Waunakee Public Library

Unjust Deeds: A History of Racial Covenants in Dane County and Beyond

For most of the 20th century, racial covenants were an insidious tool used nationwide to segregate whites from Blacks and other minorities in America’s burgeoning suburbs and residential neighborhoods.  Racial covenants were clauses inserted into property deeds to prevent non-Whites and non-Christian’s from buying or occupying land. Although no longer valid or enforceable, they can still be found in the land deeds of almost every American community, including Dane County.

Mike Curato: Author Talk & Book Signing (Banned Books Con)

Mike Curato is the award-winning author/illustrator of the wildly popular Little Elliot picture books. His debut young adult graphic novel, Flamer, received critical acclaim and earned several awards including the Lambda Literary Award for Young Adult. Curato will talk about his journey to publish Flamer, and what has happened since.

For those who can't make it in person, view the live stream here: https://youtube.com/live/j8fOHZlSaas?feature=share (This event will not be recorded.)

Twice in a Lifetime: experience with an exhibition on the Pandemic of 1918 & how it resonates in 2020

In 2018 Micaela Sullivan-Fowler installed an exhibition called "Staggering Losses: WW1 and the Influenza Pandemic of 1918." Little did she know that the exhibition would be shuttered by another Pandemic, the one we are experiencing in 2020. She will give a short background on the exhibition itself, how the "Spanish Flu" affected our local populations and how the exhibition resonated for those who visited. Micaela will also touch on the similarities and differences between the two Pandemics.

Teaching in Polarized Times

Teaching in Polarized Times

The political climate in the United States makes it extremely challenging for schools and universities to fulfill their historic obligation to teach for democracy.  During the session, Dean Diana Hess will argue that despite significant and growing challenges to democratic education in K-12 schools and higher education, it remains a vitally important part of our mission.