UWL Celebrates: Black History Month with Mayor and UWL alum Shaundel Washington-Spivey

Mayor Shaundel Washington-Spivey’s “couch conversation”. Photo retrieved from UWL LinkedIn post.

On Thursday, Feb. 26, the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse hosted a luncheon as part of the “UWL Celebrates” series, inviting Mayor Shaundel Washington-Spivey–a two-time UWL alum and the first Black and openly gay mayor of La Crosse–to speak in recognition of Black History Month.

An estimated 100 people, including students, faculty and community members, packed into The Bluffs on the second floor of the Student Union to listen to and speak with Washington-Spivey.

Caleb Colon-Rivera, the Student Affairs Director for the Access, Belonging and Compliance hosted the event. Colon-Rivera led the “couch conversation” where he interviewed Mayor Washington-Spivey.

He began by asking about his upbringing and why he chose UWL. Washington-Spivey recalled visiting a friend on campus, who signed him up for a Campus Closeup visit. After the visit, Vickie Sanchez, an admissions counselor at the time, stayed in contact with him, checking on his exams and coursework throughout high school. Washington-Spivey said that the care and personal touch—something he noted was less common in Milwaukee, where he is from—led him to choose UWL.

However, Washington-Spivey did not shy away from discussing adverse experiences during his time at UWL. He recalled drawings of former President Barack Obama with a noose around his neck and Black people depicted as monkeys on whiteboards in residence halls.

Washington-Spivey said, “For some reason people couldn’t understand how or why. Somehow it became the responsibility of students of color to say, ‘This is racism in case you didn’t know and it’s happening because we aren’t having conversations around race, culture and inclusivity.’”

He reminded students in the audience, “You are giving money to this institution. [You’re] not going to pay [the university] to be uncomfortable.” He continued, “Every part of you should be welcomed into every space you walk in.”

Washington-Spivey then spoke about his time as Mayor, stressing the importance of collaboration and listening to constituents. As part of that effort, he introduced Our City-Your 15, a monthly initiative allowing residents to schedule 15 minute meetings with him to discuss any questions or concerns they may have.

He noted that a wide range of people have participated. Some have signed up to simply say hello, while others, including college students, have expressed more specific concerns.

He shared that while La Crosse has been welcoming and supportive of the historic change, he represents as the first Black and openly gay Mayor and has faced some backlash since taking office.

Washington-Spivey said, “We have people who are okay with spewing out racist things and homophobic things [in our community].” He reminded the audience that comments like those are why it is important to “speak even when you feel uncomfortable.”

The message resonated with many in the audience. After his interview with Colon-Rivera, attendees applauded and then spoke up to ask questions, spanning generations from middle school students to UWL representatives. Questions ranged from his time as a student to conversations he’s had as mayor, as Washington-Spivey connected his experiences at UWL to his broader goals for La Crosse.