Vel Phillips was the first African American woman to graduate from UW-Madison Law School in 1951. In 1957, she became the first African American woman elected to the Milwaukee Common Council. As a council member, Phillips advocated for equal housing opportunities and worked to end segregation in Milwaukee, which was one of the most segregated cities in the country at the time. She organized marches and conferences to raise awareness of racial inequalities in housing and employment. Phillips founded The Vel Phillips Foundation to continue advocating for social justice issues through providing scholarships and supporting programs addressing discrimination.

1. African American
Housing Inequality
AMANDA LYNN
CLD220
VEL PHILLIPS
&
SOCIAL JUSTICE MUSEUM
"I want my foundation to serve as an economic hand of justice that seeks to
eliminate invisible barriers between disadvantaged people and their goals, clearing
the path for educational, occupational, social, and political parity."
—Vel Phillips

2. Where did I go?
 I attended the Vel Phillips documentary, and really learned a lot about the
specifics that African Americans went through just to have the right to
vote, let alone hold a position in a political office.
 In 1951, Vel Phillips was the first African American woman to graduate
college from UWMadison Law.
 1957, Phillips become the first African American woman elected to be on
the Milwaukee Common Council.
 Phillips was really making a breakthrough for the black community as far
as having a say in what happened at the state level. Phillips wanted to see
a change in the community segregation in Milwaukee, and she took a
stand to make it happen.

3. Racial Inequality in Housing
 Milwaukee was, and still is, one of the most segregated cities in the
country.
 Phillips, once in office, held conferences & meetings to encourage more
followers and persuade people to stand up for themselves!
 Segregated housing.
 Initiated marches for justice to get word out, and call attention to nation.
 Founded The Vel Phillips Foundation to keep “marches” going.

4. Social Issue at Hand
 White men barely agreed to white woman going into the workforce, let
alone an African American woman. African Americans have been treated
horribly by white people, men and woman, and everyone is supposed to
forget what happened.
 Even today there are still people who feel African Americans do not
deserve any sympathy for what has happened because it wasn’t them, it
was their ancestors.
 According to African Americans and Native Americans Do Not Deserve
Reparations, “Neither I nor any of my immediate ancestors ever lifted a finger
against a single American Indian or black American. I have no apologies to
make to people I have not offended. If offenses were committed they weren't
my fault, or for that matter yours or that of any living Americans” (Reagan,
2005)
 The fact of the matter is that, yes slavery has been abolished for almost 50
years, however there is still inequality every single day in the race world. Slowly,
but surely, there will come an end to racism with the help of our social
movement leaders.

5. Midwest Strategy Chart
 Using the Midwest Strategy Chart, it is fairly easy to see Phillips had a
social movement ready to be started, according to The Vel Phillips
Foundation:
 Vel was joined by “Father James Groppi and the NAACP Youth Council in
leading marches for fair housing, enduring the city’s race riots, hostility and
violence.” (The Vel Phillips Foundation, n.d.).
 Her goals were very specific.

6. Midwest Strategy Chart
Goals Organizational
Considerations
Constituents Targets Tactics
Long-term:
Justice for Minorities
Providing
scholarships for
minorities
John F. Kennedy Police officials
harassing
marchers
Marches
Intermediate:
 equal housing
opportunities for
minorities
 equal work force
treatment for
minorities
Providing funds
and/or volunteers
to existing
programs that
focus on one or
more of the
foundation’s core
areas
Lyndon Johnson White power
leaders
Holding office
as Secretary of
State
Short term:
 Open-housing bill
to be passed
Seeking mentors
and role models
who embody our
values and beliefs
Jimmy Carter Segregationists Worked on
Milwaukee
Common
Council

7. Conclusion
 Vel Phillips really put herself in a position of power by
going to college, a law school at that, and pursuing
her life dream to have equality among different races.
She reached out to the right people and was really
able to receive the help needed to make Milwaukee a
more integrated place.

8. How do my values relate?
 I am an advocate for anyone who is struggling in life, and that is why I
chose to go to the Vel Phillips documentary.
 Touched me HOW MUCH she did, given her circumstances,
 She is a very inspiring woman, and I not everyone thinks about the
problems people, especially minorities, face on a daily basis.
 This movement is important to me because I am not from Milwaukee, and
I really became interested to hear how segregated it was 50 years ago,
 Heart wrenching to think it still happens, in a different form, in today’s
society.

9. References
Bobo, K., & Kendall, J. (2010). Developing a Strategy. In Organizing for
social change: Midwest Academy manual for activists (Fourth ed., p.
54). Forum Press.
Reagan, M. (2005). African americans and native americans do not deserve
reparations. Social Justice.
The Vel Phillips Foundation - About Vel Phillips. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19,
2015, from http://velphillipsfoundation.com/vel.htm