Wisconsin chronology
The Brown County Board passes a resolution to adopt English as its official language. Census numbers from 2000 show that Brown County, which includes Green Bay, has a population of about 227,000, and about 4 percent is Latino. At a meeting, representatives from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), American Civil Liberties Union, and the Hmong community oppose the resolution. Despite opposition, the resolution passes.
Governor Jim Doyle appoints Jesus Salas to the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents.
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle declares March 31 to be Cesar Chavez Day in honor of the prominent Latino and farmworker advocate.
The Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles opens the first bilingual customer service center at the Milwaukee UMOS center.
To show solidarity and call for a pathway to citizenship, approximately 70,000 Wisconsin Latinos march during Un Dia Sin Latinos, a nationwide event, to show the strength of Latinos living in the United States. In addition, many protest a bill by Republican Representative Jim Sensenbrenner calling for tighter border security and the ability to bring felony charges against illegal migrants residing in the United States.
The annual League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) conference takes place in Milwaukee. LULAC, which promotes the education and civil rights of Latinos in the United States, started in Corpus Christi, Texas, in 1929. There is an office in Racine.
