MILWAUKEE — Community leaders are asking the public to support the efforts to support efforts to create a bronze statue of trailblazer Vel Phillips on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Capitol.
Phillips was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Law School, the state’s first Black judge and the first person of color ever elected to statewide office.
“She was engaged and committed to fighting for justice in our community throughout her entire lifetime,” Milwaukee mayor Tom Barrett said Thursday. “She forged her own path, many times cutting down the trees herself to build the road, blazing a trail for others to follow.”
Her statue would be the first to memorialize a person of color on Wisconsin State Capitol grounds. The push to add a statue of Phillips started in the summer of 2020, when protesters pointed out to Boys and Girls Club of Dane County CEO Michael Johnson that there was currently no representation of people of color in the State Capitol. Johnson then wrote a letter to the state’s State Capitol and Executive Residence Board to ask about the possibility.
Organizers announced Thursday they’ve raised more than $125,000 of the $250,000 they’re looking for in order to fund the statue.
If you’re interested in making a donation, you can do so here.
COPYRIGHT 2021 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
