Adult Events

Cultural Conversations

• There’s more we have in common than that which divides us. Join us for frank discussions of world events, and those here at home, and how we can make a difference. 

  • Ableism. An Insider's Look at disABILITY

  • Sunday, April 23 at 1:30 PM
    • A self proclaimed bionic unicorn, Damian Buchman is the founder of The Ability Center and the Wisconsin Adaptive Sports Association. He is also the vision behind the RampUp movement which turned Milwaukees’ Bradford Beach into the nation’s most accessible and is presently working to create America’s most universal park. He has a passion for helping people realize their best self, delivering his message of hope. In his words, “The work I do is simply my way to honor my survivorship and those who lost their battle. Everybody deserves an equal opportunity to play – together!”
    • In 2017, Damian was recognized as one of Milwaukee’s 40 under 40, he’s a 2019 winner of the Donald Driver Driven to Achieve award, and a 2021 Milwaukee Business Journal “Trailblazer” in the Diversity Equity & Inclusion awards. His work with The Ability Center has won numerous community and construction awards and he also serves on a handful of DEI+A committees at a city, county, and state level. But, Damian is most proud to identify as a survivor, social entrepreneur, adaptive athlete, and father of three. Damian Buchman humbly finds himself as an inspiration to both those with and without disabilities.

  • The Role of Media in the Fight for Intersectional Social Justice

  • Sunday, May 21 at 1:30 PM
    • Join us at the library for a conversation about the relationship between media and social justice movements such as activism surrounding Black Lives Matter and its connection to social media. 
    • Lori Kido Lopez is an Associate Professor of Media and Cultural Studies in the Communication Arts department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She also Director of the Asian American Studies Program at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Lopez is the author of Asian American Media Activism: Fighting for Cultural Citizenship and Micro Media Industries: Hmong American Media Innovation in the Diaspora, editor of Race and Media: Critical Approaches, and co-editor of the Routledge Companion to Asian American Media. Her work examines race and ethnicity in the media through a cultural studies lens, deploying ethnography and interviews to examine the way that Asian Americans and other minority groups use media in the fight for social justice. 
    • This presentation is made available through BadgerTalks.