Westown in Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Vel R. Phillips Plaza
Welcome to Vel R. Phillips Plaza
Photographed by McGhiever, March 29, 2025
1. Vel R. Phillips Plaza Marker obverse
On this site, the City of Milwaukee commemorates the life, history and continuing impact of Wisconsin's first lady of civil rights, the Honorable Vel R. Phillips.
Born Velvalea Hortense Rodgers in 1924 on Milwaukee's south side, Vel attended college at Howard University in Washington, D.C. After graduation, she returned home and enrolled in the University of Wisconsin Law School. Around this time, she met Dale Phillips, a fellow law student; they married in 1947. Vel graduated in 1951, the first African American woman to earn a law degree from the University of Wisconsin.
Vel became active in the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and championed a Milwaukee redistricting referendum to increase Black representation in public life. In 1956, she became the first woman and first African American to serve on Milwaukee's Common Council. Throughout the 1960s, she participated in nonviolent protests against discrimination in housing, education and employment.
Vel resigned from the Common Council in 1971 and was appointed to the Milwaukee County judiciary, becoming the first woman judge
this page online
Although Vel left this world in 2018, her impact remains vital to this day.
Photo credit: Michael Phillips
Vel R. Phillips
February 18, 1924–April 17, 2018
1951. First Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
1956. First woman and first African American elected to Milwaukee's Common Council.
1960. First African American elected to the National Committee of either major political party.
1971. First woman judge in Milwaukee County and first Black judge in Wisconsin.
1978. First woman and first African American elected to statewide office in the country (Secretary of State).
"What have you done today that's good?"
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Government & Politics • Women.
Location. 43° 2.321′ N, 87° 55.047′ W. Marker is in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
Photographed by McGhiever, March 29, 2025
2. Vel R. Phillips Plaza Marker reverse
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Wisconsin. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, on the Great Lakes, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Indian Village Site (within shouting distance of this marker); Historic Milwaukee (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Vel R. Phillips Plaza (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); a different marker also named Vel R. Phillips Plaza (about 300 feet away); Carl Frederick Zeidler (about 700 feet away); Straus Building (approx. 0.2 miles
Photographed by McGhiever, March 29, 2025
3. Vel R. Phillips Plaza Marker at the northwest corner of the plaza
Credits. This page was last revised on November 21, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2025, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This page has been viewed 56 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 21, 2025, by McGhiever of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
