Wisconsin, in a first, to unveil a Black woman’s statue in its Capitol

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — About a thousand people are expected at a gala event this weekend as Wisconsin finally honors a person of color with a statue at its state Capitol. Workers lowered the shrouded statue of Wisconsin Secretary of State Vel Phillips into position Tuesday, and then encased it in a crate ahead of Saturday’s unveiling. Phillips was the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin Law School and Wisconsin’s first Black judge. She went on to become the first woman and first Black person elected to statewide office. A task force has been working on this for four years.