John Collins-Muhammad
John Collins-Muhammad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Alderman for the 21st Ward of St. Louis | |
| In office April 2017 – April 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Antonio D. French |
| Personal details | |
| Born | St. Louis |
| Political party | Democrat |
| Residence | St. Louis City |
John Collins-Muhammad (born 1991) is an activist and American politician from the state of Missouri. He currently serves on the Board of Alderman of the City of St. Louis as Alderman of the 21st Ward where he represents portions of North City. Collins-Muhammad was elected to his first term in April 2017 at the age of 25, which makes him the youngest person ever to be elected to the St. Louis Board of Alderman.
Personal life
Collins-Muhammad was raised in North City,St. Louis, Missouri in the Greater Ville Neighborhood. A graduate of St. Mary's High School, John went on to complete his studies in political science and history at the only two HBCU's in Missouri; Lincoln University in Jefferson City and Harris-Stowe State University in Saint Louis.
While in college, Collins-Muhammad served as a Legislative Intern to former Missouri state representatives; Rodney Hubbard and Talibden "T.D." El-Amin. He worked in the St. Louis City License Collector's office under Michael McMillan. He has worked in various departments and agencies in local and state governments. For a short time, he also worked for AFL-CIO's Working America as a Lead Regional Organizer.
Collins-Muhammad is a member of; 100 Black Men of America, Inc.; Lion Club International; Regional Business Council: Young Professionals Network, and the Democratic Party. He is also a Muslim in the Nation of Islam and attends Muhammad's Mosque No. 28 in St. Louis [1]
Political career
Collins-Muhammad was elected to his first term as Alderman for the city's 21st Ward in April 2017 following Alderman Antonio D. French's vacation of the seat to run for Mayor. At age 25, he is the youngest person ever to be elected Alderman in the city's history.
In the Board of Aldermen, Collins-Muhammad serves on the following committees; Committee on Ways & Means, Committee on Public Safety, Committee on Transportation & Commerce, and the Committee on Public Utilities. [2]. He is also a member of the African-American Aldermanic Caucus.
In 2017, Collins-Muhammad proposed a major redevelopment plan on Natural Bridge Avenue; one of the city's most derelict and less economically developed main corridors. Natural Bridge Avenue sits in the middle of North St. Louis, and is populated by crime, a decreasing housing market, and vacant residential & commercial buildings. Collins-Muhammad's plan included a blighting, and a 15 year tax abatement on property on Natural Bridge Avenue, and additional funding in Tax Increment Financing to developers.
In 2016 Collins-Muhammad ran unsuccessfully for Missouri state representative of the 77th district placing second in a four way race losing narrowly to Steve Roberts, Jr. [3]
Ferguson
Collins-Muhammad was a known leader in the protest movement following the 2014 death of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO. He expressed criticism to police militarization and the way the crisis was handled within the community. During the protests, Collins-Muhammad was among the protesters who were tear-gassed by law enforcement and policing agencies. He assisted in the organizing of rallies, events, and protest demonstrations calling for the resignation of Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson and the immediate arrest of police officer Darren Wilson. [4]. He was fired in 2014 from the Village of Uplands Park in St. Louis County for making inflammatory remarks on national television about the shooting of two St. Louis area police officers. Fellow Ferguson protester and Black Lives Matter surrogate Tory Russell is a known associate of Collins-Muhammad and served as his campaign manager.
Political offices
References
- ^ "From protest to politics: Young Muslim politician vows not to forget his mission". www.finalcall.com.
- ^ "Ward 21". stlouis-mo.gov.
- ^ https://ballotpedia.org/John_Collins-Muhammad_Jr
- ^ Mannies, Jason Rosenbaum, Jo. "Politically Speaking: John Collins-Muhammad on becoming a strong voice for north St. Louis".
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