Barbara Colt was a Rhode Island civil rights leader. She was a force of nature.
As early as the late 1960s, Barbara lobbied tirelessly to earn and protect women’s reproductive choices. She sat on the Board of the 2:1 Coalition to Preserve Choice, served as President of Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island, was the only woman on the Warwick City Council from 1972-76, helped create Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island, served 30 years on the Board of the Women’s Development Corporation , and was on the Board of Directors of Butler Hospital.
The Womxn Project is honored that Barbara chose to put her energy into us and our mission. Barbara was an invaluable advisor, mentor, and sounding-board to The Womxn Project. She will be sorely missed and always remembered.
In Barbara's memory, The Womxn Project created a memorial fund to uplift up others who carry forward her spirit. The Barbara Colt Perseverance Award is an award we created to honor those who follow the path Barbara helped clear in Rhode Island and to ensure that the next generation of activists has the resources they need to persevere.
While Barbara’s work extended far beyond reproductive rights and even beyond healthcare, we chose to focus this award on healthcare because she pushed us to broaden our fight into LGBTQ+ rights and healthcare access under our shared rubric of bodily freedom.
On the first day of RI’s legislative session each year, we will announce the honorees and celebrate them with a honorarium in Barbara’s name.
Together, we will keep her fight alive.
(photographed above, Elizabeth Colt (brown shirt) with TWP board members, (l-r) Ben Brown, Jocelyn Foye, Heidi Toeppel, and Juniper Darrow)
These are the recipients of the inaugural Barbara Colt Perseverance Awards.
