Watson Coleman was born in Camden, New Jersey and graduated from Ewing High School. She received a B.A. from Thomas Edison State College in 1985 after briefly attending Rutgers University. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Raised Baptist, she currently resides in Ewing Township. In 1974, she established the first Office of Civil Rights, Contract Compliance and Affirmative Action, in the New Jersey Department of Transportation and remained the Director of that office for six years. In 1980, Watson Coleman joined the Department of Community Affairs, where she held a number of positions including, Assistant Commissioner, responsible for Aging, Community Resources, Public Guardian and Women Divisions. She served on the Governing Boards Association of State Colleges from 1987 to 1998 and as its chair from 1991 to 1993. Watson Coleman was a member of the Ewing Township Planning Board from 1996 to 1997. She was a member of The Richard Stockton College of New JerseyBoard of Trustees from 1981 to 1998 and was its chair from 1990 to 1991. Watson Coleman became the first African American woman to lead the State party when she was elected Chair of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, on February 4, 2002. Watson Coleman served as the Majority Leader of the New Jersey General Assembly from 2006 to 2010, as well as the New Jersey Democratic State Chairwoman from 2002 to 2006.
Sons
Watson Coleman's two sons, William Carter-Watson and Jared C. Coleman, pleaded guilty to holding up the Kids "R" Us store at Mercer Mall with a rifle as it was about to close on March 12, 2001; they were sentenced to 7 years in April of 2001 and ultimately served 5 1/2 years. Watson Coleman has acknowledged it in the past and introduced legislation, "that bars companies with more than 15 employees to conduct criminal background checks on candidates during the interview process". She argued for the law, saying, "One of the greatest barriers to a second chance in the state of New Jersey is a barrier to employment”; it was later passed and signed into law. In 2014, her son William Carter-Watson was hired by the Mercer County Parks Commission as an entry-level laborer. When asked for comment, Brian Hughes, the County Executive, said, "the county has maintained a policy of hiring ex-convicts in search of a second chance".
Following the announcement that Congressman Rush Holt would not be seeking another term in office, Bonnie Watson Coleman announced her intention to run to fill his seat in New Jersey's 12th congressional district. Assemblywoman Watson Coleman is the first African-American woman elected to represent a New Jersey district in the United States House of Representatives. On June 3, 2014, she won the Democratic primary for the 12th congressional district. She won the general election on November 4, 2014, defeating Republican candidate Alieta Eck. She won 60.9% of the vote.
Tenure
On March 3, 2015, Coleman participated with fellow Democrats in the boycott of the speech delivered by Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu to Congress. In March 2016, Coleman, along with Rep. Robin Kelly and Rep. Yvette D. Clarke, founded the Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls. "Black women and girls are disproportionately affected by myriad socioeconomic issues that diminish their quality of life and threaten the well-being of their families and communities. The Congressional Caucus on Black Women and Girls gives black women a seat at the table for the crucial discussion on the policies that impact them while also providing a framework for creating opportunities and eliminating barriers to success for black women," they announced in a press release at the time. They were inspired by the #SheWoke Committee, a group of 7 activists that reached out to lawmakers and staffers to start. She co-sponsored the International Megan's Law, to combat child exploitation and other sex crimes abroad. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law in February 2016. In July 2019, Watson Coleman voted against H. Res. 246 - 116th Congress, a House resolution introduced by Congressman Brad Schneider opposing efforts to boycott the State of Israel and the Global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement targeting Israel. The resolution passed 398-17.
Watson Coleman has been a strong supporter of programs allowing criminal offenders to reenter society. Watson Coleman's two sons were sentenced to seven years in prison after committing armed robbery against a Kids R Us store in 2001. One of her son gained employment with a county agency following his release. Watson Coleman also supports a ban of the type of assault rifles her sons used in the robbery. As a New Jersey Assemblywoman, she sponsored a bill that bars companies with more than 15 employees from conducting criminal background checks on candidates during the interview process.
