The post New film connects across generations to Milwaukee LGBTQ+ trailblazers appeared first on WPR.

The Apostle Islands National Lakeshore will bid farewell this summer to a historic light tower that’s been compromised by storm damage and shoreline erosion on Lake Superior.

The post Once a beacon of light, historic tower in Apostle Islands will be dismantled appeared first on WPR.

A new film commemorates the 50-year anniversary of Hmong families arriving in Eau Claire, featuring the stories of local Hmong refugees who made a life for themselves in the Chippewa Valley.

The post Eau Claire documentary celebrates 50 years of Hmong resettlement appeared first on WPR.

After 86 years, Army Cpl. John “Jack” Ginzl is finally home in Rhinelander. He was buried on Sunday in a public ceremony at Forest Home Cemetery. Ginzl had previously been interred in a military cemetery in Hawaii, in a grave for unidentified soldiers.

The post After 86 years, Rhinelander soldier ID’d and buried at home appeared first on WPR.

The first historic site recognized by the state of Wisconsin has a storied past, told mainly from the perspective of men who owned it. But a new book, “An Elegant Edifice,” tells the stories of the women who lived at Villa Louis in Prairie du Chien and made it what it is.

The post New book highlights the women behind Wisconsin’s first state historic site appeared first on WPR.

A ship that’s been part of Superior’s history since 1896 is celebrating a birthday and welcoming everyone aboard — though it isn’t sailing anywhere.

The post Built to lie low in the water, Superior’s SS Meteor still stands out after 130 years appeared first on WPR.

For thousands of years, a cluster of wooden canoes has lain dormant under Madison’s Lake Mendota. Now, thanks to the work of Wisconsin scientists, those ancient vessels are starting to reveal their secrets.

The post After thousands of years, canoes found in Lake Mendota are starting to reveal their secrets appeared first on WPR.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Applause, laughter and cheering reverberated in a Madison auditorium on Thursday as students raced to answer questions during the African American History Academic Challenge. The annual event, a partnership between the Madison Metropolitan School District and the nonprofit 100 Black Men of Madison, Inc., seeks to enhance appreciation and knowledge of Black history and bolster pride and self-worth.

Student teams representing two high schools and a half-dozen middle schools demonstrated knowledge through challenges focused on key events, figures and themes in African American history. McFarland and Verona middle schools also hold the event, with winners advancing to a regional competition on March 14. That contest determines who represents Madison’s 100 Black Men chapter on a national stage in New York City. 

As the middle school competition unfolded in the Doyle Administration Building, Sennett Middle School teacher Johnny Kennedy pumped her fist as she cheered on the students she coached. 

“I’m so proud of them,” Kennedy said. 

Her group of seventh and eighth graders had practiced since November. Some had competed last year without advancing, but they immediately knew they wanted to try again this year. James C. Wright Middle School ultimately advanced. 

During the separate high school contest that Robert M. La Follette High School won, “Coach O” Anderson, a Madison West High School student engagement specialist, said she learned about the event when her son Micah advanced to the national finals in Las Vegas during his eighth grade year in 2018. 

High schoolers tend to lag behind middle schoolers in participation. Anderson aimed to ramp up the same level of excitement among high schoolers that younger students display. She aims to engage more than just the “usual kids who get the opportunities” — like those already earning A’s in history and taking AP courses. 

“I wanted the regular kids who don’t necessarily see themselves involved like this to have an opportunity,” she said. Her main motivation is watching her students put themselves in “transformational situations,” she added.

African American History Academic Challenge encourages pride, learning among Madison students is a post from Wisconsin Watch, a non-profit investigative news site covering Wisconsin since 2009. Please consider making a contribution to support our journalism.