Vel Phillips The Fight for Fair Housing Biography written by: Becky Marburger Educational Producer Wisconsin Media Lab Glossary bill (n): . a proposed law; if legislators vote to pass a bill then it becomes a law civil rights (n): . rights or privileges that all citizens of a country have according to law Table of Contents discrimination (n): different treatment of people because of their race, religion, gender, etc. Introduction . 2 election (n): . .the act of choosing someone by voting Early Life . 3 elope (v): . to secretly get married Becoming a Lawyer . 5 equal rights (n): . the same treatment for all people Milwaukee Common Council . 7 Fair Housing Political Accomplishments . .9 Law (n): . a law that makes it illegal to prevent people from living where they choose Conclusion . 10 because of their race governor (n): . the top executive offi cial of a state in the United States Glossary . 12 march (n): . a rally; a group of people walking together in support of a cause social justice (n): . all people having the same advantages and disadvantages 12 Introduction Jean Nicolet was the fi rst European to explore That year, she also created the Vel Phillips Foundation Wisconsin in 1634. Electa Quinney became Wisconsin’s to promote social justice, education, and equal housing. fi rst public school teacher in 1828. George Poage grew Vel continued to give speeches to school, church, and up in Wisconsin and became the fi rst African American women’s groups until her death on April 17, 2018. She to win a medal in the Olympic Games in 1904. sang about peace and equal rights with a group called Each of these people The Raging Grannies. Voces de la Frontera. Flickr. 2007. made history. They did Wisconsin Historical Society. WHi-92286. Vel Phillips helped give something fi rst, and people in the city of their fi rsts changed the Milwaukee the right to live lives of people who where they wanted. She came after them. opened doors that had Vel Phillips made been closed to women and history with her many African Americans. Vel’s fi rsts. For example, she fi rsts made history. More was the fi rst woman importantly, they made and the fi rst African life better for people in Vel Rodgers Phillips Vel accomplished many fi rsts, and American judge in Wisconsin and across the she made history. How can you (1953) Milwaukee, Wisconsin. U.S. make history? What are your life goals? Her actions improved the lives of people in the United States (U.S.). Quotes retrieved from: Miner, Barbara. “Valiant Lady Vel.” Milwaukee Magazine. 08 11 2007: n. page. Web. 13 Sep. 2013. <http://www.milwaukeemag. com/ article/242011-ValiantLadyVel>. 2 ” 11 Conclusion Early Life Vel’s husband Dale died unexpectedly from a heart Velvalea Hortense Rodgers was born on February attack on April 14, 1988. This loss hurt her deeply, but 18, 1924. She lived with her parents and two sisters Vel continued assist others. She helped Gwendolynne on the south side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her Moore become Wisconsin’s fi rst African American and father, Russell, was a businessman. Her mother, second female Congresswoman. She also volunteered Thelma, told her daughters to follow their dreams. to help build a statue in Milwaukee of Joshua Glover, Vel’s dream was to become a lawyer. an escaped slave. Vel received the Robert and Belle Case La Follette Award for Distinction in Public Service in 2006. Courtesy of Marquette University. 1940 2010 -- KEY -- N/A (<100 cases) 1% to 30% 30% to 60% 60% to 100% Milwuakee County % Vel earned an honorary degree from Marquette University on Black, 1940-2010.” Map. Social Explorer. Social May 20, 2007. Explorer, n.d. Web. April, 2010. (based on data from U.S. Census Bureau) Th is map show how the population of African Americans living in Milwaukee changed over time. 10 3 Political Accomplishments Vel resigned from the Common Council in 1971. Thelma Rodgers made the house rules. Vel and her Wisconsin’s governor then made her judge of the sisters could not smoke or swear. They were expected Milwaukee Children’s Court. This made her the fi rst to get a good education. Vel went to Garfi eld Avenue woman judge in Milwaukee and the fi rst African Elementary and Roosevelt Junior High. She also American judge in Wisconsin. attended North Division High, a mostly white school. Vel graduated from high school in 1942. Afterwards, Vel went on to become the fi rst woman and fi rst she went to Howard University in Washington, D.C. African American elected secretary of state in Wisconsin. As secretary of state, she served as governor when the top offi cials left the state. Vel University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries. 2006. jokingly said that “the men hurried back” once they realized they had left a woman in charge of the state. Wisconsin Historical Society. WHi-55020. Vel earned a college scholarship when she won a public speaking contest during high school. (from left to right) Governor Lee Sherman Dreyfus, Lieutenant Governor Russell Olsen, Secretary of State Vel Phillips, Treasurer Charles Smith, Superintendent of Public Instruction Barbara Th ompson, and Attorney General Bronson La Follette 4 9 Vel was determined to stop housing discrimination. Becoming a Lawyer She showed her support for the cause when she walked with Father James Groppi and hundreds of young people in a peaceful march across Milwaukee’s 16th Vel graduated from college in 1946. She then went to Street Bridge in 1967. She and 137 other people were the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School. arrested a few weeks later for their actions. But that At a party, Vel met Dale Phillips and called it “love at didn’t stop Vel. More marches and protests followed. fi rst sight.” Vel and Dale secretly eloped in November The Common Council fi nally passed the Fair Housing 1947. They later had a wedding on September 12, 1948. Law on April 30, 1968, six years after Vel fi rst proposed The couple had two sons named Michael and Dale. it. Levels of Government Legislative Branch Federal Executive Branch Judiciary Branch President House of Supreme Court Senate Government Vice President Representatives Wisconsin Historical Society. WHi-101431. Justices Representatives Senators Legislative Branch Wisconsin Executive Branch Judiciary Branch State Governor Supreme Court Assembly Senate Lieutenant Governor Government Attorney General Secretary of State Justices Representatives Senators State Treasurer Superintendent of Public Instruction Wisconsin County Local Board of Supervisors Government County Executive or County Administrator County Supervisors ----KEY---- Vel teamed with political activists such as the National Association City or Village Town for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) members. Government Common Council Town Board Organization Mayor OR Alders Town Chairperson Supervisors Titles 8 5 In 1951, Vel became the fi rst African American woman Milwaukee Common Council to graduate from the law school. She moved back to Milwaukee where she saw that African American students and teachers were not treated fairly. She Vel made history again in 1956. She became the fi rst wanted to change this, so she ran for the Milwaukee woman and the fi rst African American elected to the School Board. Vel lost the election, but she did not Milwaukee Common Council. Vel worked hard to let this discourage her. She continued to speak out for pass laws that treated all people fairly. She worked on equal rights at School Board meetings. clean air laws for Milwaukee. She also took part in national civil rights events such as the 1963 March on Washington. Vel Phillips became famous for her role in the fi ght for Civil Rights Era fair housing in Milwaukee. Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, NYWT&S Collection, LC-DIG-ppmsca-03130. (1954 – 1972) People of color could not buy or rent houses in some parts of the city. 1954 1955 1956 1962 1963 In a case called Rosa Parks Th e U.S. Malcolm X Martin Luther King, In 1962, she introduced Brown vs. refused to give Supreme becomes a civil Jr. gives a speech called the Phillips Housing the Board of up her seat Court rights leader. He “I Have a Dream,” Education, the in the white rules that encourages people and more than 200,000 Ordinance to make US Supreme section of a bus. segregation to gain equal people march on Court rules that on buses is rights by any Washington, D.C. in housing discrimination it is illegal to have illegal. means possible, support of civil rights. segregation in including violence. illegal in Milwaukee. schools. The Common Council voted it down, but Vel 1964 1966 1967 1968 1972 would not take no for an President Lyndon Kwanzaa becomes Th urgood Martin Luther Shirley Chisholm Johnson signs a holiday. It is Marshall King, Jr. is becomes the answer. She presented the Civil Rights a week-long becomes the fi rst assassinated. fi rst African Act, preventing celebration that African American American and fi rst the bill three more times discrimination honors African Supreme Court Democratic woman between 1963 and 1967. in employment, heritage in African Justice. to run for President Th e March on Washington was one of voting, and American culture. of the United It was defeated each the largest political rallies in United education. States. States history. time. 6 7.