I was born in 1950 in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. I lived literally between two lakes, a woods, and a swamp. We were on the edge of the city limits, and quite a few of our near neighbors were on small farms. Photos by Megan Monday “In my family, we have some Welsh and some Scottish …
I am a water girl, and absolutely love being on, in, or near the water. Just yesterday my husband, 16-year-old son and I spent a few hours in our boat fishing for smallmouth bass near Ashland on Lake Superior. This is one of my favorite places because the Big lake has a special beauty that …
I grew up in a multi-generation dairy farm family. My parents got married at 18 and 19, and dad started dairy farming right away, a mile from where he grew up. Photos courtesy of Corey Geiger My dad had been studying to be a Catholic priest; but in 1966, when he was 16, his dad …
I was born in Ban Vinai refugee camp in Thailand in September 1976. I am the oldest of six children. Photos courtesy of Annie Vang When the Vietnam War ended in 1975, thousands of Hmong families were displaced from their homes. The Hmong people were recruited by the American military to fight in the war …
My maiden name is Kennedy. Growing up in the 1960s as a Jewish Kennedy was a story. Classmates asked me, ‘Oh, do you live in the White House?’ And then with the assassinations, everyone wanted to know how I got the name Kennedy. Photo by Gary Porter My dad’s last name was Ungar, which is …
I grew up in Milwaukee’s Jewish community and attended a suburban public school. There were no Holocaust survivors in my immediate family, but I was aware many belonged to my synagogue. Photos by Gary Porter From an early age, my parents and grandparents taught my siblings and me to be proud of our Jewish identity …
When I was in middle school, I did a project on Elizabeth Blackwell. I read her biography; she was the first woman to receive a medical degree in the United States. I thought to myself, ‘Maybe I’ll do that someday.’ Then in eighth grade science class, we had to dissect a frog and I decided …
“I was interested in studying the history of my people.” Read More »
I am shy and hesitant to speak publicly, but I know I need to do it to reach people, to share my experience during the Holocaust. I got involved with the Holocaust Education Resource Center (HERC) because I have a story to tell. I was born in 1937 in Karlsruhe, Germany, and I lived in …
Joel: In high school, I took an entrepreneur leadership class. There they really pushed me to think about my community and where I come from. Photo by Abby Chi I had to think about the problems I’ve seen in my community and what I could do about them. I was born in the Democratic Republic …
I grew up in a small town called Wautoma. Being a small town, it was hard not to run into someone you knew. I felt like everyone was very close and tight-knit and allowed you to form good relationships with your teachers. Photo by Len Borruso I got into welding because Wautoma High School has …
“It feels amazing to me that I can have an impact on someone.” Read More »
Every day, people are released from prison and return to communities across the state to rebuild their lives. Wisconsin has an incarceration rate of 676 per 100,000 people and, notably, imprisons Black men at a higher rate than any other state in America. The barriers people face when they are released can be overwhelming and are considered partially responsible …
“My mom came home in 2001 and that’s when my healing started.” Read More »
I have lived in La Crosse since I was nine. I was born in a refugee camp in Thailand, and I lived there until my family came to America. Photo courtesy of Xong Xiong My main memory of that place was that I was free. Even though I was confined to the one-mile radius of …
“Concern for a just and equitable world is a driving force for me.” Read More »
