Professor discusses history of Latinos in Wisconsin during Hispanic Heritage Month
-
1:48
Man charged in Prince McCree’s murder sentenced to life in...
-
1:43
Onlookers enjoy Air and Water Show practice ahead of big weekend...
-
1:26
Brewers help fight hunger at Summer Sizzle event
-
2:07
’Justice, fairness, equity’: Milwaukee County leaders celebrate...
-
2:58
CBS 58 checks out Milwaukee’s 42nd annual German Fest
-
5:21
CBS 58’s Feel Good Fridays: Lakefront fun, German Fest and...
-
2:40
Meet CBS 58’s Pet of the Week: Esther
-
2:02
Pleasant start to a busy weekend in Milwaukee
-
2:10
Armed robbery attempt ends with gunfire exchange in Wauwatosa,...
-
3:08
Drew Burgoyne tastes treats in Tosa
-
3:06
Eduardo Galvan appointed MPS interim superintendent, despite...
-
2:13
Multiple festivals expected to draw thousands to Milwaukee’s...
MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- This week, Gateway Technical College continues its slate of events in observation of National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Dr. Pilar Melero, a professor of Spanish and Latin American/Latinx literature at UW-Whitewater, gave a history lesson of the first Latinos in the state.
One of the things, according to Melero, that many don't know is that Latinos have deep roots in the state -- a fact that she likes to highlight because she believes many Americans consider Latinos recent immigrants.
"And while that is true -- a lot of us are immigrants, including myself -- it's important to know that we also have taken part in building this country," Dr. Melero said. "If Wisconsin, for example, becomes a state in 1848, and we are already working here in the factories, the farms, at the universities, less than 100 years after it becomes a state."
According to Melero, Wisconsin was founded as a state in 1848 and 36 years later, the first person registered as a Latino of Mexican origins here in Wisconsin.
She added that he was a professor who came from Mexico to teach music at Marquette University.