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Mourners leave the funeral for Dallas community activist Sylvia Collins, at Kessler Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, Saturday June 13, 2026. Collins was one of the victims of the Oak Cliff gas explosion.<\/p>\n
Anja Schlein\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first to arrive, the last to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cThe embodiment of justice.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA mover and shaker in our community.\u201d<\/p>\n
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When asked to describe Sylvia Collins, the 79-year-old who died<\/a> in the devastating Oak Cliff apartment explosion and subsequent fire<\/a> on May 28, people dressed in blue and pink simply raised a fist above their heads \u2014 Collins\u2019 signature pose.<\/p>\n Family, friends, and community members<\/a> streamed into\u00a0Kessler Park United Methodist Church on Saturday to lay Collins to rest, the last of \u00a0three people killed in the explosion at Oak Cliff\u2019s The Clyde apartments. The explosion and fire also killed Marisol P\u00e9rez and her 18-month-old son Erik P\u00e9rez Jr. and injured five others. Their funeral services<\/a> were on June 9 at St. Cecilia Catholic Church and Laurel Land Memorial Park. \u00a0<\/p>\n People carried flower bouquets and framed photos into the church, and left with programs detailing Collins\u2019 life and a single white rose. People embraced, cried, and smiled, dressed in shades of pink, blue, and black.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related<\/strong>: Dallas County Democratic party leader killed in Oak Cliff fire<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Several people raised their fists while leaving the church, mirroring the pose that had become synonymous with Collins’ decades of activism. She served as a Dallas County Democratic precinct chair, and fought for several issues she was passionate about, including women\u2019s rights, immigration and environmental justice.<\/p>\n A mourner holds a program and rose outside of the funeral for Dallas community activist Sylvia Collins, at Kessler Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, Saturday June 13, 2026. Collins was one of the victims of the Oak Cliff gas explosion.<\/p>\n Anja Schlein\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n During the Mass, several people, including Dallas County Commissioner Dr. Elba Garcia and Dallas police Sergeant Robert\u00a0Munoz, gave tributes. Collins\u2019 children and grandchildren also spoke.<\/p>\n Ana Coca, a member of Latino civil rights organization The League of United Latin American Citizens, said when she heard Collins\u2019 was missing after the blast, she immediately began praying. She knew Collins lived in the apartment complex, and when it exploded, her heart sank.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter so many hours, my heart just felt that she was now an angel,”\u00a0Cosa said, wiping tears from her eyes. She was dressed in a bright pink shirt. \u201cSylvia will forever be part of Oak Cliff. She will forever be part of us, working and fighting for social justice everywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n For many, Collins\u2019 activism was inseparable from her kindness and generosity.<\/p>\n Sinmin Pak, a human rights advocate, raises her fist to mirror Dallas community activist Sylvia Collins’ signature pose outside of Collins’ funeral at Kessler Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, Saturday June 13, 2026. Collins was one of the victims of the Oak Cliff\u00a0 explosion and fire last month.<\/p>\n Anja Schlein\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n \u201cJustice is what love looks like in public, and in retrospect, that’s what I see in who she was and everything she did,\u201d said Julio\u00a0Acosta, who met Collins seven years ago. \u201cI just see love, love for others, love for humanity, love of God, in everything that she does.\u201d<\/p>\n Hilda Duarte said her friendship with Collins goes back to 2006 when they met through Eco Latino Radio, a program that spotlights the Hispanic and Latino communities in the Dallas-Forth Worth areas. Duarte recalled seeing Collins at church and community gatherings, always with a smile on her face. No matter the event, Duarte said, Collins could be found helping in some way.<\/p>\n \u201cYou could always count on Sylvia to do traffic, go get water, direct people around,\u201d Duarte said. \u201cAlways friendly, always willing to help.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Duarte also shared details of the woman behind the activist \u2014 Collins loved taking walks, listening to music from the 1960s and worshipping. She was driven by a deep dedication to justice and had strong compassion for others, Duarte said.<\/p>\n Mourners gather outside of the funeral for Dallas community activist Sylvia Collins, at Kessler Park United Methodist Church in Dallas, Texas, Saturday June 13, 2026. Collins was one of the victims of the Oak Cliff gas explosion.<\/p>\n Anja Schlein\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n For\u00a0Mara Vaughn, another member of LULAC, Collins was both a mentor and a mother figure. Vaughn said Collins affectionately called her \u201cmija,\u201d which translates to \u201cmy daughter\u201d in Spanish.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough her eyes, I saw a different Dallas,\u201d Vaughn said. \u201cA Dallas where people were very welcoming, and the new picture of what this could be.\u201d<\/p>\n Like many others, Vaughn described Collins as the first person to arrive at an event and the last one to leave. \u201cShe let other people know that you can stand for yourself,\u201d Vaughn said. \u201cAnd if you can’t, she\u2019s here to do it for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cShe is a\u00a0chingona, which means \u2018strong woman\u2019 in Spanish,\u201d Acosta said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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