Wisconsin goes to Washington: 2 student projects showcased at Smithsonian museums

Three Wisconsin college students have been amongst a aggressive group from across the nation whose historical past initiatives have been displayed at Smithsonian museums as a part of a Nationwide Historical past Day competitors that brings scholar work into nationwide establishments. 

For her tri-fold poster board about Wisconsin politician Robert La Follette and the creation of major elections, Anna Siebers, a freshman at Madison West Excessive Faculty, delved into Wisconsin’s historic archives. 

“I feel it was actually fascinating studying that Wisconsin was such a pacesetter in one thing,” she mentioned. “I really feel like Wisconsin isn’t recognized that a lot as a giant affect on the nation, however Wisconsin was type of a pacesetter on the time of a variety of the Progressive actions.”

La Follette helped institute sweeping political reforms throughout his stints as Wisconsin governor and as a U.S. senator, together with the shift from celebration candidates chosen by celebration leaders to the trendy major election system. 

She picked La Follette and the primaries for her first-semester undertaking whereas paging via the Wisconsin Historic Society’s database, after which bought extra enthusiastic about him, and the Progressive Period he helped outline, as she realized extra.

“It’s loopy discovering out that there’s a variety of stuff in our elections, and the world right this moment, that we don’t suppose there was a time with out it,” she mentioned. “I really feel just like the presidential major, that’s such an vital half each 4 years of the elections. To suppose there was a time that that doesn’t exist, that there weren’t any primaries — simply: ‘Right here’s the candidates.’”

College Faculty of Milwaukee eighth-graders Carson Tauscher and Veer Gokhale knew they needed to concentrate on Milwaukee’s racial historical past for his or her undertaking. From there, they honed in on racially restrictive covenants and redlining. The covenants have been agreements to not promote or hire property to individuals primarily based on their race or different affiliation — Black and Jewish individuals, for instance, have been the commonest targets. Redlining referred to the Federal Housing Administration’s apply of refusing to insure mortgages in Black neighborhoods.

“As individuals of shade who dwell in Milwaukee, which is among the most segregated cities in america, we believed that this was our manner of sharing our data on this matter,” mentioned Veer. “We additionally needed to offer a perspective on whether or not truthful housing has progressed or regressed — as a result of it’s progressed in some methods, however it’s additionally regressed in some methods.”

Impressed by a movie class Veer had taken the yr earlier than, the boys determined to make a documentary. They interviewed a number of individuals, together with America’s Black Holocaust Museum oral historian Reggie Jackson, about Milwaukee’s historical past with the racist practices. 

“I don’t suppose it actually modified how I look (at Milwaukee) … however extra as an eye-opening alternative for me,” mentioned Carson. “Simply wanting on the metropolis of Milwaukee — and any metropolis that you simply go to — it simply type of adjustments how you consider, like, ‘Oh, that individual might have been racially segregated in opposition to whereas shopping for a home, however they didn’t know that.’ … It’s simply these sorts of issues that keep on with me.”

Anna mentioned her curiosity earlier than the undertaking was in math and science, and whereas that’s nonetheless true, she mentioned her undertaking on La Follette helped her have interaction with historical past in a extra vivid manner — to the purpose the place she’s hoping to volunteer on the historic archives this summer season. 

“It’s been such a cool expertise,” she mentioned. “Actually studying a lot about it exhibits you the way a lot you don’t learn about every part else — it looks as if there was all the time extra I might find out about this, and it’s such a small factor, that there’s only a ton of Wisconsin’s historical past but in addition the historical past of the world.”

Carson and Veer visited Smithsonian museums, together with the Nationwide Museum of African American Historical past and Tradition the place their documentary was on view, throughout an eighth grade journey, and mentioned it’s thrilling to know their work can be in the identical place they toured. 

“After all of the work we put into it, seeing that it’s really doing one thing, and even seeing that it made it into the Smithsonian was actually, it is simply loopy,” mentioned Carson. “Our faculty undertaking was really beginning to make an influence in D.C., like the primary place that folks go to within the U.S.”

Veer mentioned he hopes it should empower different youngsters to become involved. 

“I really feel like when individuals see our documentary, particularly individuals round our age, they could be impressed by it, as a result of they could really feel like they will make an influence too,” mentioned Veer. “The objective of our documentary is to encourage others to attempt to battle for truthful housing.”