State Lawmakers Introduce Bill to Make Vel Phillips a Special Observance Day at Public Schools

Thursday, February 20th, 2025 -- 11:00 AM

(Evan Casey, Wisconsin Public Radio) A newly introduced state bill would make Feb. 18, the birthday of iconic civil rights activist Vel Phillips, a special observance day at public schools across Wisconsin. 

According to Evan Casey with Wisconsin Public Radio, Phillips, the first Black person elected to statewide office in Wisconsin, died in 2018 at the age of 94.

The civil rights pioneer achieved many firsts during her time in public office, while breaking barriers in politics. If the bill is passed, Phillips would be the first Black woman to have a special observance day in her honor in the state.

The Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus introduced the bill during a ceremony Tuesday in honor of what would have been her 101st birthday. State Rep. Supreme Moore Omokunde, D-Milwaukee, said the bill aims to make students across the state aware of Phillips’ legacy.

“A lot of young people will get to be introduced to someone that they didn’t know grew up in the state of Wisconsin, right where they’re from,” Moore Omokunde said. “And some of them would have never gotten a chance to learn about her.”

Mikki Maddox, an English and social studies teacher at Necedah Area High School, helped get the bill introduced. She said she was recently tasked with doing daily announcements for her school. To prepare, she gathered a list of all the special observance days in Wisconsin.

“As I started doing that, I really started looking at the names and the events that are celebrated on the calendar and noticed that there are quite a few gaps missing in what we have as part of Wisconsin today,” Maddox said Tuesday.

She started to write to state lawmakers to get more people on the list. “Phillips was definitely on the top of the list,” Maddox said. “I appreciated her courage,” Maddox added.

“I appreciated her civic action, and I knew that this was a person who needed to be recognized all over the state for her courage and for her willingness to stand up.”

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