MADISON (WKOW) -- Saturday is the day a historic landmark will be unveiled at the Capitol. The first outdoor sculpture of an African American woman to reside on any U.S. state capitol will be honoring Vel Phillips, a pioneer for Black, female, attorneys across the country.
The sculpture, created by the late Radcliffe Bailey, will be the star of the show at the Capitol, where the dedication to the legacy of Phillips will take place at 5 p.m. at South Hamilton Street.
Phillips was born in 1923 in Milwaukee and graduated from North Division High School. She attended Howard University in Washington D.C. in 1946 and went on to become the first Black American woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Law School in 1951.
In 1956, at the age of 32, she became the first African American and first woman elected to Milwaukee’s Common Council. Phillips made history as the first Black American, and woman elected to statewide office in Wisconsin as the first Black judge in Wisconsin in 1971, and as the 29th Secretary of State in 1978.
Governor Tony Evers, Vel Phillips' son, Michael Phillips, Michael Johnson, and other distinguished guests are expected to speak at the unveiling. The event is free and open to the public.
“This sculpture is not just a monument to my mother's legacy; it is a beacon of hope and a catalyst for action," Phillips, said. "It stands as a powerful reminder that we all have the ability to break barriers and champion the values she lived by."
Needless to say, the sculpture is being unveiled at a time in history where the United States might see the first, Black, woman president with Vice President Kamala Harris.
"The sculpture stands in contrast to a societal paradigm that has been entrenched in the United States for centuries. According to Monument Lab’s National Monument Audit, less than 1% of a sample of nearly 50,000 public monuments around the U.S. represent people of color. Further, merely 6% of these monuments portray women from history. Phillips’ memory, immortalized through sculpture, will challenge both these trends." --Amy Fenwick, Senior Director of Development BGCDC.
Founder and CEO of BGCDC Michael Johnson added that representation is just as important as the work that needs to be done as a community.
“This historic unveiling is a celebration of Vel Phillips’ trailblazing spirit and a reminder of the importance of representation and equity in our society,” Michael Johnson said.
“We are proud to have spearheaded this landmark initiative, which will forever represent the values she embodied while encouraging future generations to live as she did.”
Funding for the sculpture comes from the endorsement of The Vel Phillips Legacy Initiative, which was founded by Johnson. They raised more than $500,000 to commission and donate the sculpture to the State of Wisconsin.
“The sculpture of Vel Phillips by Radcliffe Bailey captures her grounded generosity and engaged connection with the people of our community and our nation,” Marilu Knode, curatorial consultant and member of the Task Force said.
“With this sculpture, we enter a national dialogue around who gets represented in the public sphere and how artists shape the way we see ourselves and one another and celebrate Vel Phillips’ work changing our country on behalf of every citizen.”
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