The late Vel Phillips, Wisconsin’s first woman and first African American elected to statewide office, will be honored with a statue on the Capitol grounds, according to a Wisconsin State Journal report. The statue has received final approval from the State Capitol and Executive Residence Board, which governs decorations at the Capitol. The board voted unanimously to erect a statue of Phillips at the South Hamilton Street entrance to the Capitol. Phillips was also a leader in the civil rights movement and was the first Black woman to graduate from the UW–Madison Law School in 1951.
Related story: Vel Phillips statue recommended for south side of Capitol
