A lifelong Detroiter, Sheila Murphy Cockrel was born on November 3, 1947. Her parents, Louis and Justine Murphy were founders of the socially progressive Catholic Worker Movement in Detroit.
Guided by the principles of voluntary poverty and hospitality towards those on the margins of society, the Murphys' Corktown home, St Martha House of Hospitality, was a shelter for homeless women and children. The family also oversaw operations at St. Francis House of Hospitality, a home for men and a year-round soup kitchen for the hungry.
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Murphy Cockrel developed a passion for political organizing very early on, founding the Young Lay Apostles as a high school sophomore in 1962. As a student at Wayne State University's Monteith College, Sheila went on to establish the Ad-Hoc Action Group, a multiracial, activist group that monitored police brutality in Detroit. In this era she met her future husband, the legendary Kenneth Cockrel, Sr. and together they organized mass actions against racist police misconduct and unjust practices in the criminal justice system. A brilliant organizer and strategic thinker, Sheila fought tirelessly for the reformation of the Detroit Police Department in the 1970s.
In 1972, recognizing electoral politics as a means to affect social change, she organized and managed the successful city-wide election of ally and progressive judicial candidate Justin (Chuck) Ravitz to Detroit Recorders Court (now 3rd Judicial Circuit). Five years later, she managed her husband's successful City Council campaign, managed his Council office and staff, and evolved his campaign organization into a base of activist supporters for his City Council agenda, the Detroit Alliance for a Rational Economy (DARE).
Murphy Cockrel and Ken, Sr. married in 1978. Their shared a vision of social justice and equity for all people laid the foundation for both their longstanding political collaboration and personal relationship. Their daughter, Katherine (Katy), was born in 1985, three years before Ken's sudden, unexpected and most untimely death.
In 1993, she successfully campaigned for a seat on the Detroit City Council, ultimately serving four consecutive terms (1994-2009) in elected office. In her 16 years of service on city council, she provided a consistent voice of reason and earned a reputation as someone who acted with integrity and stood accountable for her decisions.
Among her many notable accomplishments, Cockrel was responsible for authoring and facilitating the successful passage of a resolution that called upon the Department of Justice to investigate police misconduct in the Detroit Police Department and for the successful passage of the strongest ordinance in the state requiring landlords to remove lead paint from their properties before renting to families.
After 16 years of public service,, Cockrel decided to establish Crossroads Consulting Group, a firm specializing in public and government affairs. The firm provides strategic advice and counsel to public and private sector clients.
Cockrel joined the adjunct faculty of Wayne State University's Irvin D. Reid Honors College where she teaches two seminars; A Political History of Detroit 1940-2020 and The Women of Ford. She is working with WSU President Emeritus, Irvin Reid in a civic engagement initiative, CitizenDetroit.
Cockrel is a frequent guest on local broadcast news media outlets, drawing on her expertise and experience in local government.
Cockrel holds a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and a Master of Arts in urban planning from Wayne State University.