"[music]" "WhenVelPhillipsreturned to Milwaukee, she focused her energy on her city's own civil right issues." "Itwasprettybad  in Milwaukee." "Milwaukee was considered one of the more segregated cities in the whole United States." "Wehadproblems that we had to solve and we had to do it right and we had to do it the right way." "Housingsegregationkept Milwaukee's growing" "African American community confined inside the center city known as the Inner Core." "African American residents were barred from buying homes in the city's more prosperous neighborhoods and suburbs." "Wetriedto move." "You know, I had been told flat out, several times," ""Oh, you can't buy a house in that area because you're a Negro."" "Youcanconcededesegregation in these public spheres, work, school." "But your home and the neighborhood around that, that's where a lot of white folks draw the line." "Irememberwhenthe first black family moved into Wauwatosa." "There was a cross burned on the lawn." "Segregationissuch an insidious affair." "These are the things that strike you every day, right?" "It's the things that assault your senses." "Asanalderman,Phillips was in a position to devise an Open Housing ordinance to combat Milwaukee's segregation policies." "But she knew that the chance of it passing would be remote." "Sherepresentswomen,she  represents African Americans." "The community doesn't have the wealth, the power, the access, the media, to have voice, to push back, to get a fair hearing." "And she's the only person in that formal position." "What'stherightthingtodo ?" "That was really her focus." "AndI couldsee how segregated we were." "It just wasn't the way it should be." "In1962,Phillipssubmitted to the Milwaukee Common Council a landmark ordinance." ""It is to be the policy of the City of Milwaukee to assure equal opportunity to all persons to live in decent housing facilities regardless of race, color, or national origin."" "Sheintroduced the Fair Housing law and got one vote, hers." "Overfiveyears,Phillips introduced her Open Housing ordinance with the same result." "Thecommitteehaschosen, as it has done previously to reject the ordinance unanimously." "With that-- Iwantedto cry,really, but I thought that would not work." "I was the alderman." "Atthesametime, her constituents fought other battles, against job discrimination, segregated schools, and whites-only clubs."