AliasesVernell ColemanBirth 1918-08-28Death1990-03-27BirthplaceHenderson, TexasOccupationsSunday school teacherCommunity activistPlace of ResidencePhoenix, ArizonaBiographical NoteVernell moved with her family to Phoenix in 1938 when her sister became ill. She returned to Texas in the 1940s and married her husband, Clifford Coleman in 1946. In 1949, they moved back to Phoenix.
Vernell lived in the Mathew Henson Housing Project with her four children and suffered from crippling arthritis in her hands and legs, preventing her from working full-time, and eventually confining her to a wheelchair. She joined the First Institutional Baptist Church helping with fundraisers and as a secretary until her health prevented her from doing so.
Vernell worked to improve the living conditions of the housing project by working with the police and the community members. She organized a tenants' council and tenant strikes, resulting in improvements to the residences.
She also served as the commissioner of the Leadership and Education of the Advancement of Phoenix (LEAP) and on boards for the Phoenix Urban League, the City of Phoenix Housing Advisory Board, and the Phoenix Human Resources Department. She also campaigned for the Seventh Avenue Clinic, which provided free health care to those in need. She also helped organize St. Mary's Food Bank.
Vernell was also instrumental in the community's recognition of Juneteenth. The Juneteenth Tradition, Inc., a non-profit, was developed under her guidance to plan events, fundraise money for scholarships, and raise awareness of the holiday.
Vernell was recognized for her many accomplishments with awards and honors around Arizona, including Phoenix Woman of the Year, the Willie L. Robertson Memorial Human Rights award, the 10th Annual Hon Kachina award, Women of Achievement's Woman of Distinction award, a Spirit of Arizona award, and she was inducted into the Arizona Women's Hall of Fame in 1990.
