OP-ED: Honoring Black History Month Amid Continued GOP Attacks on School Curriculums and BIPOC Communities

As we celebrate and honor Black History Month in Wisconsin this year, it is critical that we take it a step further by not only reckoning with the past, but using what we’ve learned to invest in the present and future. 

In 2025, part of that work will mean standing up to those in public office who are trying to censor Black history, ban books, make it harder for voters of color to have their voices heard, and attack DEI and other programs meant to give all of our communities equal opportunities to thrive in our state.

That includes Wisconsin Republicans, who kicked off Black History Month this year by trying to censor one of the most recognized emblems of Black history: the Juneteenth flag. 

Juneteenth, a federal holiday that commemorates the formal end of slavery, is a critical part of not just Black history but U.S. history as a whole, and that still didn’t stop GOP state legislators from introducing a bill that would ban the Juneteenth flag from being flown at our state Capitol in Madison.

These are the same Republicans who kicked off the 2025 state legislative session not by solving real issues faced by Wisconsin families, like child care and expanding post-partum Medicaid coverage (an issue that disproportionately affects Black women, and that GOP Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has said he refuses to solve despite bipartisan support) but by moving to alter the Wisconsin constitution to make voting more complicated and less accessible for many eligible voters, but especially voters of color.

At the federal level, the Trump Administration – with support from Wisconsin Congressmen like Derrick Van Orden and Tom Tiffany – has barred federal agencies from honoring or celebrating both Black History Month and Juneteenth. 

This Black History Month and beyond, it’s high time for Wisconsin Republicans to stop censoring Black history. Call your state and federal lawmakers today and remind them that ignoring history doesn’t make it go away, it only hurts us as we try to fulfill the promise of America, where everyone should be free to live safely and authentically.