Civil Rights
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
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Explore the people, places, events, achievements, struggles and stories that shaped our journey.
Movements, leaders, victories and the continuing fight for equality.
Innovation, patents, science, technology and world-changing contributions.
Pioneers, champions, Negro Leagues, records, activism and excellence.
Meet the people whose lives, choices and achievements shaped the journey.
Black towns, communities, institutions and places where history happened.
Moments that changed communities, movements, institutions and the nation.
Wilmington, North Carolina once had a thriving Black middle class and an elected interracial government. In 1898 white supremacists used violence to overthrow that government, kill Black residents and drive many others from the city.
MORE →Reflects the personal views, recollections, and perspective of the author, Mike Davis.
This is a personal recollection on the Move fire on May 13, 1985
Wisconsin Senate | |
|---|---|
| Wisconsin State Legislature | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
New session started | January 6, 2025 |
| Leadership | |
President | |
President pro tempore | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 33 |
  | |
Political groups | Majority
Minority
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Authority | Article IV, Wisconsin Constitution |
| Salary | $57,408/year + $115 per diem[1] |
| Elections | |
Last election | November 5, 2024 (16 seats) |
Next election | November 3, 2026 (17 seats) |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| State Senate Chamber Wisconsin State Capitol Madison, Wisconsin | |
| Website | |
| Wisconsin State Senate | |
The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those of the U.S. Senate. The Wisconsin Senate is controlled by the Republican Party, as it has been for 20 of the past 22 years (with only the biennium of 2009-2010 as the exception).
The Wisconsin Constitution ties the size of the State Senate to that of the Assembly, by limiting its size to no less than 1/4, nor more than 1/3, of the size of the Assembly. Currently, Wisconsin is divided into 33 Senate Districts (1/3 of the current Assembly membership of 99) apportioned throughout the state based on population as determined by the decennial census, for a total of 33 senators. A Senate district is formed by combining three Assembly districts. Similar to the U.S. Senate, in addition to its duty of reviewing and voting on all legislation passed through the legislature, the State Senate has the exclusive responsibility of confirming certain gubernatorial appointments, particularly cabinet secretaries and members of boards and commissions. Senators are elected for four-year terms, staggered so that approximately half of the Senate is up for election every two years. If a vacancy occurs in a Senate seat between elections, it may be filled only by a special election. The Senate chamber is in the south wing of the Wisconsin State Capitol, in Madison. In February 2024, the legislative maps of the Senate, along with the State Assembly, were redrawn following a court decision that found them to be unconstitutionally gerrymandered in favor of Republicans.[2]
The salary of all legislators serving in the 2025 Wisconsin Legislature is $60,924, which is an increase of 6.12% from the previous biennium. The speaker of the assembly also receives an additional $25 monthly stipend.[3] In addition to salaries, senators outside Madison, Wisconsin may receive a per diem up to $115 to cover living expenses while they are in Madison on state business. Members of the Dane County delegation may receive a per diem of half the amount to cover expenses.
| ↓ | ||
| 15 | 18 | |
| Democratic | Republican | |
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | Vacant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | |||
| Begin 100th Legislature (2011) | 14 | 19 | 33 | 0 |
| End 100th (2012) | 17 | 16 | ||
| Begin 101st (2013) | 15 | 18 | 33 | 0 |
| End 101st (2014) | 17 | 32 | 1 | |
| Begin 102nd (2015) | 14 | 18 | 32 | 1 |
| End 102nd (2016) | 18 | 32 | 1 | |
| Begin 103rd (2017) | 13 | 20 | 33 | 0 |
| End 103rd (2018) | 15 | 18 | 33 | 0 |
| Begin 104th (2019) | 14 | 19 | 33 | 0 |
| End 104th (2020) | 13 | 18 | 31 | 2 |
| Begin 105th (2021) | 12 | 20 | 32 | 1 |
| End 105th (2022) | 21 | 33 | 0 | |
| Begin 106th (2023)[4] | 11 | 21 | 32 | 1 |
| End 106th (2024) | 10 | 22 | 32 | 1 |
| Begin 107th (2025) | 15 | 18 | 33 | 0 |
| Latest voting share | 45% | 55% | ||
| Position | Name | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President of the Senate | Mary Felzkowski | |||
| President Pro Tempore of the Senate | Patrick Testin | |||
| Majority leader | Devin LeMahieu | |||
| Assistant Majority Leader | Dan Feyen | |||
| Majority Caucus Chair | Van Wanggaard | |||
| Majority Caucus Vice Chair | Joan Ballweg | |||
| Minority Leader | Dianne Hesselbein | |||
| Assistant Minority Leader | Jeff Smith | |||
| Minority Caucus Chair | Chris Larson | |||
| Minority Caucus Vice Chair | Mark Spreitzer | |||
| Chief Clerk | Cyrus Anderson | |||
| Sergeant-at-Arms | Tom Engels | |||
| # | President | Party | Start of service | End of service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fred Risser | Democratic | May 1, 1979 | April 20, 1993 |
| 2 | Brian Rude | Republican | April 20, 1993 | July 9, 1996 |
| - | Fred Risser | Democratic | July 9, 1996 | April 21, 1998 |
| - | Brian Rude | Republican | April 21, 1998 | January 4, 1999 |
| - | Fred Risser | Democratic | January 4, 1999 | January 6, 2003 |
| 3 | Alan Lasee | Republican | January 6, 2003 | January 8, 2007 |
| - | Fred Risser | Democratic | January 8, 2007 | January 3, 2011 |
| 4 | Mike Ellis | Republican | January 3, 2011 | July 17, 2012 |
| - | Fred Risser | Democratic | July 17, 2012 | January 7, 2013 |
| - | Mike Ellis | Republican | January 7, 2013 | January 5, 2015 |
| 5 | Mary Lazich | Republican | January 5, 2015 | January 3, 2017 |
| 6 | Roger Roth | Republican | January 3, 2017 | January 4, 2021 |
| 7 | Chris Kapenga | Republican | January 4, 2021 | January 6, 2025 |
| 8 | Mary Felzkowski | Republican | January 6, 2025 | present |
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
Source: Wikipedia. Article content is retrieved live through the MediaWiki API.
The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those of the U.S. Senate. The Wisconsin Senate is controlled by the Republican Party, as it has been for 20 of the past 22 years (with only the biennium of 2009-2010 as the exception). The Wisconsin Constitution ties the size of the State Senate to that of the Assembly, by limiting its size to no less than 1/4, nor more than 1/3, of the size of the Assembly. Currently, Wisconsin is divided into 33 Senate Districts (1/3 of the current Assembly membership of 99) apportioned throughout the state based on population as determined by the decennial census, for a total of 33 senators. A Senate district is formed by combining three Assembly districts. Similar to the U.S. Senate, in addition to its duty of reviewing and voting on all legislation passed through the legislature, the State Senate has the exclusive responsibility of confirming certain gubernatorial appointments, particularly cabinet secretaries and members of boards and commissions. Senators are elected for four-year terms, staggered so that approximately half of the Senate is up for election every two years. If a vacancy occurs in a Senate seat between elections, it may be filled only by a special election. The Senate chamber is in the south wing of the Wisconsin State Capitol, in Madison. In February 2024, the legislative maps of the Senate, along with the State Assembly, were redrawn following a court decision that found them to be unconstitutionally gerrymandered in favor of Republicans.
The Wisconsin State Assembly is the lower house of the Wisconsin Legislature. Together with the smaller Wisconsin Senate, the two constitute the legislative branch of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The Assembly is controlled by the Republican Party, as it has been for 28 of the past 30 years (the 2009-2010 term being the sole exception). Members of the Assembly are elected to two-year terms during the biennial fall elections. In the event of a vacancy in an Assembly seat between elections, a special election may be held to fill the position. The Wisconsin Constitution limits the size of the State Assembly to between 54 and 100 members inclusive. Since 1973, the state has been divided into 99 Assembly districts apportioned amongst the state based on population as determined by the decennial census, for a total of 99 representatives. From 1848 to 1853 there were 66 assembly districts; from 1854 to 1856, 82 districts; from 1857 to 1861, 97 districts; and from 1862 to 1972, 100 districts. The size of the Wisconsin State Senate is tied to the size of the Assembly; it must be between one-fourth and one-third the size of the Assembly. Presently, the Senate has 33 members, with each Senate district formed by combining three neighboring Assembly districts. The Assembly chamber is located in the west wing of the Wisconsin State Capitol building, in Madison, Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republican majorities since January 2011. With both houses combined, the legislature has 132 members representing an equal number of constituent districts. The legislature convenes at the state capitol in Madison. The current sitting is the 107th Wisconsin Legislature.
The 2022 Wisconsin Senate elections were held on Tuesday, November 8, 2022. 17 of the 33 seats in the Wisconsin State Senate were up for election—the odd-numbered districts. This was the first election to take place after redistricting following the 2020 United States census. This was the only election to take place under the redistricting plan set out in 2022. Before the election, 21 Senate seats were held by Republicans, and 12 seats were held by Democrats. 11 Republican seats and six Democratic seats were up in this election. The primary election took place on August 9, 2022. Republicans flipped one Democratic-held Senate seat and achieved a two-thirds supermajority, entering the 106th Wisconsin Legislature with 22 of 33 State Senate seats.
Before the 1921 destruction of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, Black residents had created a remarkable center of business and community life. The district included stores, professional offices, entertainment venues and homes owned by Black citizens. Understanding Greenwood means learning what was built—not only what was burned.
MORE →Shirley Chisholm, elected in 1968.
