As the Director of Latino Student Programs at UW–Whitewater for nearly two decades, Nelia Olivencia encouraged students of color to learn about and celebrate their heritage.

JoCasta Zamarripa was the first Latina and first out bisexual member of the Wisconsin State Legislature and Milwaukee Common Council.

Mai Zong Vue is a Hmong refugee of the Vietnam War and a leading advocate for the Hmong community in Wisconsin.

Maureen Arcand was a Dane County Board of Supervisors member and an advocate for people with disabilities and low-income families.

Nazik al-Mala’ika, a ground-breaking Iraqi poet and women’s rights advocate, was one of the first Arab poets to work in free verse instead of the classical rhyme form.

Dr. Marci Bowers is an internationally respected surgeon who specializes in gender-affirming surgery and clitoral restoration.

Lucinda Gordon was a civil rights activist who founded an alternative school for teen mothers and advocated for Black art in Milwaukee.

Angela Lang is a community organizer in Milwaukee and the founder and executive director of Black Leaders Organizing for Communities.

Francesca Hong is a professional chef and restaurant owner, as well as Wisconsin’s first Asian American state legislator.

Anne Nicol Gaylor was an activist who worked to make abortion legal for Wisconsin women and to protect the separation of church and state.