Vel Phillips
V el R. Phillips was a groundbreaking Wisconsinite, one of whom made many firsts in her lifetime. Mrs. Phillips a civil rights icon for our state, introducing and fighting the Phillips Housing Ordinances starting in 1962. Mrs. Phillips was the first African-American woman to graduate fromUW-Madison Law School in 1951. Five years later, in1956 , Mrs. Phillips became the first woman and first African-American member of the Milwaukee’s Common Council, where she served 15 years. In 1971, Mrs. Phillips was appointed to the Milwaukee Judiciary as the first and first African-American County Judge in all of Wisconsin. Vel was elected to Secretary of State in 1978, where she served four years. Post Retirement Vel did not stop with her accomplishments. Mrs. Phillips was appointed as “Distinguished Professor of Law” fromMarquette University in 2002. She also received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the Wisconsin Alumni Association. Vel went onto guide and chair US Rep. Gwen Moore’s 2004 election resulting in Rep. Moore being the first African-American and Milwaukee’s first female to be elected into Congress. Despite her political and social struggles with racial justice throughout her career, the statue will recognize and memorialize her efforts. She will finally be enriched in history.
Dane County Boys and Girls Clubs Community Impact:
December 2020: In wake of the Black Lives Matter protests over police brutality, community leaders anticipate proposal of statute BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF DANE COUNTY & VEL PHILLIPS Taskforce Secures Six Figure Gifts For Proposed Statute. January 2021: the board in charge of decorations and memorials at the State Capitol agreed to create a subcommittee to explore the idea of a permanent tribute to Vel R. Phillips, who was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Law School, the state’s first Black judge, and the first person of color elected to a statewide office. This project includes construction of a significant statuary on the state of Wisconsin Capitol Grounds. The statuary shall include a bronze statue of Vel Phillips, an African American women, attorney, politician, jurist, and Civil Rights activist, who served as an alderperson and judge in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and as Secretary of State of Wisconsin (1978-1982).
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