Vel Phillips statue to be first monument on state Capitol grounds to honor a Black leader

Vel Phillips achieved many firsts during her long career in public service. 

She was the first Black person and first woman elected to the Milwaukee Common Council in 1956 and the first Black woman elected to the Democratic National Committee in 1958. She became the first Black person elected to a statewide office in Wisconsin when she won her 1978 race for secretary of state. 

Phillips died in 2018, but she’s about to make history again — a statue in her honor will be the first monument erected in honor of a Black leader on Wisconsin State Capitol grounds. 

Michael Johnson, the president and CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County, helped lead the effort to have Phillips honored in Madison. He saw a quick glimpse of the monument this week before a curtain went over it to shield it before the unveiling ceremony this weekend. 

“To see it as they were installing it just brought me to tears,” Johnson said. “I haven’t been this happy since my marriage.” 

More than 1,000 people are expected to attend the statue unveiling ceremony Saturday. Johnson said Gov. Tony Evers will speak, along with U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Phillips’ son Michael Phillips.

“This sculpture is more than a monument to my mother’s legacy; it is a beacon of hope and a call to action,” Michael Phillips said in a statement. “It serves as a potent reminder that we all can shatter barriers and champion the values she lived by.”

Johnson said he has high hopes for the statue, which he called “historic.” 

“It’s bigger than Vel,” he said.

Johnson said he hopes children and people who walk by the monument will learn that “representation matters.”

The statue, designed by late artist Radcliffe Bailey, is located on South Hamilton Street on the corner of the Capitol grounds. 

Johnson said it’s just over 9 feet tall. It will be inscribed with her name, major accomplishments and her quote, “What have you done, today, that’s good,” according to a statement from the University of Wisconsin Law School. 

Phillips was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1951 and was the first female judge in Milwaukee County.

“Vel Phillips was a true treasure and Wisconsin icon who became the first of many before her, inspiring generations and defining the trajectory of our state,” Evers said in a statement. “It is so important to me and to the countless Wisconsinites for whom she paved the way that she receives permanent recognition at the Wisconsin State Capitol.” 

Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley — who made history in 2020 as the first Black person elected as county executive in Milwaukee — said he won’t be able to attend the ceremony, but he plans to see it in person soon.

“I cannot wait to go to this statue, take a picture with this statue, cause it’s definitely going to be my cover photo for a long time,” Crowley said.

Crowley knew Phillips personally and he said her legacy impacted his life.

“There are many people that she has encouraged and inspired to be a public servant and give back to this community,” Crowley said. “She is the definition of never giving up, of fighting for what you believe is right.” 

State Rep. Shelia Stubbs, D-Madison, is another person Phillips inspired. She’ll be at the ceremony Saturday and was part of the Vel Phillips Statue Task Force.

“It means so much to me to see all of the obstacles that was before her — she continued to pursue, and never accepted no,” Stubbs said.