Rebecca Blank, chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, has announced the formation of a study group to conduct research on student organizations in the 1920s that were involved with the Ku Klux Klan. (For more information, see “The Ku Klux Klan in Madison, 1922-1927,” Wisconsin Magazine of History, Autumn 1974.)
In a statement released to the university community, Dr. Blank wrote that “in the wake of the tragedy in Charlottesville, it is time to take a fresh look at our history to ensure that we fully understand and appropriately acknowledge the activities of members of the campus community during this time period. We also need to ensure that how we acknowledge this history reflects our institutional values of respect and inclusion for all people.”
The study group, which will be co-chaired by Professor Stephen Kantrowitz and Dr. Floyd Rose and include students, faculty, staff and alumni, will be asked to advise by December 1, 2017, how best the campus can acknowledge and respond to this history.
