MILWAUKEE, WI- The history of blacks in Wisconsin goes back much further than most people realize; it goes all the way back to French colonization.
Associate professor of history and Afro-American studies at U-W Madison Christy Clark-Pujara is researching and writing a book on the history of blacks in Wisconsin that focuses on the pre-civil war era, from the 1720’s through the 1860’s.
“The first historical documentation we have of people of African decent in what becomes the state of Wisconsin is in the 1720’s,” said Clark-Pujara. “This is a history that pre-dates the states by more than a century.”
Clark-Pujara says people of African decent came with French fur traders or other French invaders who were trying to set up forts, dominate the area and exploit it’s natural resources.
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