BALTIMORE — The Elijah Cummings Youth Program (ECYP) celebrated the life and legacy of the late trailblazing congressman days before what would be his 74th birthday.
The birthday celebration for Cummings, held Sunday at the Baltimore Unity Hall, was a chance for community members to join for food, fellowship and conversation, and to learn more about the politician and civil rights activist.
Congressman Cummings helped form the ECYP along with leaders from Maryland’s Jewish Community, which have combined to cultivate youth leadership in the Black and Jewish communities within Maryland’s 7th congressional district for nearly 30 years.
“Now, for 27 years, this youth leadership program that brings about 12 to 15 students from across Maryland’s 7th congressional district, to have this unique opportunity to engage in dialogue and focus on cross-cultural connections, and really determine how best to express their unique voices in a diverse world,” said Jennifer Cummings, a ECYP board member and Cummings’ daughter.
Who was Elijah Cummings?
Elijah Cummings was born in Baltimore on January 18, 1951. He served in the House of Representatives from 1996 until his death in October 2019, representing Maryland’s 7th congressional district. He graduated from Baltimore City College High School and then from Howard University.
Cummings not just a civil rights leader but also was an advocate for Baltimore’s youth.
He started through the ladder in the Maryland House of Delegates before winning his congressional seat in a special election in 1996 to replace former Representative Kweisi Mfume.
In 2016, Cummings became the senior Democrat on the House Benghazi Committee, which he said was “nothing more than a taxpayer-funded effort to bring harm to Hillary Clinton’s campaign” for president.
Cummings was also an early supporter of Barack Obama’s presidential bid in 2008.
Throughout his career, Cummings used his fiery voice to highlight the struggles and needs of inner-city residents. He was a firm believer in some much-debated approaches to help the poor and addicted, such as needle exchange programs as a way to reduce the spread of AIDS. Cummings was very popular in his district, where he was a key member of the community.
Cummings chaired the Congressional Black Caucus from 2003 to 2004.
Cummings served as chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee from January 2019 until his death later that year. He was a key figure in the impeachment case against former President Donald Trump.
He was the first Black lawmaker to lie in state at the nation’s Capitol. Prominent figures who attended Cummings funeral were Obama, Bill Clinton, John Lewis, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Mfume, among others.
CBS News and The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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