Valiant Vel

Vel introduced herself to me. We were seated at the same table at a women’s forum for peace. I was relatively new to Milwaukee and didn’t know many people or much about the city. Vel’s name wasn’t familiar to me, but as we chatted, I found her bright, inquisitive eyes and open, inviting face welcoming. She said little to nothing about herself. Rather, she seemed more interested in knowing about me. After that meeting, I began searching the Internet to find out more about her. The more I read, the more astounded I became. Most astounding was, despite what seemed like countless articles about her, or that mentioned her, I could find no book about her.

Michael Phillips’ assistance was vital to the development of this book. After I gained his trust, he provided parts of Vel’s unpublished and unfinished autobiography, entitled A Dream Deferred. He read drafts of various versions of my manuscripts, corrected errors, provided context, and directed me to relatives and close friends and associates to interview. He also recommended award-winning Milwaukee artist Aaron Boyd, whose illustrations are key to the book’s beauty.

I started with what I thought were the most relevant of the many articles I had read about Vel, highlighting pertinent sections and names and making notes about why and where they might lead me in my research. I also started a list of people to interview. With my background and interest in writing for children, I wanted the book to be accessible to young people.

It soon became apparent that to do Vel justice, I would have to narrow my focus for a children’s book. Instead of a story about her entire life, which would be a cradle-to-grave biography, I would decide on a part of her life for a slice-of-life biography that would appeal most to young people. What slice of her life that should be was answered by the prologue to her unfinished autobiography, which Michael sent me.

I completed and submitted a book proposal to Wisconsin Historical Society Press, which Michael Phillips and I agreed to be the most logical to publish this work. Proposal accepted and contract signed, I developed an outline and drafted an initial manuscript.

In addition to Vel’s unpublished autobiography, A Dream Deferred, a few of the valuable resources I used in my research included the Wisconsin Historical Society website, the Milwaukee County Historical Society, the Wisconsin Black Historical Society, several books, and the many individuals I interviewed for the book.

Oh, my! How to choose. Most significant, I think, is the high school speech contest. It revealed so much about her character, her belief in herself and her values, her determination and critical thinking, her passion about what was important to her, and her ability to act on principles. 

Persistence and the importance of perseverance. Taking a stand, speaking up and staying strong for their beliefs. Be respectful to others but don’t let anyone intimidate you.

One of my favorite race memories was from my first year, when I wasn’t sure I could actually ski 30-plus miles. Late in the race, as I was coming down a hill, it hit me that I indeed was going to make it to Hayward. It was such an intense feeling of accomplishment, of joy, of personal triumph, something that I’d never felt as an athlete. I imagine this is what many first-time Birkie finishers experience and one of the reasons it keeps them, like me, coming back.

Many Birkies stand out because the weather and snow conditions make them even more challenging. One year, skiers faced sub-zero cold at the start and only single digit high temperatures—I felt like a popsicle when I finished. One year it was in the 40s, so it was a long slog through mushy snow and then standing water on Lake Hayward. Another year a blizzard hit about a day before the race, and the soft snow on the course made for thick uphill climbs and not much glide. The battle of the Birkie is three-fold—within yourself, against the course, and versus Mother Nature.

I was very familiar with Vel Phillips. As a kid growing up in the inner city of Milwaukee in the 1970s she was someone I truly admired. Also, Milwaukee is the kind of place where you bump into people and I was fortunate enough to meet Vel several times later in her life. And even though she wasn’t in office at that time, she’d always make time to talk and share her kindness.

I worked closely with the publisher and author during this project to be sure I was creating art that would help paint Vel’s journey. In particular, my art focused on the areas where there weren’t a lot of direct photos of her life but were moments that really shaped her. For example, when she gave her speech before her entire high school. The original North Division school she’d attended was long gone. So I combed through old year books and architecture of the period and area to capture the colors, styles, and feel of that moment.

They were similar in that they share some of the same time periods as well as our state. However, just as today, there are great differences between lives that were lived hundreds of miles apart. Brownie’s journey spanned a shorter period of time (1940s) but greater distances. And Vel’s story largely revolved around Washington D.C., and Milwaukee, but spanned a greater distance of time (over 5 decades).

Jerrianne was an open book. She worked hard and honored Vel’s journey so when I spoke with her she knew everything and really helped me fill in the gaps using art. It’s also wonderful when you have enthusiasm for a project because it creates more enthusiasm. I’ll often say to kids when I do book events, “reach for that history you can touch.” Meaning that there’s so much history already in front of you. Talk to your uncle or your neighbors, walk around old neighborhoods and write letters. So much of what Vel did in her life is still at work today. We just need to ask questions, open our eyes, and touch it. 

A few years ago I was honored to do a book on John Lewis and when I was asked to do this book for Vel I honestly gasped saying, “Yes, I’ll do it! If you’re doing a Vel book I’m there!” To be able to represent someone who means so much and who has done so much is a great honor. When you’re painting the face of someone for hours, sculpting their face on the page, it moves you. You are literally touching their face and seeing them alive again.

More than anything I want readers to realize the greatness of the heroes is in all of us. Vel ran for office in a deeply segregated city as a black woman in the 1950s. There will always be mountains to climb, and we will certainly fail at times, but I believe that the hero in us emerges when we try, regardless of success. The Vel Phillips and John Lewis’s of the world did what they knew was right and they did it in service to others, not themselves. We can all do this using our own individual gifts.