What to know about new statue memorializing Vel Phillips at Wisconsin Capitol

MADISON — A statue honoring Vel Phillips, the state's first Black statewide elected official, will be unveiled in June after a four-year effort by elected officials, community leaders and the civil rights leader's family.

It will be the first commemoration of a Black leader on the state Capitol grounds.

"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. 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," said Gov. Tony Evers in a statement. "The People’s House should be a reflection of the Wisconsinites we serve, and no one is more deserving than Vel Phillips. Future generations of kids will be able to look up at Vel and see a leader who looks like they do — an everlasting example of her historic legacy."

The statue is more than a monument to Phillips' legacy, her son, attorney Mike Phillips, said in a statement.

"It is is a beacon of hope and a call to action," he said. "It serves as a potent reminder that we all can shatter barriers and champion the values she lived by."

Here's what to know about Phillips and how the statue came to be.

Who was Vel Phillips?

In 1951, Velvalea Phillips became the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School and in 1956, she became the first woman and first Black member of the Milwaukee Common Council.

During her time on the Common Council, she fought for an open-housing ordinance to bar discrimination in rental and home sales, only to see it voted down year after year. Finally, in 1986, the measure passed, after a year of open-housing marches through Milwaukee.

Her career didn't stop there. Phillips went on to become the first Black woman to become a judge in Wisconsin. She then made history as the first Black woman elected statewide when she was voted in as secretary of state — a role in which she continued her work for civil rights and women's equality.

Phillips died in April 2018. In Milwaukee, parts of North Fourth Street have been renamed Vel R. Phillips Avenue. A University of Wisconsin-Madison residence hall is named after her.

Where did the idea for a statue begin?

The Vel Phillips Task Force was formed in the summer of 2020, after it was brought to the attention of Michael Johnson, the CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County, that there was no representation of people of color at the state Capitol. Johnson then began to reach out to people across the state to create the task force, which then selected to memorialize Philips because of her dedication to serving the state of Wisconsin.

The Vel Phillips Legacy Initiative, started by Johnson with endorsement from Phillips’ son and backed by The Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County, has raised over $500,000 to commission and donate the sculpture to the State of Wisconsin.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Phillips' birth.

How did the idea become a reality?

Conversations with the State Capitol and Executive Residence Board began in July 2020.

The board, which oversees the maintenance and furnishings of both properties, agreed the following year to grant a one-time exception to its rule barring the addition of any monuments, plaques or memorials without the removal of an existing one.

In November 2021, the board selected Radcliffe Bailey as the Phillips statue artist. Bailey died two years later, and the board worked with sculptor Chris Hanrahan and the Jack Shainman Gallery of New York to carry out Bailey's vision (he had already completed the design).

Details on its unveiling are forthcoming.

What will the statue look like?

The statue will be made from clay, cast in silica bronze and given a semi-matte black patina finished with a clear protective wax. It will sit atop a solid stone plinth milled in Madison.

Bailey presented the board with two potential designs — one with Phillips seated and another standing. Phillips' son favored the seated version, as his mother often sat and engaged with people.

An inscription will include Phillips' name, dates of birth and death, several of her major accomplishments and a quote: "What have you done, today, that's good?" The font will be Franklin Gothic, designed by Milwaukee-born typeface designer Morris Fuller Benton.

"They captured who she is," her son told the State Capitol and Executive Residence Board before it voted Friday on final approval. "That's her. This is it."

Where will the statue be?

The statue will be on the South Hamilton corner of the state Capitol grounds.

Laura Schulte of the Journal Sentinel contributed.

Jessie Opoien can be reached at [email protected].

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about Vel Phillips statue at Wisconsin Capitol in Madison