A cardboard cutout of civil rights pioneer Vel Phillips stands in for a future statue on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Capitol on Tuesday, the same day a state board approved the honor.
A proposal to place a statue of the late Vel Phillips, Wisconsin’s first woman and first African American elected to statewide office, on the Capitol grounds has been approved.
The state Capitol and Executive Residence Board (SCERB), which is in charge of decorations at the Capitol, voted unanimously Monday to erect a statue of Phillips at the South Hamilton Street entrance to the Capitol, up the street from the Dane County Courthouse. Officials said when completed, it will be the first statue in the nation on a state Capitol’s grounds honoring an African American woman.
The Wisconsin State Capitol and Executive Residence Board unanimously approved the placement of a permanent statue to honor Vel Phillips, the first woman and African American elected to statewide office in state history.
“This has been a historic day for all of us … she’d be proud and she would be warmed by your words,” Phillips’ son Mike Phillips said during a press conference following Monday’s vote. “My mom certainly has done a lot of firsts and we know that, but this is a moment to look forward to some of the firsts we can anticipate. This monument should be for those folks going forward.”
People are also reading…
Phillips was the first Black woman to graduate from the UW-Madison School of Law in 1951. She was the first African American, as well as the first woman, to serve on the Milwaukee City Council and to become a Wisconsin judge. Phillips was also a leader in the civil rights movement and, in 1978, she was elected the state’s first female and first non-white secretary of state.
Michael Johnson, CEO of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dane County, began the push for a statue of Phillips last year in the wake of Black Lives Matter protests over police brutality.
“Last year this was just an idea,” Johnson said Monday. “But the people behind me and the people in this crowd decided it would be more than an idea and because of them today … Vel Philips will become the first black woman in America to have a statue at a state capitol.”
A cardboard cutout of Phillips stood near the future statue’s home during Monday’s press conference. Officials said they hope to have the statue installed by the end of 2022 or early 2023.
Vel Phillips was the first African American woman to graduate from the UW-Madison School of Law, earning her degree in 1951. She became a leader in the civil rights movement and Wisconsin’s first African American and woman elected to statewide office.
“Once installed, the Vel Phillips statue will have a place of honor at our state Capitol, which is arguably the most beautiful state Capitol in the country,” the committee’s legislative chairperson Rep. Amy Loudenbeck, R-Clinton, said in a statement.
“SCERB was created for moments such as this, and I am proud of our careful work and consideration leading up to this historic vote,” Loudenbeck added.
When completed, the statue of Phillips will join the “Forward” and Col. Hans Christian Heg statues, which were reinstalled in September after being torn down by protesters in June 2020. Heg was an abolitionist who died in a Civil War battle, and the “Forward” statue has come to represent women’s rights. The fourth corner of the Capitol grounds features a memorial to fallen law enforcement officers.
Supporters of a statue honoring civil rights pioneer Vel Phillips, including her son, Michael Phillips, front left, and Michael Johnson, President and CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Dane County, front right, applaud during an event marking the approval a permanent marker in her honor in Madison, Wis., Monday, Nov. 1, 2021. JOHN HART, STATE JOURNAL
State officials said it cost a little more than $82,000 to restore both statues. The statue of Phillips is being donated by the Vel Phillips Statue Task Force.
Photos: Look back at Madison's 'Forward' statue through the years as protesters down Capitol Square replica
Shaping 'Forward'
Menasha native Jean Pond Miner is shown working on her "Forward" statue in 1893 in the Wisconsin Building at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. Photo courtesy of Wisconsin Historical Society.
Standing tall
The "Forward" statue is shown on Nov. 13, 1963, with the Wisconsin State Capitol in the background.
Original location
The original "Forward" statue is shown in March 8, 1990. The statue was moved from this location in 1995 and in 1998 it was installed at the Wisconsin Historical Society's Headquarters building.
Standing with women
The "Forward" statue is shown during a demonstration on May 31, 1995.
Escaping the elements
State workers, including Mike Bath (above), finished renovating "Forward," the venerable statue that once graced the North side of the Capitol Square, and were preparing her and her "clone'' for public display on July 31, 1996. The original copper-clad statue is on display at the State Historical Society on the UW campus, while a bronze copy was placed at the State Street side of the Capitol. Bath said constant exposure to the elements had worn away some of the statue's copper skin, exposing lead joints underneath.
Adding a fresh coat
Tammie Gizicki, of Detroit, Mich., applies hot wax to the "Forward" statue on July 15, 2002. The statues around the Capitol were being cleaned and then waxed to protect them from the elements.
Braving the snow
The "Forward" statue wears a layer of white as she stands over pedestrians braving falling snow as they make their way along State Street on Jan. 26, 2004.
Showing solidarity
Mexican, Cuban and American flags are attached to the "Forward" statue during a rally on immigration rights on April 11, 2006.
Recognizing love
Maria Parker, left, and Kelley Richardt stand in front of the "Forward" statue at the Wisconsin State Capitol on July 31, 2009. The two hoped to register three days later under the then-new state law as domestic partners, giving the same-sex couple the same legal protections as spouses.
Blindfolded in protest
The "Forward" statue is blindfolded with an American flag on Feb. 19, 2011.
Blindfolded in protest
The "Forward" statue is blindfolded with an American flag on Feb. 19, 2011.
Digging in
A man walks by the "Forward" statue at the Wisconsin State Capitol on Feb. 22, 2011. Opponents to Gov. Scott Walker's bill to eliminate collective bargaining rights for many state workers were in their eighth day of large scale protests.
'For Sale'
The "Forward" statue is covered in protest artifacts as opponents of Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill gathered for protests at the Wisconsin State Capitol on Feb. 26, 2011.
Battle drags on
A protester raises his fingers after putting his mask on the "Forward" statue March 5, 2011. Opponents to Gov. Scott Walker's bill to eliminate collective bargaining rights for many state workers were on their 18th day of demonstrations at the Capitol.
'Recall' Walker
The "Forward" statue displays a "Recall" sign in March 2011, the day after the state Senate passed Gov. Scott Walker's controversial budget repair bill.
Starting young
William Whiting, 12, adjusts signs on the "Forward" statue after someone took them down and threw them in the trash. On March 10, 2011, protests continued after the Senate passed governor's controversial budget repair bill, and the Assembly was meeting to consider final passage.
In full bloom
The "Forward" statue, with a carnation placed in its hand, surveys the scene on State Street in the aftermath of a labor rally March 10, 2011.
Setting a strong example
Artists Brenda Baker, left, and Bird Ross sit in front of the "Forward" statue on Oct. 25, 2017. The artists were so inspired by the story behind Jean Pond Miner’s 1893 statue that they created a fund to help future generations of female artists in Madison.
'Votes for Women'
The "Forward" statue outside the Wisconsin State Capitol wears a "Votes for Women" sash during the Women's Suffrage Centennial Celebration in Madison on June 10, 2019.
Covered in paint
Paint covers the "Forward" statue outside the Wisconsin State Capitol on June 2, 2020, after riots the previous night in Madison.
Covered in paint
Paint covers the "Forward" statue outside the Wisconsin State Capitol on June 2, 2020, after riots the previous night in Madison.
Covered in paint
Paint covers the “Forward” statue outside the state Capitol on June 2, 2020, following a third night of protests in Downtown Madison followed by vandalism.
Covered in paint
Paint covers the "Forward" statue outside the Wisconsin State Capitol on June 2, 2020, after demonstrations the previous night in Downtown Madison.
Clean up effort
A Wisconsin state employee paints the sign on the "Forward" statue on June 3, 2020, in an effort to hide the vandalism that occurred to it two nights before.
Bringing it down
Protesters tore down the "Forward" statue Tuesday night on Capitol Square at the top of State Street.
Left in the street
The "Forward" statue was covered with baking soda and left in the street after it was torn down on Tuesday night in Madison.
