Ernesto Chacon Honored For His Community Leadership In Milwaukee By The RHC And Awarded The Latinx Heritage Month Award 2022 At UWM

Chacon was honored and recognized as a community leader at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee by the Roberto Hernández Center.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

October 16, 2022

Milwaukee, Wisconsin - On Friday, October 14, 2022, the Roberto Hernández Center-UWM honored and recognized Ernesto G. Chacon Sr., 84, as a community leader for his 1970 activism and instrumental leadership in helping to bring down the discriminatory barrier that kept Hispanics from enrolling at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM). 

Chacon was one of multiple community educational leaders and organizers that led the August 27, 1970 Chapman Hall Takeover of the Chancellor's office at UWM.

After days and weeks of protests including sit-ins, then Chancellor J. Martin  Klotsche decided to create the Spanish Speaking Outreach Institute (SSOI) to prepare Latino students for enrollment at UWM.

52 years ago on August 27, 1970, the Hispanic community took over Chapman Hall at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee after a discriminatory policy was in place to keep Hispanics from enrolling at UWM. In the Fall semester of 1970, there were only 14 Hispanic students enrolled at UWM, most of them from South and Central America compared to 25,000 students attending classes. 

For the Hispanic community, "In Milwaukee many barriers existed blocking their paths to higher education. Their language and cultural distinctness were frowned upon, and they had limited access to information about educational opportunities and few professional role models. Discriminatory treatment was the norm." (Cited from Myriad Magazine UWM 1990, Volume 1 Number 1)

At least 500 people took it upon themselves to stand up and challenge the UWM discriminatory policy that prevented Hispanics and other minorities from enrolling at the urban university.

In 1996, the SSOI was renamed the Roberto Hernández Center. Hernández was one of the instrumental leaders of the UWM protests in 1970.

Chacon was the former Executive Director of the Latin American Union for Civil Rights, which also created the first Fiesta Mexicana fest to generate scholarships for Latinos students enrolling at UWM. Today, the Fiesta Mexicana, which have been organized by various groups through the years with the same mission and purpose to generate scholarships for college or university bound students has grown to draw more than 80,000 festivalgoers annually and has become the largest Midwest 3-day Mexican Fiesta at the Summerfest grounds operated by the Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation, Inc. in Milwaukee.

Chacon also served as president and director of the Federation for Civic Action in Milwaukee in the 1980's. He was the former deputy director for former Wisconsin Governor James Doyle (D).

Chacon is also known for organizing protests for Wisconsin immigrant farm workers rights in the 1960's and 1970's in the state. He led protests along with other Latino community leaders for Welfare rights and job opportunities for Latinos at local companies including Allen Bradley.

Historic video of the UWM 1970 Takeover and the creation of the SSOI, today the Roberto Hernández Center-UWM https://youtu.be/FzOpOxI_GKw