Kathleen Collins was an African American playwright, writer, filmmaker, director, and civil rights activist, born on March 18, 1942, in Jersey City, New Jersey, and passing away on September 18, 1988. She is perhaps best known for her pioneering work in film, particularly for her movie "Losing Ground" (1982), which was one of the first feature films directed by a black woman in the United States. Although "Losing Ground" wasn't widely released during her lifetime, it received critical acclaim when it was rediscovered and re-released posthumously. In addition to her filmmaking, Collins wrote several plays and short stories, exploring themes of race, gender, and sexuality. Including her notable posthumous collection "Whatever Happened to Interracial Love?" (2016), her work often examined the complexity of African American lives, particularly those of women. Despite her earlier lack of recognition, Collins's contributions to art and culture have been reassessed and celebrated in recent years, and she is recognized as a significant figure in African American film and literature.