Sesquicentennial snapshot

Sesquicentennial snapshot African American students gather in a UW–Madison residence hall room in the early 1970s. At the peak of America’s civil-rights movement, UW- Madison opened a new chapter on the African-American experience. The creation in 1970 of an Afro-American studies department gave UW a genuine reflection of America’s ethnic diversity, with courses that spanned the liberal arts and social sciences. While many Afro-American programs later stumbled, UW’s thrived, adding a master’s degree in 1980 and teaching a new generation of students about African-American history, literature, folklore, art and music. (Photo courtesy UW–Madison Archives)