Nicole Collier: A Black Woman Holding the Line in Texas
Last night, the Texas State Capitol became the stage for an extraordinary act of defiance. Rep. Nicole Collier, a Black woman and seven-term legislator from Fort Worth, refused to surrender her dignity to political strong-arming.
When House Speaker Dustin Burrows imposed a rule forcing Democratic lawmakers to sign what Collier called a “permission slip” — a document that would require them to accept a police escort every time they left the chamber — Collier stood her ground. She did not bend. She did not sign.
Instead, she rolled out her blanket, tied her bonnet, adjusted her face mask, and prepared to spend the night on the House floor. From her desk, she livestreamed the moment, her steady voice reaching thousands. “I will not sign away my freedom as a duly elected representative,” she declared.
Why Her Stand Matters
This confrontation isn’t just about one rule. It’s part of a much larger battle.
Earlier this month, Democrats broke quorum to block a Republican redistricting plan that would carve up Black and Latino communities and hand the GOP up to five more U.S. House seats. The proposed maps don’t just tilt elections; they threaten to silence millions of voters of color for the next decade.
When Democrats returned, instead of reconciliation, they were met with control tactics. A demand for escorts. A mandate for surveillance. A message that dissent would be punished.
Collier’s refusal was more than a protest. It was a declaration: she will not be treated like a criminal for defending her community.
What Courage and Resistance Look Like in Real Time
It would have been easy to comply, to sign the paper, to quietly wait for the fight to end. Instead, Collier made the harder choice. She stayed. She slept on the chamber floor, showing what courage and resistance look like in real time.
She wasn’t entirely alone — Representatives Gene Wu and Vince Perez also joined her through the night, while protesters outside the Capitol faced arrest. But at the heart of the stand was Collier herself: blanket wrapped, bonnet tied, mask secure. A picture of resilience, strength, and history in motion.
The Stakes for Texas — and for Democracy
This isn’t just a Texas story. It’s an American one.
Representation is at risk. Gerrymandered maps would weaken minority districts, robbing Black and Latino voters of their rightful voice.
Democracy is at stake. If lawmakers can be detained or confined for refusing surveillance, the very principle of self-governance is under siege.
Leadership is on display. As a former chair of the Texas Legislative Black Caucus, Collier knows the weight of this moment. She is carrying it with unwavering resolve.
How You Can Act
Nicole Collier has shown us what resistance looks like. Now it’s time to stand with her.
📞 Call Speaker Dustin Burrows today at 512-463-1000.
Tell him Texans — and Americans — demand dignity for their representatives and fair maps now.
Closing Word
History isn’t always written in sweeping speeches or landmark votes. Sometimes it’s written in smaller, quieter acts — a woman with her blanket, her mask, her bonnet, refusing to be broken.
Rep. Nicole Collier is writing that history now. And through her, we are reminded that democracy survives only when someone is brave enough to say: no more.