The first Black woman to serve in the Ohio House of Representatives has died. L. Helen Rankin died March 22 at age 89.
Rankin was appointed to fill out the term of her late husband, James W. Rankin, in 1978, and was elected outright two months later. She won re-election seven times, serving through 1994, first representing the 25th Ohio House District and, after redistricting, the 30th Ohio House District.
Rankin's legacy
According to her official state biography, the Democrat from Hamilton County fought for health care issues and the needs and rights of women, children and the poor. She also fought to require insurance companies to pay for mammograms. She introduced the bill four times before it finally passed in 1991.
"My mammography legislation did take a while to get through, but I was determined," she told Bowling Green State University's Trailblazing Women in Ohio Politics oral history project in 2021. "But the men, they were against it. When you are in a situation where it's all men, or 99% men, and it's something about women, you have a hard time getting it through because they don't see what you see and they think that you are just frivolously asking for something."
During that interview, Rankin said she didn't feel that being the only Black woman in the legislature was a problem, and that she found support from other female legislators.
Men, however, pushed back against her ideas.
"There were 12 Black men there. That was my major problem. Their thing was, 'Well, we're trying to get ours, here you come.' You know, 'We trying to get our bills and things passed.' And they were doing fairly well, but they did not want me there going through and getting things done and they couldn't get done, because they had problems too," she recalled.
Rankin's biography states: "She was known as a quiet legislator. Her supporters said she 'planned purposefully, prepared prayerfully, proceeded hopefully, and pursued persistently.' " She also "fought to preserve Medicaid reimbursement for outpatient health visits, advocated for affordable health care and housing, and prioritized educational opportunity."
'More than a public servant'
Her work extended to expanding services for the blind, those with communication impairments and kids in need of developmental support. She served for 12 years as chair of the Human Resources Committee.
When asked in the 2021 interview about her advice for other women of color contemplating running for political office, she offered this advice: be yourself.
After retirement she held several roles, including as project co-chair for the Shalom Habitat for Humanity Project, helping to build 17 new homes in Walnut Hills, and was committed to social justice as a member of the Emanuel Community Center Board.
"Helen Rankin was more than a public servant; she was a pioneer and a visionary whose courage fundamentally reshaped Ohio’s political landscape," said Rep. Juanita O. Brent of Cleveland. "By becoming the first Black woman to walk these halls as an elected representative, she did not just occupy a seat; she created a path. Every woman of color serving in the Statehouse today, myself included, stands tall on her strong, capable shoulders."
Born in Georgia and raised in Alabama, Rankin attended the University of Cincinnati, studying business administration, and worked as an intake supervisor with the Cincinnati Community Action Commission before her political career.
Rankin leaves behind three children with her first husband, seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Her second husband, William B. Merritt, died in 1993.
In her obituary, family remember her as a devoted and active member of her church, with faith as the cornerstone of her life.
"Helen will be remembered not only for the remarkable life she lived, but for the love she gave so freely, the family she nurtured so faithfully, and the countless lives she touched through her compassion, courage, and service," her obituary states.
A visitation is planned for 10 a.m. Friday, April 10, followed by a funeral service at noon at New Vision United Methodist Church.
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