MILWAUKEE--Downtown's 4th Street will be renamed to Vel R. Phillips Avenue after a unanimous endorsement at the Public Works Committee meeting, Wednesday, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal.
Phillips, a legendary Milwaukee civil rights leader, died on April 17 at 94-years-old.
A woman of many firsts, Phillips was the first African American woman to graduate from UW-Madison's Law School, the first African American to be elected to Milwaukee's Common Council, the first female judge in Milwaukee, and the first African American judge in the state of Wisconsin.
Phillips went on to be the first African American woman to be elected Secretary of State of Wisconsin.
Vel R. Phillips Avenue will run between St. Paul Avenue and Capitol Drive, according to the Milwaukee Business Journal.
