Baltimore, nation mourn ‘noble’ lawmaker
BALTIMORE — He stood up for the poor and the disadvantaged throughout urban America, but Elijah Cummings was principally the strong voice and political advocate for his hometown of Baltimore, where he was revered as an advocate and champion.
The Democratic congressman lived at the doorstep of some of the city’s worst rioting, including violent protests in 2015 that erupted following the funeral of a black man, Freddie Gray, who died in police custody. Cummings’ involvement helped quiet the storm.
Cummings died early Thursday at Johns Hopkins Hospital of complications from longstanding health problems. He was 68. Cummings, who led multiple investigations into White House dealings, had had hoped to return to Congress within about a week after a medical procedure for which details weren’t offered. He’d previously been treated for heart and knee issues.
President Donald Trump, who had lashed out at Cummings, calling his congressional district “disgusting” and a “rodent-infested mess,” put aside any lingering acrimony Thursday. Trump ordered flags at the White House, military bases and other federal buildings to be flown at half-staff through Friday. He also tweeted his condolences and said “I got to see firsthand the strength, passion and wisdom of this highly respected political leader.”
Residents of Cummings’ beloved Baltimore agreed.
“He was so noble,” said city resident Mary Bianchi, who dropped flowers outside Cummings’ home and walked away wiping tears. “He was a lion, and I’m very sad. He died too young.”
Debbie Rock, the founder and director of Light Health & Wellness Comprehensive Services, said she revered the congressman for his devotion to her organization, which helps children and families affected by health and social issues like substance abuse.
“He’s just always been a champion as it pertains to us never giving up the fight,” Rock said, recalling his leadership in helping people see that they could change the city for the better.
State Sen. Antonio Hayes, who has lived near Cummings in West Baltimore for years, said he earned the respect and reverence of people in the community with his authentic personality and long connection to the city.
“Only Elijah could come into a West Baltimore neighborhood that saw him grow up all his life without security or a huge entourage and talk to clergy and community leaders to call for calm and peace in a chaotic situation,” Hayes said.
Democratic Rep. John Lewis of Georgia, the civil rights icon, said, “there was no greater friend to the poor, to the lost, to the left out and left behind” than Cummings.
“His fearless advocacy and his ability to be a true representative on their behalf helped them stand a little bit taller and a little bit straighter, even while forces work to erase their contribution,” Lewis said.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was born in Baltimore, said Cummings’ leadership of the Oversight and Reform Committee reflected his commitment to restoring honesty and honor to government.
“He believed in the promise of America because he had lived it, and he dedicated his life to advancing the values that safeguard our republic: justice, equality, liberty, fairness,” Pelosi said.
Earlier this summer, Cummings took the high road in inviting Trump to visit Baltimore, declining to respond to a barrage of presidential tweets and comments disparaging him and the majority-black city he represented.
But Cummings did say that government officials must stop making “hateful, incendiary comments” that distract the nation from real problems like mass shootings and white supremacy.
The congressman’s long push for civil rights began when he was 11, when he helped integrate a swimming pool in Baltimore. During a speech in April, Cummings recalled how he and other black children were barred from the public pool in his South Baltimore neighborhood.
They organized protest marches with help from their recreation leader and the NAACP. Every day for a week, when the children tried to get into the pool, they were spit upon, threatened and called names, Cummings said.
“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.”
While serving in the Maryland House of Delegates from 1983 to 1996, Cummings pushed for ban on alcohol and tobacco ads on inner-city billboards in Baltimore, leading to the first such prohibition in a large U.S. city. Cummings was elected to Congress in 1996.
“The passing of Elijah Cummings represents the waning of an era in American politics where people rose to national office by first working within their local communities,” said Khalilah Brown-dean, an associate professor of political science at Quinnipiac University.
“There was no greater friend to the poor, to the lost, to the left out and left behind.”
Civil rights icon and Georgia Rep. John Lewis, on Rep. Elijah Cummings