Jackson City Hall will never be the same without Ms. Mangum
By Alice Thomas-Tisdale
JA Publisher Emerita
Ms. Ethel Mae Collins Mangum may have officially retired a few years ago from public service after decades of perfect attendance, but her presence was still felt at Jackson City Hall where she continued to dedicate herself to the people of Ward 3 as the “Ever Ready Bunny” of Councilman Kenneth I. Stokes. Not one MLK/Medgar Evers event, youth bus tour, town hall, or Ward 3 citizenship recognition happened without her coordination.
For these reasons and many others, including a stint on the Jackson Planning Board, her transition on January 7, 2026, has left a profound void throughout the city she loved not in just words but in unparalleled giving of herself and her resources. She was 86.
A Celebration of Life service will be held on Friday, January 23, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Farish Street Baptist Church, 619 N. Farish Street, Jackson, MS.
“Oh boy, this one is just too hard for me,” Councilman Stokes softly said with a heavy heart. “Everybody loved Ms. Mangum, not just me. I don’t know how I’m going to get through it, but we’re going to celebrate her in a big way during Black History Month.”
Jackson’s unsung shero was born March 26, 1939, to Jasper Collins and Ada B. Butler, in Bolton, MS. She was the third of 12 children.
In her youth, the Collins family moved to Jackson, MS. After graduating from Lanier High School, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work (1982) and Master of Science degree in Education (1984) from Jackson State University.
Ms. Mangum began her career on the JSU campus as a department social worker counseling students under the direction of Rev. Alfonzo Crump. She was also a drafting engineer at Michael Baker Jr. Inc.
In May 1962, she married Ercene Mangum. The union was blessed with two daughters, Felecia and LaWanda Dionne, who they adored and instilled in them a love of community. Years later, two grandchildren, Michael Anthony Herrington, II and Dominic Dantzler, were welcomed and nurtured.
In 1975, she joined Farish Street Baptist Church where she was an active member, providing support services for numerous auxiliaries and affiliate organizations. She was also a member of American Legion Post #214.
During her leisure time, she loved to travel, attend every JSU football game, and spend time with her grandsons. She even had the wonderful opportunity to “star” in the iconic movie A Time to Kill (as an extra) in the spectator/closing arguments scene.
She was preceded in death by parents; husband, Ercene Mangum; daughter, LaWanda Dionne; sisters, Elizabeth Howard, Hattie Mae Collins, Sarah Collins, Mattie Ford, Katie Sinclair; brothers, Jasper Collins Jr., Cedric (Leon) Collins, and Jessie Pierce.
Ms. Mangum leaves to cherish her memories: her daughter, Felecia Mangum-Herrington (Michael), Dallas, TX; grandsons, Michael II and Dominic; sisters, Bessie Collins, Pandora Collins, and Betty Jean Collins, all of Jackson, MS; brother, Kenneth Collins, Jackson, MS; and several nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.
