Vel R. Phillips Plaza

Vel R. Phillips Plaza. Early Life/Early Career/Early Years. , Welcome to Vel R. Phillips Plaza, 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 in Milwaukee and the first Black judge in Wisconsin. In 1978, she made national history by becoming the first woman and first African American elected to statewide office, as Wisconsin's Secretary of State., Although Vel left this world in 2018, her impact remains vital to this day., Photo credit: Michael Phillips, , Early Life. 1924 , Childhood , Born in 1924, Vel Phillips was raised in Milwaukee. She attended Fourth Street Elementary School, then North Division High School., 1941 , High School , Vel earned a controversial win at a high school forensics competition, which catapulted her into the Regionals and then the National finals. She won and was awarded a four-year scholarship to the college of university of her choice., 1945 , University , 4th From Left: Aunt "Auntie" Connie (Vel's sister) , 6th From Left: Aunt Yvonne (Vel's sister) , 2nd From Right: Vel , Vel attended Howard University and expanded her social reach by participating in sorority and fraternity activities., 1947 , Marriage , Left: Viva (Scott) Phillips (Dale's mother) , Right: Thelma (Payne) Rodgers (Vel's mother) , Vel and Dale Phillips met at a private party in Milwaukee. Dale filled in his name on Vel's dance card, then made off with it. They twirled all night long. Vel went home and told her mother that she'd met the man for her as her mother fanned herself., On their third date, Vel and Dale eloped, but they didn't tell anyone and waited to join as man and wife. Dale returned to UW-Madison for his senior year, while Vel spent a year at the Wisconsin Teacher's College (the precursor to UW-Milwaukee), before attending UW Law School. Thus, they married secretly in 1947, but waited a year before announcing it so nothing would stand in the way of their hearts., , Early Career. 1951 , Law School , Vel Phillips graduated from UW Law School in 1951, becoming the first Black woman to do so., 1951 , Law Practice , After law school, Vel and Dale founded the largest Black-owned law firm in Wisconsin, Phillips and Phillips. When Milwaukee created a new Aldermanic District in the central city, initially Vel urged Dale to run for the seat. He countered with the suggestion that she run for it herself while he built their law practice. Dale continued to run the firm while Vel pursued public office., 1956 , First Campaign , In 1956, Vel ran for the Milwaukee Common Council while pregnant with her first child, Dale Jr. She won, becoming the first African American and first woman to serve on the Common Council. She held this position until 1971., 1956–1971 , Councilwoman Phillips , While her many notable firsts remain well-documented, few remember that Vel was the first woman to wear a pantsuit to work in Milwaukee's City Hall, an episode that drew such attention that it made the papers. In addition, without a women's bathroom immediately adjacent to the Common Council chambers, Vel used the men's room to great uproar. The City later rectified the situation., 1959 , Motherhood , The Phillips Family Vel, Dale Jr., Michael and Dale Sr. is pictured here relaxing in their home at 1633 West Brown Street in 1959. Dale had purchased the six-unit apartment building to provide additional income for the family., , Early Years. The Roger Williams Inn in Green Lake, WI, where Vel and Dale honeymooned., Vel and Dale as newlyweds on their honeymoon., Vel sitting at her desk in the Milwaukee Common Council chambers., Dale and Vel Phillips. circa mid-1950s, Vel's yearbook photo from UW Law School. circa 1951, Vel standing in front of Phillips and Phillips law office. circa early 1950s, Vel Phillips' voter registration certificate, Vel's campaign sticker during her run for councilwoman., Vel reading with colleagues from Milwaukee's Common Council, Birth announcement for Michael Phillips., Vel at home. circa 1954, Vel playfully posing for a fashion photo shoot., Vel strolling in her neighborhood with one of her children., Vel speaking in the Milwaukee Common Council chambers.