Former Michigan Congresswoman Carolyn Kilpatrick, first Black woman on House Appropriations Committee, dies at 80.

Former U.S. Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, who represented Michigan’s 13th District from 1997 to 2011, has died at 80. A trailblazer as the first African American woman on the House Appropriations Committee, she advocated for Detroit and urban communities, securing federal funding for infrastructure and international aid. She previously served in the Michigan State House for 18 years and was the mother of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Her family confirmed her passing on October 7, 2025.