Here & Now

Previewing the Statue of Vel Phillips

Frederica Freyberg:

Now to the state Capitol where on Tuesday history was in the making. It’s not a statue yet, but this cardboard cutout of Wisconsin’s first black secretary of state, Vel Phillips, gave members of a group deciding on the placement a special sneak preview of things to come. Her statue location on the south side of the capitol was unanimously approved by the capitol subcommittee this week. Phillips lived and worked a life of firsts. She was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Law School. She was the first Black woman on the Milwaukee Common Council. Phillips was the state’s first Black woman judge. In 1978, she was elected secretary of state, the first female, nonwhite person so elected. Her statue will be a legacy to not only her own work, but the product of ongoing work propelled by the racial justice movement. Phillips’ son was there on Tuesday. He said his mother’s statue will help ensure her legacy.

Michael Damon Phillips:

They look up and see this statue of a person. Who is that? They look and they read a little bit of the inscription. And then they Google her. And then they find out this is a person who has fought for the rights of all Wisconsinites.

Frederica Freyberg:

Full committee approval for the statue is expected this fall. Some of the historical footage you just saw is from a PBS Wisconsin documentary on the life of Vel Phillips. It’s called “Vel Phillips: Dream Big Dreams.” It can be seen online in the PBS Wisconsin video archive.