Clara Zimban

"Invasion"

While it is true that the U.S. recorded historically high numbers of migrant encounters at the southern border—surpassing two million annually in 2022 and 2023, this framing reflects key statistical distortions. Around 40% of these cases between 2021 and 2023 were immediately expelled under Title 42—a pandemic-era public health order that allowed border agents to remove migrants without formal processing (CBD.gov). Because Title 42 carried no legal penalties for repeat crossings, it also likely...

Gwoka: Beauty on the Shoulders of Pain by Clara Zimban

The year is 1984. The streets are alive with an unusual commotion in Guadeloupe, an island nestled between two folds of the Caribbean Sea. The crowd’s voices blend into one and infuse the air with music. The ground shakes under the rhythm of drums and the weight of dancing bodies. Five thousand people will gather on the town square of Pointe-à-Pitre over the course of three days. The man of honor is Marcel Lollia, but the crowd cries out the one name they knew him by – Vélo! Vélo! Vélo! Vélo lie...

In Madison this summer? Here are some of the best things to do

Memorial Union Terrace season has arrived for University of Wisconsin-Madison students. And while some students will be going back home or jetting off to a new destination there is plenty of opportunity to explore the city of Madison for those who stick around.
Shawn MacGregor, a student at the UW-Madison, said he’s excited for Madison’s “best season” to begin.

“Madison is just so beautiful in the summer because all the trees and the flowers are finally blooming...

How a potential TikTok ban could impact Wisconsin creators

The U.S. Senate is considering a bill that could lead to a nationwide ban against TikTok after it was met with overwhelming bipartisan support by the House of Representatives on March 13.
The legislation focuses on national security concerns posed by Beijing’s control of ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company. Although senators have attended a classified intelligence briefing on the threat, it is still uncertain what their votes will look like. If approved by the Senate and signed into law, the bill...

How to observe the April 8 solar eclipse in Madison

This Monday, April 8, from 12:51-3:19 p.m., people in Madison will have a chance to observe a partial solar eclipse. At 2:06 p.m., the eclipse will reach a maximum depth point of about 89%, and only a narrow crescent of the sun will remain visible. 
A total eclipse will be visible along a curved line across the United States from Texas to Maine, including cities like Dallas, Indianapolis and Buffalo. Estimates from eclipse cartographer Michael Zeiler indicate more than 32 million people will exp...

Madison teacher Mary Day nominated for LifeChanger of the Year award

Mary Day, a former teacher at Edgewood High School of the Sacred Heart, has been nominated by a former student for the 2023-24 National LifeChanger of the Year award. Day passed away in May 2023. 
This national recognition honors K-12 public school educators and employees who make a difference in students' lives by exemplifying excellence, positive influence and leadership. 

Peyton Drexler, a former student of Day, nominated her for the award. She was Day’s eight...

The French House: A space of cultural encounter

At 633 North Frances Street, by Lake Mendota, stands the French House — a century-old establishment for learning conversational French and celebrating French and francophone cultures.
The French House is an immersing residence for French-speaking students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a French cultural center for the state of Wisconsin. UW-Madison Professor H.A. Smith and Mme. Jeanne Harouel Greenleaf founded the house in 1918 with the support of the UW-Madison Department of Modern...

Latinx Cultural Center highlights Latinx engagement, history at UW-Madison

The Latinx Heritage Month Planning Committee presented an interactive exhibit Monday on the history of Latinx activism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 
The Center for Campus History discussed the history of acts of Latinx resistance on campus at Monday’s exhibit. Latinx student organization MEChA, which stands for Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán (Chicano Student Movement of Aztlán, the home of the Aztec people indigenous to Mexico), was invited to speak on the importance of comm...

Et tu, Bucky: Why UW-Madison men think about the Roman Empire

In a trend that has swept through social media in recent weeks, women have posed a question to their male friends, boyfriends and husbands: How often do you think about the Roman Empire? 
To their surprise, most discovered that many men think about it every week — and sometimes daily.

Behind the entertaining aspect of the trend lie more profound sociological questions — why do men share a surprisingly consistent interest for this time period, and how do men and w...

New exhibit at Memorial Library explores 250 years of Phillis Wheatley, landmark poet

In 1773 — 250 years ago — Phillis Wheatley published “Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral.” She became the first African American woman to publish a book of poetry and only the third colonial American woman of any race to publish a book.
To celebrate the publication’s anniversary, Brigitte Fielder and Jonathan Senchyne, associate professors at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, curated an exhibit in Memorial Library’s Special Collections that will run until Dec. 22, 2023....