Vera Bea Rison (February 14, 1939 – August 31, 2015) was a Democratic member of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2010 ...

from 1997 through 2002. Born in

Shelby, Mississippi Shelby is a city in Bolivar County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 2,229 at the 2010 census, down from 2,926 in 2000. The town of Shelby was established in 1853 by Tom Shelby, who had purchased a block of land there from the feder ...

, Rison received her high school diploma from the Mott Adult Night School. She worked at Genesee Memorial Hospital from 1969 to 1990, and was elected to the Genesee County Board of Commissioners in 1986, serving for ten years. Considered one of the Flint area's most fervent champions, Rison was also director of human resources at the Amy Jo Manor housing complex, a member of the Genesee County Community Mental Health board, the Genesee County Substance Abuse Services board, and the Jobs Central Workforce Development board. In 1994, she received the A. Philip Randolph Institute Civil Rights Human Rights Award. For her dedication, the Vera B. Rison Women's Shelter of Hope and Vera Rison Library were named in her honor. Rison became the first House member in recent memory to forgo any committee assignments when she did so in the 1999–2000 session. Due to

diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ap ...

and

high blood pressure Hypertension (HTN or HT), also known as high blood pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Long-term high bl ...

, Rison became blind, and later in life she was forced to largely leave the political scene. Rison died August 31, 2015, at her home in Mt. Morris, Michigan.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rison, Vera B. 1939 births 2015 deaths People from Genesee County, Michigan People from Shelby, Mississippi County commissioners in Michigan Women state legislators in Michigan Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives African-American women in politics African-American state legislators in Michigan American blind people 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women 21st-century African-American politicians 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians 21st-century American politicians American politicians with disabilities Blind politicians