New historical marker commemorating Milwaukee’s Open Housing Marches installed on campus

A new State Historical Marker commemorating Milwaukee's Open Housing Marches has been installed on Marquette's campus at the corner of Wisconsin Avenue and 16th Street, marking a significant site in the city's civil rights history.

The marker is part of a broader initiative led by March On, Milwaukee, in partnership with the Wisconsin Historical Society, to create nine official State Historical Markers honoring the history of the 1967-68 Open Housing Marches. Funded through a grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, the effort reflects years of planning to build public infrastructure that helps tell this defining Milwaukee story and its role in the national Civil Rights Movement. March On, Milwaukee - a grassroots group of former NAACP Youth Council members and Commandos, community organizers, historians and others - aims to recognize and reignite the activist spirit of the original marchers.

Throughout the 1960s, Milwaukee was the site of a massive, influential civil rights movement that combated racial discrimination and segregation in housing, employment and education as a part of the broader national movement for civil rights. Founded in 1948, Milwaukee's NAACP Youth Council was a forum for youth to discuss race. In the 1960s, the Youth Council became the active core of the movement, challenging discriminatory practices at local businesses and organizing sustained protest efforts. From August 1967 to March 1968, the Youth Council and its protective unit, the Commandos, led 200 consecutive nights of marches for fair housing, bringing national attention to segregation in the city and helping to spur legislative change.

The marker installed at 16th Street highlights the pivotal marches that crossed the 16th Street Viaduct. On Aug. 28, 1967, approximately 250 marchers crossed from the predominantly Black north side to the white south side, where they encountered violent opposition. Despite harassment and attacks, demonstrators continued marching night after night, sustaining a movement that forced the city to confront housing discrimination. These actions, coupled with broader advocacy efforts, contributed to the passage of Milwaukee's fair housing ordinance in April 1968 and aligned with the national movement that led to the federal Fair Housing Act.

In parallel with the marches, other local organizations advanced related civil rights efforts. The Milwaukee United School Integration Committee worked to integrate public schools through boycotts and advocacy, while the Milwaukee Congress on Racial Equality addressed discrimination in public accommodations. Together, these efforts reflect a coordinated, citywide push for racial equity.