Vel Phillips

Velvalea Rodgers "Vel" Phillips (February 18, 1923 – April 17, 2018) was an American attorney and civil rights activist. She served as a local official and judge in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and as Secretary of State of Wisconsin, the first woman and African-American elected to that state position, from 1979 to 1983.
Phillips died under hospice care in Milwaukee at age 95 on April 17, 2018.