John Collins-Muhammad

Early years and personal life

Collins-Muhammad was raised in North City,St. Louis, Missouri in the Greater Ville Neighborhood. A graduate of St. Mary's High School, John went on to complete his studies in political science and history at the only two HBCU's in Missouri; Lincoln University in Jefferson City and Harris-Stowe State University in Saint Louis.

While in college, Collins-Muhammad served as a Legislative Intern to former Missouri state representatives; Rodney Hubbard and Talibden "T.D." El-Amin. He worked in the St. Louis City License Collector's office under Michael McMillan. He has worked in various departments and agencies in local and state governments. For a short time, he also worked for AFL-CIO's Working America as a Lead Regional Organizer.

Collins-Muhammad is a member of; 100 Black Men of America, Inc.; Lion Club International; Regional Business Council: Young Professionals Network, and the Missouri Democratic Party. He is also a practicing Muslim in the Nation of Islam and student of controversial religious figure Louis Farrakhan

In March of 2015, Mr. Collins was fired from the tiny North County Village of Uplands Park for purposefully and unethically misrepresenting himself as the City Manager, which he was not. Mr. Collins never held a position higher than City Clerk.

Political career

Collins-Muhammad was elected to his first term as Alderman for the city's 21st Ward in April 2017 following Alderman Antonio D. French's vacation of the seat to run for Mayor. At age 25, he is the youngest person ever to be elected Alderman in the city's history.

In the Board of Aldermen, Collins-Muhammad serves on the following committees; Committee on Ways & Means, Committee on Public Safety, Committee on Transportation & Commerce, and the Committee on Public Utilities. . He is also a ranking member of the African-American Aldermanic Caucus or simply the "Black Caucus".

in 2016 Collins-Muhammad ran unsuccessfully for Missouri state representative of the 77th district placing second in a four way race losing narrowly to Steve Roberts, Jr.

Ferguson

Collins-Muhammad was a known leader in the protest movement following the 2014 death of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO.

He expressed criticism to police militarization and the way the crisis was handled within the community. During the protests, Collins-Muhammad was among the protesters who were tear-gassed by law enforcement and policing agencies. He assisted in the organizing of rallies, events, and protest demonstrations calling for the resignation of Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson and the immediate arrest of police officer Darren Wilson. . He was fired in 2014 from the Village of Uplands Park in St. Louis County for making inflammatory remarks on national television about the shooting of two St. Louis area police officers. Fellow Ferguson protester and Black Lives Matter surrogate Tory Russell is an known associate of Collins-Muhammad and served as his campaign manager.

Political offices

years=2017–present