[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 13 (Wednesday, February 9, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1196-S1197]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HONORING VEL PHILLIPS

 Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, today I honor the accomplishments 
of Vel Phillips, a pioneer in Wisconsin history, who turns 81 on 
February 18.
  The celebration of Black History Month in the State of Wisconsin 
cannot be complete without including Vel. In 1951, Vel was the first 
African-American woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Law 
School. She and her husband Dale moved to Milwaukee, where they became 
the first husband-wife attorney team admitted to the Federal bar.
  Vel's is a household name in Milwaukee, where she was first inspired 
to run for office doing door-to-door voter registration. She was the 
first woman and first African American elected to the Milwaukee Common 
Council. Vel literally came under fire as she fought for open housing 
in Milwaukee, when gunshots left a bullet lodged in her oven. But no 
threats, no matter how real or how terrifying, could change Vel's 
unshakeable commitment to making Milwaukee a more just city and to 
making the world a better place.
  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, ``We must be the drum majors for

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peace,'' and Vel heeded his marching orders. She was arrested at a 
rally at the burned-out NAACP Freedom House, the site of a previous 
night's retaliatory firebombing. Two weeks before Dr. King's 
assassination, the Milwaukee Common Council passed the open housing 
bill.
  In 1971, Vel Phillips was appointed Wisconsin's first African-
American judge. In 1978, she again reached another milestone with her 
election as secretary of state, first statewide office held by an 
African American. Now, at 81, Vel continues to make a difference in 
Milwaukee, and it is a privilege to call her a friend.
  Vel Phillips is a distinguished figure in the progress of the civil 
rights movement in Wisconsin. Her life of firsts and steadfast 
determination to make a difference is an inspiration to me and a 
reminder of the need to advance and protect the civil rights of all 
Americans as we celebrate Black History Month.

                          ____________________