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Former Rep. Cardiss Collins, who championed advertising, media issues,
dies at 81
 (February
7, 2013) Cardiss H. Collins, former U.S. Congresswoman from Illinois,
and the first African-American woman from the Midwest to serve in the
House of Representatives, died on Sunday, February 3 in Alexandria, VA,
15 years after retiring from Congress. She was 81.
Collins was elected to Congress in June 1973 in a special election to
replace her husband, George, who had died in the December 1972 United
Airlines Flight plane crash. After winning with 92 percent of the vote,
Collins went on to serve in Congress for nearly 25 years. She is widely
respected for her legislative successes in securing the rights of
minorities and women.
For many years Collins was the strongest advocate in Congress for
African-Americans on media and marketing issues, and she was the first
to hold hearings challenging programming and ownership in broadcasting.
"She was a shrewd and perceptive warrior who believed strongly in the
rights blacks and women," said Eddie Arnold, Collin's former director of
communications and public information. "She had a major concern about
the image of black people in the media and she had a big impact on
improving that image."
"Those of us in NABOB who knew her personally were deeply saddened by
the recent passing of former Congresswoman Cardiss Collins," said Jim
Winston, Executive Director and General Counsel of the National
Association of Black Owned Broadcasters. "Congresswoman Collins was one
of NABOB's earliest allies in promoting minority ownership of broadcast
stations."
As the only African-American member of the powerful House Energy and
Commerce Committee, in the mid-1980s, Congresswoman Collins held a
Congressional hearing on "No Urban Dictates" when an ad agency sent out
a written avail with the "no urban" language included. As a result,
Congresswoman Collins introduced a bill in Congress proposing that any
advertiser found to be engaging in advertising discrimination could not
deduct the cost of such advertising as a business expense.
"The hearing that Congresswoman Collins held in the mid-1980s was my
first time testifying before Congress," said Winston. "It made me feel
like someone at the highest level of government cared about what NABOB
had to say and was fighting for our issues. I will always be grateful
for all she did for us while she was in Congress."
Collins was the first to convene Congressional hearings on the millions
spent by the federal government on advertising. She formed the
Advertising Fairness Task Force and in 1989 Collins ordered a General
Accounting Office study on ad expenditures. The results revealed that,
contrary to mandatory provisions of federal law, the Dept. of Defense,
which accounted for most of the $166 million spent in federal
advertising, "did not use small disadvantaged advertising firms as prime
contractors and made only minimal use of small disadvantaged firms as
subcontractors," the GAO report said.
"Congresswoman Collins took a principled and courageous position against
discrimination in the advertising industry at a time when no other
Member of Congress had the courage to take on Madison Avenue or
Hollywood," said Adonis Hoffman, an attorney and professor at Georgetown
University. He served as a Congressional and FCC lawyer and is the
former SVP and Corporate Counsel at the American Association of
Advertising Agencies.
"She supported policies to advance the rights of African-Americans in
the media, advertising, marketing and communications industries, and
became known as the conscience of Congress on these issues," said
Hoffman. "Even after Congress, Mrs. Collins continued to lend leadership
on the struggle for equality in communications. She will be greatly
missed."
In 2004, Collins was selected by Nielsen Media Research to head a task
force examining the representation of African Americans in TV rating
samples.
"Many of us at Nielsen had the good fortune to work with Congresswoman
Collins when she chaired an Independent Task Force on Television
Measurement," said Susan Whiting, Vice Chair of The Nielsen Co. "She
worked with Nielsen and several community and industry leaders to help
ensure national and local television viewership samples were
representative of the diverse TV viewing audience."
"She will forever be remembered as a leader, a pioneer and a respected
figure in the United States Congress, in Illinois and in the African
American community," said Whiting. "Ms. Collins shared valuable
perspective and important insights as part of the Task Force; for that
we remain grateful. Our deepest sympathies go out to Congresswoman
Collins' family. We are honored to have known and worked with her."
A memorial service for Congresswoman Collins will be held on Monday,
February 11, 11:00 am at the Alfred Street Baptist Church, 301 S. Alfred
St. in Alexandria, VA. For further information call 703-683-2222.
Go to Target Market News homepage
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