Politics / Civil rights & activism
Sheila Cockrel
born 1947 · activist, city councilwoman, consultant
Radical organizer, widow of Ken Cockrel Sr. and stepmother of Ken Cockrel Jr., who served on the Detroit City Council for fifteen years (1994–2009).
- Born
age 78- Birth name
- Sheila Murphy
- Also known as
- Sheila M. Cockrel
- Detroit years
- 1970s–
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Sheila Murphy came to politics through Detroit's radical and Catholic social-justice circles; she worked with St. Martha House of Hospitality, a home for men and soup kitchen, and in the 1970s became the campaign manager and political partner of lawyer Ken Cockrel Sr., whom she married in 1978. After her husband's death in 1989 she carried on in public life and in 1993 was elected to the Detroit City Council, where she served from 1994 to 2009, alongside her stepson, Ken Cockrel Jr., in later years. On the council she was known as a pragmatic, business-minded voice, often at odds with colleague Monica Conyers; she supported Mayor Dave Bing's water-rate increase and, in 2008, testified to a federal grand jury about bribes connected with the Synagro sludge contract, which she had voted for. After leaving the council she joined the adjunct faculty of Wayne State University's Irvin D. Reid Honors College and founded Crossroads Consulting Group, which advises companies working with local governments.
Highlights
- Detroit City Council member, 1994–2009
- Campaign manager and wife of Ken Cockrel Sr.
- Adjunct faculty at Wayne State University's Honors College (2009)
- Founder of Crossroads Consulting Group
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 1
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Worked here · 1994–2009
The Spirit of Detroit
Seat of the City Council, where she served for fifteen years.