Merika Coleman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Merika Coleman
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the Alabama Senate from the 19th district |
|
| Assumed office November 10, 2022 |
|
| Preceded by | Priscilla Dunn |
| Member of the Alabama House of Representatives from the 57th district |
|
| In office November 6, 2002 – November 10, 2022 |
|
| Preceded by | Tommie Houston |
| Succeeded by | Patrick Sellers |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 6, 1973 RAF Lakenheath, England |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Alabama, Birmingham (BA, MPA) |
Merika Coleman was born on September 6, 1973. She is an American politician. She is currently a member of the Alabama Senate. She has represented the 19th district since 2022. Before that, she served in the Alabama House of Representatives. She represented its 57th district from 2002 to 2022.
Early Life and Education
Merika Coleman was born in 1973 at RAF Lakenheath, a place near Suffolk, England. She later moved to the United States.
She studied at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In 1995, she earned a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in mass communication. Then, in 1997, she received a Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree.
Political Journey
In 2002, Merika Coleman was elected. She became a member of the Alabama House of Representatives. In 2004, she was chosen as a Fleming Fellow. This program is with the Center for Policy Alternatives.
In 2009, she ran for a State Senate seat. This was a special election. She came in second place in the first round of voting. She then went to a runoff election. However, she lost that election to Priscilla Dunn. She ran for reelection to the House in 2010. She won with 68% of the votes.
By 2017, she held important roles in the House. She was the Chair of the Boards and Commissions Committee. She also served on other committees. These included Judiciary, Ways and Means General Fund, and Banking. In February 2017, she became the Assistant Minority Leader for the House. Merika Coleman also teaches political science. She is an Assistant Professor at Miles College in Fairfield, Alabama.
In 2022, she decided to run for the State Senate again. The seat was open because Senator Priscilla Dunn was retiring. Merika Coleman won the primary election. She defeated fellow state representative Louise Alexander. She then ran unopposed in the general election. This means no one ran against her.
Important Political Ideas
Merika Coleman has supported several important laws. In 2010, she helped create a law. ..... At that time, Alabama was one of only six states without such a law.
She has also supported changes to laws about parole. Parole is when someone is released from prison early. She also worked on adding rules to Alabama's Stand-your-ground law. This law allows people to use force to protect themselves.
In 2019, Alabama's Governor signed a law about personal health choices. Merika Coleman spoke out against it. She believed the law would lead to unsafe situations. She also supported Roe v. Wade. This was a past court decision about personal health choices. After it was changed in 2022, she and other Democratic senators tried to pass new laws. These laws aimed to protect personal health choices. However, none of these bills passed.
Running for Congress
In November 2023, Merika Coleman announced something new. She decided to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. She wanted to represent Alabama's 2nd congressional district.
During her campaign, she talked about her goals. If elected, she would focus on voting rights. She also wanted to improve health care. She ran in the primary election. She lost to Shomari Figures. She received about 6% of the votes. She finished in fourth place.
