WI Honors Vel Phillips News | April 14, 2024 | 0 | by Morgan McCarthy A statue of the first black statewide elected official, Vel Phillips will be unveiled in June. The four year project is being done to honor Phillips, the first black woman to graduate the University of Wisconsin-Madison Law School and go on to become a Common Council member and a state judge. You will be able to find the statue on the South Hamilton corner of the state Capitol grounds.. YOU CAN CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE.