• Celebrity
    • OTE – Meagan Good
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Best In Black Beauty 2023
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United

WHERE BLACK CULTURE, COMMUNITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS MEET

Sign up for ESSENCE Newsletters the keep the Black women at the forefront of conversation.

Your email is required.
Your email is in invalid format.
Confirm email is required.
Email did not match.
Select the newsletters you'd like to receive:
Please select at least one option.
By clicking Subscribe Now, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Skip to content
SUBSCRIBE
  • MAGAZINE
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Celebrity
    • OTE – Meagan Good
    • Daniel Kaluuya Digital Cover
    • Digital Cover Method Man
    • Digital Cover Zazie
    • Celebrity News
    • ‘Yes, Girl!’ Podcast
    • Entertainment
      • Paint The Polls Black
    • Black Celeb Couples
    • Celebrity Moms
    • Red Carpet
    • If Not For My Girls
  • Fashion
    • ESSENCE Fashion House 2022
    • Fashion News
    • Street Style
    • Accessories
    • Fashion Week
  • Beauty
    • Best In Black Beauty 2023
    • ESSENCE Hair Awards 2022
    • AVEENO Skin Health Startup Accelerator
    • Beauty News
    • Skin
    • Makeup
    • Nails
    • Girls United: Beautiful Possibilities
  • Hair
    • Hair News
    • Natural
    • Relaxed
    • Transitioning
    • Weave
    • 4C
  • Love
    • Love & Sex News
    • The Solve Podcast
    • Weddings
    • Parenting
    • Relationships
  • Lifestyle
    • Black History Month
    • ESSENCE Gift Guide 2022
    • ESSENCE + smartwater Live Well Challenge
    • Build Your Legacy 2022
    • Dream & Plan with Confidence Prudential
    • AMEX Platinum Travel
    • Homecoming Season 2022
    • Lifestyle News
    • Health & Wellness
    • ESSENCE Eats
    • Money & Career
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Black Travel Guide
  • News
    • Paint The Polls Black
    • Sponsors Recognition Page 2022
    • Latest News
    • Raise Your Voice
    • Culture
    • Politics
  • Video
  • Festival
    • 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Fest Videos
  • Events
    • 2023 Wellness House
    • 2023 Black Women In Hollywood
    • 2023 HOLLYWOOD HOUSE
    • 2023 ESSENCE Film Festival
    • 2022 Girls United Summit
    • 2022 ESSENCE Fashion House
    • 2022 Homecoming Season
    • She Got Now
    • Dear Black Men
    • I Am Speaking
    • Power Tools
  • Studios
  • Girls United
Home · News

Vel Phillips, Pioneering Judge And Civil Rights Leader, Has Died At Age 94

Vel Phillips, Pioneering Judge And Civil Rights Leader, Has Died At Age 94
Joe Kennedy/Getty Images
By Britni Danielle · Updated October 24, 2020

Velvalea Rodgers “Vel” Phillips, one of Milwaukee’s pioneering civil rights icons, has passed away.

She was 94.

Born in Milwaukee on February 18, 1924, Phillips spent her life fighting for social justice and civil rights in Wisconsin. In a 1955 speech, Phillips argued, “America is not the land of opportunity it is purported to be—not while discrimination and segregation exist, and where those belonging to the Negro race can secure only second class citizenship with definite limitations.”

A graduate of Howard University and an active member of Delta Sigma Theta and the NAACP, Phillips was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin–Madison Law School. She went on to rack up even more historic feats when she became the first woman and the first African-American person elected to Milwaukee’s Common Council in 1956, where she would advocate against segregation and the mistreatment of the city’s Black residents.

If you’re a Black woman civil rights activist or elected leader, learning about the courage and determination of #VelPhillips will make you push harder and demand more. Learn about her today. #RestInPower https://t.co/1cQo205TV3

— Sherrilyn Ifill (@Sifill_LDF) April 18, 2018

In 2014, when she turned 90, @columnboy asked Vel Phillips how she wants to be remembered. Here’s what she said: pic.twitter.com/4TP8Q9aCeR

— Ashley Luthern (@aluthern) April 18, 2018

In 1971 Phillips resigned from the Common Council when she was appointed to the bench, making her the first female judge in Milwaukee County and the first African American judge in the state of Wisconsin. Though she lost her re-election campaign to a white candidate who used her participation in peaceful anti-racism protests against her, Phillips continued to press on. After teaching at UW–Milwaukee, Phillips returned to politics in 1978 when she became the first woman to be elected as Wisconsin’s Secretary of State.

After retiring from politics, Phillips spent her life working on several causes, including supporting America’s Black Holocaust Museum in her hometown. In 2005, Phillips served as the chairperson of Gwen Moore’s congressional campaign. Under Phillips’ guidance, Moore would go on to become both Wisconsin’s first female and first African-American member of Congress.

After hearing of her passing, Moore praised Phillips’ “unbreakable spirit” and unwavering support.

Vel Phillips was my friend & champion. She cheered me on through every victory in my life & taught me to always keep the faith. In these times of division, I draw strength from her unshakable spirit. Vel will live on forever in my heart & her beloved city, Milwaukee. #RestInPower pic.twitter.com/ES5lCDwEzV

— Rep. Gwen Moore (@RepGwenMoore) April 18, 2018

 

“She cheered me on through every victory in my life & taught me to always keep the faith,” Moore wrote on Twitter. “In these times of division, I draw strength from her unshakable spirit. Vel will live on forever in my heart & her beloved city, Milwaukee.”

 

In 2015, Wisconsin Public Television produced a documentary about Phillips’ amazing life, titled, “Vel Phillips: Dream Big Dreams,” ensuring her life and legacy will live on forever.

COMPANY INFORMATION
  • Our Company
  • Customer Service
  • Essence Ventures
  • Change Your Address
  • Contact Us
  • Job Opportunities
  • Internships
  • Media Kit
  • tag
SUBSCRIBE
  • Newsletters
  • Give a Gift of ESSENCE
  • Magazine Tablet Edition
FOLLOW US
MORE ON ESSENCE
  • Home
  • Love
  • Celebrity
  • Beauty
  • Hair
  • Fashion
  • ESSENCE festival

ESSENCE.com is part of ESSENCE Communications, Inc.

Essence may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.

©2023 ESSENCE Communications Inc. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Essence.com Advertising Terms

Get The ESSENCE Newsletter and
Special Offers delivered to your inbox

By clicking Sign Up, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Get The ESSENCE Magazine
by subscribing below
subscribe now