Vel Phillips, trailblazing Black leader, honored with sculpture on Capitol Square
From WORT 89.9 FM - A lifelong Democrat and champion of housing reform, Phillips began her political career in 1956 when she was elected to the Milwaukee Common Council. In 1962, she proposed an ordinance to outlaw housing discrimination which lost in an 18-1 vote of the Common Council. She was the only city official to be arrested during the storied “long hot summer” of 1967. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s law school, she became a judge in Milwaukee in 1971. And in 1978, she became Wisconsin’s Secretary of State making her the first Black person and first woman elected to statewide office.
Much was made of the many “firsts” of Phillips’ career. As State Rep. Shelia Stubbs reiterated, “the first African American woman to graduate from UW–Madison law school, the first African American woman to serve on Milwaukee’s Common Council, the first Black judge in the state of Wisconsin.”
But other speakers made as much of the work still to be done. Work they hoped the sculpture would help inspire. “And that’s where representation matters,” said State Rep. Lisa Subeck, who chairs the State Capitol and Executive Residence Board, which oversaw plans for the sculpture. “Because every kid that comes to this building now for their fourth grade field trip is going to see the sculpture of Vel Phillips. They are going to ask ‘Who is she?’ And they are going to hear about her remarkable accomplishments. There are little girls, little girls of color, who are going to see themselves when they see Vel Phillips. And that is just so vitally important for our future.”
Despite her outspoken progressive views, Phillips commanded respect from both sides of the aisle. Former Republican State Rep. Amy Loudenbeck, and former Wisconsin GOP official Gerard Randall both spoke at the event. Other speakers included Gov. Tony Evers, Wisconsin’s current Secretary of State, Sarah Godlewski, and Sen. Tammy Baldwin.
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