THE VFA PIONEER HISTORIES PROJECT

The Honorable Barbara-Rose Collins

April 13, 1939 – November 4, 2021

“I don’t allow discrimination. If people have a problem with my gender or color, that’s their problem.” Barbara-Rose Collins, Congressional candidate, December, 18, 1990

A longtime community activist, Barbara-Rose Collins was elected to Congress in 1990 on a platform to bring federal dollars and social aid to her economically depressed neighborhood in downtown Detroit. In the House, Collins focused on her lifelong advocacy for minority rights and on ensuring that Black families and Black communities had the resources and opportunities they needed to thrive. Ms. Collins was the first black woman from Michigan to be elected to Congress. On September 26, 1996 Congresswoman Barbara-Rose Collins introduced the Juneteenth Independence Day Act. 25 years later the bill was signed on June 17, 2021 and will be celebrated as a National Holiday in the U.S. 

Photo 1. Barbara-Rose Collins, May 10, 1989, Detroit News Photo Archive. Photo 2. Campaigning for Congress on Aug. 9, 1990, Detroit News Photo Archive.