Elijah Cummings was a fighter for the poor
He stood up for the poor and the disadvantaged throughout urban America — but Elijah Cummings was principally the strong voice and political advocate for Baltimore, where he was revered as his hometown’s champion.
The Democratic congressman lived at the doorstep of some of the city’s worst rioting, including violent 2015 protests following the death of a black man, Freddie Gray, in police custody. Cummings’ involvement, taking to the streets with a bullhorn, helped quiet the storm.
Cummings, who has died of complications from longstanding health problems at age 68, also defended his majority-black city against US President Donald Trump, who called his congressional district “disgusting” and a “rodent-infested mess”, after Cummings criticised administration officials in oversight hearings.
“Mr President, I go home to my district daily. Each morning, I wake up, and I go and fight for my neighbours. It is my constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch. But, it is my moral duty to fight for my constituents,” Cummings tweeted.
“He was so noble,” said city resident Mary Bianchi, who dropped flowers outside his home and walked away wiping tears off her face. “He was a lion, and I’m very sad. He died too young.”
Debbie Rock, the director of the Light Health & Wellness Comprehensive Services Inc, said he helped people see they can change the city for the better.
A powerful person in the halls of Congress about 50km away, Cummings lived in a home in west Baltimore, nestled among brick rowhouses just a block away from boarded up houses that dot the street.
In his 12 terms in Congress, Cummings steered support to the city. In recent years, that included funds to boost job training, address leadbased paint and fight homelessness, as well as grants to help fight heroin and other illegal opioids.
The congressman’s long push for civil rights began in Baltimore at age 11, when he helped integrate a local swimming pool. During a speech to the American Bar Association in April, Cummings recalled how he and other black children were barred from an Olympic-sized public pool in his South Baltimore neighbourhood. They organised marches with help from their recreation leader and the Baltimore-based NAACP.
Every day for a week, when the children tried to get into the pool, they were spat upon, threatened and called names, Cummings said. One day, he was cut by a bottle thrown from an angry crowd. “I am not saying that the integration of a swimming pool in South Baltimore changed the course of American history,” Cummings said. “What I can and will share with you is that the experience transformed my entire life.”
With his booming voice and gift for oratory, he was known for representing his district — which encompassed much of Baltimore and some of its wealthier suburbs — with a personal touch.
Poinsetta McKnight, who walked by Cummings’ home in West Baltimore, said he always assisted her family when they had neighbourhood concerns, whether it was removing trash or addressing boarded-up houses. “Whenever we needed something done, all we had to do was write to him and he would respond,” said McKnight.
While serving in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1983 to 1996, Cummings pushed for a ban on alcohol and tobacco ads on inner-city billboards in Baltimore, leading to the first such prohibition in a large US city.
A message for the Congressional Black Caucus read: “Elijah often said that our children are the living messages that we send to a future we will never see. From this perspective, he fought to ensure that the next generation has access to a clean environment, affordable healthcare, a quality education, and financial stability. The Congressional Black Caucus will continue his fight and honour his legacy by fearlessly seeking the truth and ensuring every person in this country has the opportunity to achieve the American dream.”