Barbara-Rose Collins was the first Black woman from Michigan elected to the U.S. Congress, serving as a Democrat in the House of Representatives from 1991 to 1997.
- Died: November 4, 2021 (Who else died on November 4?)
- Details of death: Died at a Detroit hospital of complications of COVID-19 at the age of 82.
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Political career
Collins first entered public service in 1971, when she was elected to the Detroit Public School Board. In 1975, she made a successful run for the Michigan House of Representatives, representing the 21st district for six years. She then moved on to the Detroit City Council for a decade before her election to the U.S. House of Representatives. There, Collins sponsored successful bills including the Food Dating Bill and the Sex Education Bill. She was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Women’s Caucus, and she served on committees including Public Works and Transportation as well as Post Office and Civil Service. In 1994, she participated in a sit-in at the White House in protest of U.S. policies toward Haiti. She and several other U.S. Representatives were arrested, fined, and released. In 1996, Collins introduced the first bill attempting to make Juneteeneth a federal holiday; though this bill didn’t pass, Juneteeneth was made a federal holiday in 2021. After losing the 1997 Democratic primary, Collins returned to the Detroit City Council, serving from 2001 until her retirement in 2009.
Notable quote
“What’s being done to the Haitians is inhumane and immoral. The fact of the matter is we welcome the Hungarians with open arms, we welcome the Vietnamese with open arms, we welcome the Cubans with open arms, but when it comes to the black Haitians, we tell them, ‘Stand back; we don’t want you,’ the result being that hundreds are being drowned at sea, children and women eaten by sharks.” —from a 1994 speech delivered while protesting U.S. policy on Haiti
Tributes to Barbara-Rose Collins
Full obituary: The Detroit News
