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.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.