Last night, the Senate passed legislation designating the U.S. Post Office located at 2650 North Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Drive in Milwaukee as the “Vel R. Phillips Post Office Building.”

“Vel contributed so much at every level and paved the way for other Wisconsinites to help make a difference in people’s lives,” said Senator Baldwin. “She was a leader in engaging the Milwaukee grassroots in dialogue with the Community Brainstorming conference and she encouraged everyone to join her on the march for social justice. Vel had a lifelong passion of doing right by others, and I’m proud to honor her memory and do right by her and her family by designating this Milwaukee building in her name.”

Senators Baldwin and Ron Johnson introduced legislation in September to secure this designation at the Post Office location on MLK Drive. A companion bill, led by Congresswoman Gwen Moore, passed in the House of Representatives in September. After passing the Senate on Thursday, this legislation honoring Milwaukee’s pioneering civil rights activist who passed away earlier this year, now heads to the President’s desk.

Velvalea “Vel” Phillips was the first woman judge in Milwaukee County and the first African American elected to the Milwaukee Common Council and to statewide office in Wisconsin. Following Vel’s passing in April, Senator Baldwin authored a resolution in the Congressional Record to honor her life of public service and her many contributions to the state of Wisconsin and as a civil rights leader.

An online version of this release is available here.