In commemoration of AMERICA’S 250th Anniversary, the Sheboygan County Museum annual speaker series will explore how the United States of America became the home of many different people from around the world. Often referred to as a “melting pot,” America holds countless groups with their own story, one that shapes how they define home and how they view citizenship. These lectures highlight the experiences many of our communities have shared when making Sheboygan home. Be enriched, entertained, and surprised by these offerings on the first Tuesdays of February–May, 6:00pm.
EXPERIENCE MORE at the special Members-Only Receptions before each talk to meet the speaker, talk to local groups, enjoy refreshments, and dive deeper with conversation, 5:00pm – 5:45pm.
Admission: Free for members. $5 public.
Pre-registration strongly encouraged.
badger talk: Black Citizenship and the struggle for democratic inclusion
Dr. Andrene Wright–Johnson, PhD
Black Americans gained citizenship unlike any other group of Americans in history. Learn more about Black political behavior and how Black citizens advocate for their needs locally and nationally, from housing and voting to Black leadership and representation.
Dr. Andrene Wright–Johnson partners with the Sheboygan County Circuit Court Judge Natasha Torry, the president of the Black–American Community Outreach of Sheboygan, Toni White, and UW–Madison Outreach Specialist Joshua Wright.
Tuesday, February 3, 2026 | 6:00pm-7:30pm
Members-only Reception, 5:00pm-5:45pm
Dutch Immigration to Wisconsin: Assimilation vs Integration
Mary Risseeuw MA, MFA
There have been four significant waves of Dutch immigration to Wisconsin since the 1840s. What they found here was a delicate interplay of immigrant cultures at work, at worship, and in relationships. Their story is one of building community and decisions made on accepting the ‘outsider’—and being one. Renowned writer and speaker in both the United States and Netherlands, Mary Risseeuw takes listeners on a journey from the farms of Holland to diverse endeavors of Europeans of Sheboygan County.
Co-hosted by Het Museum of Cedar Grove.
Tuesday, March 3, 2026 | 6:00pm-7:30pm
Members-only Reception, 5:00pm-5:45pm
Legacies of Refuge in america
Dr. Alise Coen, PhD
Global perceptions of America as a safe haven have shaped its role as a destination for refugees and migrants worldwide. However, United States immigration and refugee policies have often been inconsistent or contradictory. Explore this history and how it has affected the treatment of different immigrant groups including those from the Middle East, Central America, Afghanistan, Ukraine and beyond with Dr. Alise Coen, professor of Political Science at UW–Green Bay.
Tuesday, April 7, 2026 | 6:00pm-7:30pm
Members-only Reception, 5:00pm-5:45pm
Modern Jungles: Hmong Diaspora and resettlement
Dr. Pao Lor
On the 50th anniversary of Hmong in Sheboygan, Dr. Pao Lor shares his first hand account of being a young boy who fled Laos and moved to America in this talk and in his book Modern Jungles, published by the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. He also shares his scholarship on the Hmong diaspora as the dean of the School of Education at UW–La Crosse.
Co-hosted by Hmong Mutual Assistance Association of Sheboygan
Tuesday, May 5, 2026 | 6:00pm-7:30pm
Members-only Reception, 5:00pm-5:45pm
Also Consider
Modern Jungles Book Discussion
Mead Public Library Non-fiction Book Club
Monday April 13, 2026
6:00pm-7:00pm
*Book copies available at Mead Public Library after March 12.
