Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has ordered U.S. and Michigan flags within the State Capitol complex to be lowered to half-staff today, Oct. 22, 2025, to honor former Congresswoman Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, who recently passed away.

"Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick was a stalwart voice for Detroit,” Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said in a release. “Whether it was civil rights or humanitarian aid, Congresswoman Kilpatrick was never afraid to break barriers and stand up for what she believed in."

Cheeks Kilpatrick died Oct. 7, 2025. She was 80. A celebration of life was slated for Oct. 22.

Cheeks Kilpatrick served 18 years in the state House and 14 in the U.S. House before her defeat in 2010 in a Democratic primary to former U.S. Rep. Hansen Clarke, of Detroit.

Flags should be returned to full s

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