Settlin’
Stories of Madison’s Early African American Families
Muriel Simms
An essential history that preserves and celebrates the lives and experiences of a vital and often-overlooked community.
264 pages, 6 x 9, 64 b&w photos
Paperback: $18.95 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-885-0
Ebook: $12.99 | ISBN: 978-0-87020-886-7
Publication Date: 11/28/2018
-
Description
Only a fraction of what is known about African American settlers in the Midwest and the vibrant and cohesive communities they formed has been preserved in traditional sources. The rest is contained in the hearts and minds of their descendants. Seeing a pressing need to preserve these experiences, lifelong Madison resident Muriel Simms collected the stories of twenty-five African Americans from Madison, Wisconsin, whose families arrived, survived, and thrived here in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
In gathering these stories through interviews and oral histories, Simms found that while some Black residents struggled to find work, housing, and acceptance, the people describe a supportive and enterprising community that formed churches, businesses, and social clubs—and frequently came together in the face of adversity and conflict. This important study of an underrepresented community helps to fill out our understanding of the history of the city and the state.
Appendices, notes, and an index make this book a vital resource for future scholars of Wisconsin's Black history.
Author Bio
Muriel Simms is a lifelong Madison resident and longtime educator in the Madison Metropolitan School District. She received her doctorate from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 2002 and served as an adjunct faculty member in the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership at Edgewood College.
Settlin’
Stories of Madison’s Early African American Families
Muriel Simms
264 pages, 6 x 9, 64 b&w photos
To purchase a copy, follow the links below or visit your favorite bookseller.
Related Books
Contact Us
Have Questions?
Reach out!Last Updated: June 5, 2026
