Cardiss Collins, first African-American Congresswoman from Illinois, dead at 81
CHICAGO – Cardiss Collins, the first African-American woman to represent Illinois in Congress, died of complications from pneumonia at a Virginia hospital, a family friend announced Tuesday.
Mel Blackwell said Collins died Sunday evening at a hospital in Alexandria, Va., after suffering a stroke and spending time in a nursing home.
"She was a groundbreaking congresswoman," Blackwell said.
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