• Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin

Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Your neighborhood. Your News.

newsMilwaukee NNSMilwaukee NNSSearch
Subscribe to NNS today!
Advertisement
  • Home
  • News
    • Arts and Recreation
    • Community
    • Economic Development
    • Education
    • Health and Wellness
    • Housing
    • Public Safety
    • NNS Spotlight
    • Special Report
  • Posts From Community
    • Submit a Story
  • Community Voices
  • How To
  • Multimedia
    • NNS Local Video
    • Photos
    • NNS on Lake Effect
    • NNS WGLB 1560 Radio
  • Subscribe
  • Donate
  • About
    • Staff
    • Partners
    • News 414
    • The neighborhoods we cover
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Diederich College of Communication, Marquette University

You are here: Home / Community Voices / Remembering Vel, Our Revolutionary

Remembering Vel, Our Revolutionary

May 4, 2018 by Congresswoman Gwen Moore 2 Comments

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Congresswoman Gwen Moore represents Wisconsin’s 4th Congressional District. In this piece she remembers Vel Phillips, who chaired her campaign for U.S. Congress.

Waking up in the middle of the night to three missed calls from Vel Phillips wasn’t an unusual occurrence. If she wanted to talk to you, the time of day sure wasn’t going to stop her.

Vel ran her life just like she did her 3 a.m. phone calls, without regard for tradition. When she wanted to get something done, she was going to get it done, barreling through every barrier that stood in her way.

Her prolific list of firsts is testament to her tenacious attitude. Vel was the first black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Law School. She was the first woman and the first black official elected to Milwaukee’s Common Council. And she was elected the first black member of the Democratic National Committee. The list goes on.

Vel not caving to custom is right where our fierce friendship began. I met Vel when she was judging a high school oratorical contest in which I was participating. When it was announced that I had won, it was the first time I didn’t feel overlooked for the ragtag state of my appearance. Vel saw me for the strength of my character, the quality of my work, and nothing else.

This was true for all of Milwaukee. Vel was from a middle class family, so you can bet her arrest while marching in the streets for civil rights did not sit at all well with her mother. But this didn’t faze her. Vel marched on.

The money you had in your pocket, the state of your hair, and the shoes on your feet didn’t matter to Vel. What mattered was that you envisioned a better future for our city.

Vel’s revolutionary spirit didn’t just change Milwaukee; it shook our nation’s norms to their very core. When serving as an alderwoman, Vel submitted open housing legislation five times. Five times the legislation met the same result, 18-1 rejection.

This didn’t intimate her. Milwaukee’s refusal to tear down legally sanctioned, racially discriminatory housing policies, was yet another barrier through which she’d smash with grit and determination. Father Groppi, the NAACP Youth Council, the Commandos and hundreds of Milwaukee activists rallied around Vel’s mission, marching for 200 days and turning the nation’s eyes to our city, the Selma of the North.

The movement she inspired influenced the congressional Fair Housing Act debates in 1968 and led to the enactment of the Fair Housing Act on April 11, 1968, which outlawed housing segregation. That year, Vel’s open housing legislation finally passed after its sixth submission.  This victory reverberated across the country, quickly influencing other municipal housing laws.

Vel was my shero, my champion and my friend. She reached into my world and guided me through every major victory of my life. Of late, in the face of near constant attacks on fundamental human rights coming from our nation’s capital, I hold Vel’s guidance close. I remind myself of the first words she said to me during a timely phone call after a seat opened up in the U.S. House of Representatives: “Gwen, we’re going to have so much fun!”

Fighting for what is good and what is right was the joy of Vel’s life. She spread that joy into my life and the lives of so many members of our community. Vel’s impact will be felt in Milwaukee every time we band together to demand a more equal and just society, and her legacy will forever live on in federal laws that work to protect the powerless.

Share this...
Share on Facebook
Facebook
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
Share on LinkedIn
Linkedin

Filed Under: Community Voices

Avatar

About Congresswoman Gwen Moore

Comments

  1. AvatarHugh W Swofford says

    May 5, 2018 at 9:17 am

    I followed Vel Phillip’s career since she was in the Common Council. And I actually used to see her from time to time afterwards, One career highlight you should mention was when she was a member of state government. I think Secretary of State. Then you can say “the list goes on and on” if you want to. Her influence was greater than the city.

    Reply
  2. AvatarDenise R Ewing decker says

    May 23, 2018 at 1:24 pm

    You can also say Vel never forgot where she came from. I remember so vividly when I would visit my then mother in law on East Reservoir. Vel’s house was very close by and I was always struck by the fact she could live anywhere and she chose to stay in the inner city where her heart and soul were.
    D Decker

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement

How To …

How to avoid stimulus check scams

A new round of stimulus checks will likely also bring out a new round of scams. Here’s what to watch out for.

More "How To" articles

Advertisement

Recommended Reading

A Vaccine Reality Check

The Atlantic

UWM study on the state of Black Milwaukee describes the city as ‘the epitome of a 21st century racial regime’

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Videos Show How Federal Officers Escalated Violence in Portland

The New York Times

These mayors want to fight Covid-19 and the recession with one big idea: A guaranteed income

Vox

The World John Lewis Helped Create

The Atlantic

News

  • Arts and Recreation
  • Economic Development
  • Education
  • Health and Wellness
  • Housing
  • Public Safety
  • NNS Spotlight
  • Special Reports
  • Multimedia
    • NNS Videos
    • Photos
    • NNS on Lake Effect Radio

Engage with us

  • Posts from Community
  • Community Voices
  • Submit a Story

About NNS

  • Staff
  • Partners
  • News414
  • The neighborhoods we cover
  • Internship opportunities
  • Careers
  • Terms of use
  • Advertise

Connect with us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • RSS feed

Communities

Contact

mailing address
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Diederich College of Communication
Marquette University
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Johnston Hall 430
Milwaukee, WI 53233

email
info@milwaukeenns.org

phone & fax
PHONE: 414.604.6397 FAX: 414.288.6494

Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service is a project of Diederich College of Communication and Marquette University.
© 2020 Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service. Terms of use.
1131 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee WI 53233 • info@milwaukeenns.org

Copyright © 2021 · News Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in