MADISON- The proposal for a statue of notable civil rights advocate Vel Philips to be featured on the grounds of the Wisconsin Capitol was approved by a subcommittee of the State Capitol and Executive Residence Board (SCERB). Representative Stubbs (D-Madison) is a member of the Vel Phillips Statue Task Force which spearheaded this effort. Her statement is below:

“In her fierce advocacy for civil rights, Vel Philips paved the way for many of us in public service today.  In being the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School and to become Secretary of State in Wisconsin, she unquestionably made a deep impression on the political and social landscape of our state. Philips’ persistence in the face of rigid racial and gender barriers deserves to be recognized, and the preliminary approval of this statue is the first step towards that.”

“I want to thank my fellow members of the Vel Phillips Statue Task Force for advocating for the construction of this statue. I also want to thank the subcommittee of the State Capitol and Executive Residence Board for voting to approve and move this forward to the SCERB’s full body. With this approval, our Wisconsin State Capitol is one step closer to showing the diversity that our state is truly built on.”

“I am excited to see our state recognize trailblazers in history who are from groups that have been denied equal recognition. It is long overdue that we recognize the incredible accomplishments of Black women in Wisconsin. As we move forward with the construction of this statue, I am excited to not only commemorate the life and legacy of Vel Phillips, but to inspire future generations of leaders to push the boundaries of what they believe to be possible.”

Revision 7/16/2021: A previous version of this press release only indicated that approval was granted by SCERB. This revision notes that approval was granted by a subcommittee of SCERB. The proposal for a Vel Phillips statue is now onto the full body of SCERB for approval.

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