2024 Proclaimed The Year of Vel Phillips

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of her birth, the Vel Phillips Legacy Initiative and a consortium of Wisconsin organizations have planned a series of activities to commemorate the centennial. As the year unfolds, numerous activities will be announced to honor the memory of Vel R. Phillips.

“My mother’s commitment to justice and equality laid the foundation for transformative change in our state and beyond,” remarked Atty. Michael Phillips, son of Vel Phillips. “This year-long celebration is an honor and a call to action for our community to continue the hard work required to create a more just and equitable society.”

Among the first events aligning with The Year of Vel Phillips is the opening of Dynamic Range: Photographs by Bill Tennessen at Marquette University’s Haggerty Museum of Art. This exhibition, featuring 50 photographs that capture Milwaukee’s Black community from the 1980s to the early 2000s – including Vel Phillips – opened January 18 and will be on view through May 12.

The official launch of the Year of Vel Phillips will take place at the Milwaukee Art Museum on Phillips’ birthday, February 18, with a free, full-day celebration including a documentary screening, a panel discussion, a resource gallery, kids activities, live music, and more.

“The Milwaukee Art Museum is thrilled to kick off the Year of Vel Phillips with programming that brings our community together,” said Kantara Souffrant, Ph.D., Curator of Community Dialogue at the Museum. “Through discourse and artistic expression, we aim to inspire and ignite conversations that honor Vel Phillips’s legacy and her continued impact.”

Significantly, two permanent tributes to Vel Phillips will be unveiled this summer. First, the Vel Phillips Legacy Initiative with support from The Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County will place the first sculpture of a Black woman jurist, politician, and civil rights leader outdoors on any State Capitol grounds in Madison. The sculpture, commissioned by the late artist Radcliffe Bailey, is intended to inspire individuals from all walks of life to shatter barriers, achieve new heights, and champion justice, equality, and progress in the spirit of Vel Phillips.

Also opening this summer is the Vel R. Phillips Plaza. The City of Milwaukee is transforming a downtown surface parking lot into a social space featuring informational kiosks, a food vendor, and more. The City has also commissioned a sculpture that will be installed at a later date in the plaza, which is located on West Wisconsin and Vel R. Phillips Avenues.

]America’s Black Holocaust Museum hosts a standing exhibit of civil rights history in Milwaukee, featuring Vel Phillips. The museum is also a contributing partner to the Year of Vel Phillips. Its Executive Director, Brad Pruitt, is a Task Force member and is planning special programming to be announced later this year.

The Wisconsin Historical Society Press will finalize a new Vel Phillips biography for young readers this year. Tentatively titled Valiant Vel: Vel Phillips and the Fight for Fair Housing, the book is written by Jerrianne Hayslett and features illustrations by Aaron Boyd. It also includes an Afterword by Michael Phillips. The book is aimed at middle school readers but is appropriate for ages 10 and up. The book is slated for publication in 2025.

Woodland Pattern Book Center is also celebrating Vel Phillips with programming that will be announced in the coming months.

The Year of Vel Phillips promises an extended celebration of a remarkable individual whose influence continues to resonate and yield substantive impact on the national level.

About The Vel Phillips Legacy Initiative

The Vel Phillips Legacy Initiative is a groundbreaking effort that emerged in response to the protests at the Wisconsin State Capitol in 2020. In collaboration with Governor Evers, a dedicated task force was formed to address the underrepresentation of the Black community’s contributions to Wisconsin. Backed by bipartisan support, the Wisconsin State Capitol and Executive Residence Board unanimously voted in favor of the historic designation for a sculpture honoring Vel Phillips. The Vel Phillips Legacy Initiative, which is sponsored by The Boys & Girls Clubs of Dane County, stands as a testament to the power of collective action and the enduring impact of Vel Phillips’ legacy on Wisconsin’s cultural and historical landscape.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.