Escobar was one of the nearly 500 educational activists involved during the August 27, 1970 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Takeover seeking higher education for Hispanics in the Milwaukee and Wisconsin area that were not allowed to enrolled due to a discriminatory policy in the UW-System in the early 1970's.
By H. Nelson Goodson
Hispanic News Network U.S.A.
December 6, 2020
Milwaukee, WI - On November 24th, Margie Escobar, 86, passed away from complications with the Coronavirus (COVID-19), according to family. Escobar tested positive on November 14 and was later hospitalized.
A GoFundMe account was created for Escobar's funeral expenses.
Escobar was also a Tejano music enthusiast and loved to dance Tejano for more than 50 years with her beloved husband Jorge M. Escobar.
She also dedicated her time as a teacher's aid.
On August 27, 1970, Escobar was one of the nearly 500 educational activists that participated at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Takeover, which sought higher education for Latinos in Milwaukee and the state. Latinos at the time faced a discriminatory education barrier that was practiced and kept local Hispanics from enrolling at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee under then Chancellor J. Martin Klotsche at Chapman Hall. "Discriminatory treatment was the norm," cited from Myraid Magazine UWM 1990.
In 1970, only 14 Hispanic students were enrolled compared to 25,000 White students and there were no Latino faculty at UWM at the time. Escobar's role helped open the doors of education for thousands of Latinos in the state of Wisconsin UW-System.
Their success in 1970 helped create the Spanish Speaking Outreach Institute (SSOI) at UWM, which focus on recruitement, advising and retention of Hispanic university students. The SSOI was later renamed in 1996 the Roberto Hernandez Center and since 1970 thousands of Hispanics have graduated.
No comments:
Post a Comment