Wisconsin bill would designate observance day in schools for civil rights pioneer Vel Phillips

A newly introduced state bill would make Feb. 18 — the birthday of iconic civil rights activist Vel Phillips — a special observance day at public schools across Wisconsin. 

Phillips, the first Black person elected to statewide office in Wisconsin, died in 2018 at the age of 94. The civil rights pioneer achieved many firsts during her time in public office, while breaking barriers in politics.

If the bill is passed, Phillips would be the first Black woman to have a special observance day in her honor in the state.

The Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus introduced the bill during a ceremony Tuesday in honor of what would have been her 101st birthday.

State Rep. Supreme Moore Omokunde, D-Milwaukee, said the bill aims to make students across the state aware of Phillips’ legacy.

“A lot of young people will get to be introduced to someone that they didn’t know grew up in the state of Wisconsin, right where they’re from,” Moore Omokunde said. “And some of them would have never gotten a chance to learn about her.” 

Mikki Maddox, an English and social studies teacher at Necedah Area High School, helped get the bill introduced. She said she was recently tasked with doing daily announcements for her school. To prepare, she gathered a list of all the special observance days in Wisconsin.

“As I started doing that, I really started looking at the names and the events that are celebrated on the calendar and noticed that there are quite a few gaps missing in what we have as part of Wisconsin today,” Maddox said Tuesday.

She started to write to state lawmakers to get more people on the list.

“Phillips was definitely on the top of the list,” Maddox said. 

“I appreciated her courage,” Maddox added. “I appreciated her civic action, and I knew that this was a person who needed to be recognized all over the state for her courage and for her willingness to stand up.” 

There are currently 21 special observance days in Wisconsin, according to the state Department of Public Instruction. They include Patriots’ Day in April, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday in February and Robert La Follette Sr. Day in June.

“Honoring observance days can teach the elements of tradition that preserve U.S. society and foster an awareness of our cultural heritage,” the DPI website says. “Observance days can be part of a rich social studies curriculum that gives these individuals and events proper emphasis, both in the context of Wisconsin and U.S. history and in relation to their effect on or improvement of our political, economic, and social institutions.” 

State Sen. LaTonya Johnson, D-Milwaukee, said the goal is to spread Phillips’ message. 

“That’s what this bill is about, ensuring Vel Phillips’ story is told for generations to come,” Johnson said. 

Phillips 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 was also a trailblazer in the world of law. She was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1951 and the first female judge in Milwaukee County. 

As a Milwaukee Common Council member, she worked to promote fair housing laws and combat racial discrimination among landlords and real estate agents in the city, according to a statement from Milwaukee County. 

A statue honoring Phillips, the first monument on state Capitol grounds to honor a Black leader, was unveiled over the summer.

The bill was introduced Tuesday and is out for co-sponsors now. Moore Omokunde said he believes it’ll have bipartisan support.

“There are so many people who need to know about Vel Phillips outside of the city of Milwaukee,” he said.

The last bill for a special observance day was passed in 2021 when state lawmakers commemorated Sept. 11, 2001.