About the Event
The Wisconsin Historical Society Speakers Bureau offers an exciting opportunity for our historians, curators and authors to visit your community and share the stories of our great state.
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Trace the diverse journeys of Mexicans to the Upper Midwest and learn about the trials and triumphs of the generations of Mexican immigrants in Mexicans in Wisconsin. From agricultural and factory workers to renowned writers and musicians, the Mexican immigrants who have made their homes in Wisconsin over the past century have become a significant and diverse part of this state’s cultural and economic history. Coming from a variety of educational and professional backgrounds, the earliest Mexican immigrants traveled north in search of better economic opportunities and relief from the violence and economic turmoil of the Mexican Revolution. They found work in tanneries and foundries, and on beet farms where they replaced earlier European immigrant workers who had moved on to family farms. As Mexican immigration has grown to the present day, these families have become integral members of Wisconsin communities, building businesses, support systems, and religious institutions. But their experience has also been riddled with challenges, as they have fought for adequate working conditions, access to education, and acceptance amid widespread prejudice.
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Sergio González, author of Mexicans in Wisconsin, is an assistant professor of Latinx Studies in Marquette University's Departments of History and of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. He received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of History with a dissertation entitled, "'I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me:' Latino Immigration, Religion, and Community Formation in Milwaukee, 1920-1990." His teaching and research interests include U.S. labor and working-class and immigration history and the histories of Chicano and Latinx communities and religion.
