Who are the Children of Solidarity?
These are the Millennial youth who stood in solidarity with their parents during the 2011 Wisconsin Worker’s Rights Protests that took place at the capitol building in Madison, Wisconsin. During this time, Wisconsin Republicans, lead by Governor Scott Walker, proposed a very unpopular “Budget Repair Bill” that would ultimately diminish collective bargaining rights for public workers. In an attempt to prevent the vote, 14 Democrat Senators fled the state. Meanwhile tens-of-thousands of people physically occupied the capitol building in protest. In response, state Republicans attempted to have these Senators arrested and returned to the state. Inspired by these 14 Democrats and the protestors, protests erupted in many other states where similar bills had been proposed. Ultimately Republicans opted to alter the conditions within the bill in order to cast their votes without the Democrats present and passed the bill with little trouble. This lead to several lawsuits filed against Gov. Walker and a recall election for the Governor and Republican Senators as well. Walker was successful in keeping his position as head of the state and eventually attempted to expand his influence with a presidential bid in 2016. So who are the Children of Solidarity? These are the people who must live the longest with the consequences of the new economy and environment created by the actions taken by Wisconsin Republicans in 2011.