Irma Clark-Coleman (April 14, 1937 – June 10, 2025) was an American politician from

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. She was a Democratic member of the

Michigan Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Michigan Constitution, ado ...

, representing the 3rd district from 2003 to 2010. Previously she was a member of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

from 1999 to 2002. She subsequently served on the

Wayne County Commission The Wayne County Commission is the legislative body for Wayne County, Michigan. It is made up of 15 commissioners elected by district every two years. Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County, which includes the City of Detroit, is the most populous co ...

from 2011 until her death.

Early life and career

Clark-Coleman attended Detroit Public Schools and held a B.A. and M.A. in communications from

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public university, public research university in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 375 programs. It is Michigan's third-l ...

. Beginning in 1967, she held a variety of positions in Wayne County government; starting as a stenographer, and eventually serving as assistant director for Public Information to the county Road Commission, Media Relations Manager for Wayne County Executive William Lucas, Press Secretary to County Executive

Ed McNamara Edward Francis McNamara (21 June 1921 – 11 October 1986) was a Canadian film actor."Ed McNamara ...

and Director of Human Relations. Clark Coleman retired from Wayne County in 1998.

Family

Clark-Coleman was married to Rev. Ron D. Coleman, Sr., pastor of God Land Unity Church. She had two children.

Political career

In 1991, Clark-Coleman was appointed to the

Detroit Board of Education Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is a school district that serves Detroit, Michigan, and high school students in Highland Park, Michigan. The district, which replaced the original Detroit Public Schools (DPS) in 2016, provides ...

and served in that capacity until 1998. She served as the board's vice president and president (1996–1998). Clark-Coleman was elected to the

(

district 11 District 11 can refer to: *District 11 (Ho Chi Minh city), Vietnam *District 11 (Zürich), Switzerland * District 11, an electoral district of Malta *Colorado Springs School District 11, in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States *District 11 (H ...

) in 1998 - and re-elected in 2000. In

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, she was elected to the

Michigan State Senate The Michigan Senate is the upper house of the Michigan Legislature. Along with the Michigan House of Representatives, it composes the state legislature, which has powers, roles and duties defined by Article IV of the Constitution of Michigan, Mi ...

- and re-elected in

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

. She served on the Senate Appropriations Committee. Under the

term limits A term limit is a legal restriction on the number of Term of office, terms a Incumbent, person may serve in a particular elected office. When term limits are found in Presidential system, presidential and Semi-presidential republic, semi-president ...

provisions of Michigan's Constitution, She was barred from seeking re-election in

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

. Clark-Coleman died June 10, 2025, at the age of 88.

Electoral history

*2006 election for Michigan State Senate - Michigan 3rd District :: *2006 election for Michigan State Senate - Michigan 3rd District (Democratic primary) :: *2002 election for Michigan State Senate - Michigan 3rd District :: *2002 election for Michigan State Senate - Michigan 3rd District (Democratic primary) ::

References

External links

Michigan Senate - Irma Clark-ColemanProject Vote Smart - Senator Irma Clark-Coleman (MI)
profile *''Follow the Money'' - Irma Clark-Coleman
20062004
campaign contributions
Michigan Bureau of Elections - Irma Clark-Coleman (State Senate)
campaign finance reports and data
Michigan Bureau of Elections - Irma Clark (State House)
campaign finance reports and data
Michigan Senate Democratic Caucus

Michigan Liberal - SD03
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark-Coleman, Irma 1937 births 2025 deaths Politicians from Detroit Wayne State University alumni Women state legislators in Michigan Members of the Detroit Board of Education Democratic Party Michigan state senators 20th-century African-American women politicians African-American state legislators in Michigan Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives 20th-century American women politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century members of the Michigan Legislature 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century members of the Michigan Legislature