Governor Gretchen Whitmer has ordered U.S. and Michigan flags within the State Capitol Complex to be lowered to half-staff on Tuesday, July 1, 2025 to honor and remember former Michigan lawmaker Irma Clark-Coleman. The flag lowering will coincide with the day of the funeral.

“I'm grateful to Irma Clark-Coleman for her friendship, her leadership, and her service to the people of Michigan,” said Governor Whitmer. “Over decades, her tireless efforts made Wayne County and our entire state better places to live, raise a family, or start a business. She was fierce, fabulous, and funny. My thoughts are with her family, and I want to thank them for sharing her with us for so many years. We will all miss her.”

Irma Clark-Coleman was born in Georgia in 1937. Her family later relocated to Detroit where she attended high school at Pershing High School. She went on to earn her bachelor's and master's degrees from Wayne State University as a first-generation student.

Clark-Coleman began her career in public service in 1967. Specifically, she held a variety of positions in the Wayne County government, starting as a stenographer and eventually working her way up to the director of human relations.

Clark-Coleman was elected to public office in 1998, representing Michigan’s 11th district in the Michigan House of Representatives. After serving as a state representative until 2002, Clark-Coleman was elected as a state senator and served until 2010. However, her career in public service extended beyond her time as a representative and senator. Most recently, she served as a Wayne County Commissioner, representing Wayne County District 5, from 2010-2025.

In addition to her time as an elected official, Clark-Coleman was heavily involved in public service organizations. In 1991, she was appointed to the Detroit Board of Education in 1991 and later became vice president. She was a member of the NAACP and Alpha Rho Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. She also sat on the board of Living Waters Church in Redford.

Former Michigan lawmaker Irma Clark-Coleman is survived by her husband, Rev. Ron D. Coleman, Sr., pastor of God Land Unity Church, and two children.

The State of Michigan recognizes the duty, honor, and service of former Michigan lawmaker Irma Clark-Coleman by lowering flags within the State Capitol Complex to half-staff. To lower flags to half-staff, flags should be hoisted first to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The process is reversed before the flag is lowered for the day.

Flags should be returned to full staff on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.