Representative Shelia Stubbs Celebrates Unveiling of Historic Vel Phillips Statue at State Capitol
MADISON, WI – After delivering remarks at the unveiling ceremony for a statue of civil rights legend Vel Phillips on the Wisconsin State Capitol grounds, the first statue of an African American woman on any state capitol grounds in the United States, Representative Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) released the following statement:
“This is a historic moment. Today, Velvalea Phillips, known by many as Vel, will become the first and only African American woman to have her statue displayed not just at the Wisconsin State Capitol, but at any state capitol across the country.
From Milwaukee to the statehouse to the White House and back, she left a legacy in any hallway she walked down. Through all the struggles, all the years of discrimination and bias that she faced, she didn’t just make it through history, she became history itself.
Today, people are watching not just across the State of Wisconsin, not just across the United States of America, but around the entire world as we honor Mrs. Phillips, who was the first Black woman to graduate from UW Law School, the first woman to serve on the Milwaukee Common Council, the first Black judge in the state of Wisconsin, the first African American and the first woman to be elected our Secretary of State, and who, along with her husband Dale, was part of the first husband-wife legal team to pass the federal bar in the state of Wisconsin.
This monumental project would not have been possible without the help of so many. I would like to thank Chair David Endres and all my fellow members of the Vel Phillips Statue Task Force for their dedication to this work. The task ahead of us was not easy. But as Vel Phillips herself demonstrated, nothing worth doing is easy.
In our mission to honor the memory of Mrs. Vel Phillips, we were guided by one of the people who knew her best: her son. We thank Attorney Michael Phillips for trusting us with his mother’s legacy.
I would also like to thank President and CEO Michael Johnson of the Boys and Girls Club of Dane County for spearheading the $700,000 campaign to finance this sculpture. The State of Wisconsin is in debt to him and his team.
As the only State Legislator on the Task Force, it was my job to request bipartisan support from Speaker Robin Vos and Former State Representative Amy Loudenbeck, who was the Chair of the State Capitol and Executive Residence Board until 2022. In April 2024, the statue received unanimous bipartisan approval. I want to thank my colleagues in the Legislature for supporting our vision and mission.
I also want to thank Chair Representative Lisa Subeck and all the members of the State Capitol and Executive Residence Board, who gave the final approval for the statue. My gratitude also goes out to Governor Evers for his continued commitment to justice and to representation in our Capitol.
Additionally, I would like to thank the young people who initiated this whole endeavor by drawing attention to the fact that they were not represented in their own state Capitol. They gave us a call to action, and I am proud to say we answered that call.
Finally, I want to honor the memory of artist Radcliffe Bailey, who painstakingly designed this sculpture, and thank his team, who completed the work after his passing.
Today we salute the memory and the legacy of a woman who was, for me, not just an inspiration but a friend. I have many cherished memories of walking alongside her through the halls at NAACP meetings and seeing her at events for Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated.
Mrs. Vel Phillips not only transformed Wisconsin, she also transformed the lives of all its people, illuminating the world in the process.
For generations to come, young Black girls who dream of changing the world will look up to her monument and know that, for them, anything is possible.
As Mrs. Phillips’ mother said to her as a young girl, and I quote, ‘If you really want it, don’t dream small dreams, dream BIG dreams.’
This is her moment, and our big dream is becoming a reality.”
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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