'Cummings Reflected What It Truly Meant To Be A Baltimorean'

BALTIMORE, MD — From elected officials to the Baltimore Ravens, those around Baltimore are mourning the loss of U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, hailed as a trailblazer and mentor. Cummings, chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and a key figure in the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump, died Thursday at age 68.

"In the House, Elijah was our North Star," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a fellow Democrat and Baltimore native, said in a statement Thursday. "He was a leader of towering character and integrity, whose stirring voice and steadfast values pushed the Congress and country to rise always to a higher purpose."

Cummings was born in 1951, the son of former sharecroppers. His parents moved from South Carolina to Baltimore, where his father worked as a manual laborer and encountered daily discrimination, according to Baltimore magazine, which interviewed the congressman in 2014 about his ascension to leadership on Capitol Hill.

One of the lessons he learned from his father, who would sit in his car after work to insulate his children from the bitterness he might have felt, was "treat everyone with equal respect and not to speak or act out of anger," said Cummings, who said a person's message gets lost in anger.

He was told in grade school he was slow and a poor speaker, according to the Associated Press, and was placed in special education in a nine-room schoolhouse. This made him more determined to succeed, and he went on to earn a bachelor's degree in political science from Howard University in Washington, a law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law and 13 honorary doctoral degrees from institutions of higher learning throughout the nation, his biography states.

"Representative Cummings embodied the best of Baltimore and was a true role model for our young people. He showed us what it means to be proud of the city he was born and raised in while fighting to improve it for future generations," Baltimore City Public Schools said in a statement. A product of the city school system, he returned to share his message of hope.

"With the passing of U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, the city of Baltimore, our country and people throughout the world have lost a powerful voice and one of the strongest and most gifted crusaders for social justice," Baltimore Mayor Jack Young said in a statement.

"Rep. Cummings, the son of sharecroppers whose ancestors were slaves, wasn't afraid to use his considerable intellect, booming voice and poetic oratory to speak out against brutal dictators bent on oppression, unscrupulous business executives who took advantage of unsuspecting customers or even a U.S. President," Young said. "He was, put simply, a man of God who never forgot his duty to fight for the rights and dignity of the marginalized and often forgotten."

When the Baptist congressman attended church on Sundays, people often lined up afterward to see if he could assist them with various issues, his wife told Baltimore magazine.

"Governing is not always rocket science. If there's something you can do to help someone, that you can agree on, do it," Cummings told Baltimore magazine. "Even if it seems small, there's usually something you can do."

He will be remembered for his unwavering dedication to others, according to a statement from the Maryland Democratic Party.

"He worked until his last breath because he believed our democracy was the highest and best expression of our collective humanity and that our nation's diversity was our promise, not our problem," Maryland Democratic Party Chair Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, his wife, said in a statement. "It's been an honor to walk by his side on this incredible journey."

Cummings served 16 years in the Maryland General Assembly, and for more than 20 years represented Maryland's 7th Congressional District, which includes parts of Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Howard County.

'He Motivated Me To Serve'

Former State Delegate Clarence Mitchell IV, also known as "C4," said his relatives played a role in the trajectory of Cummings' career in public service, and he recalled how Cummings would later give back to others.

C4's grandmother, attorney Juanita Jackson, shepherded Cummings to a swimming pool in Riverside where he had been cut by a glass bottle thrown by those who did not want the black children there. That experience compelled him to pursue a career in public service.

"On that hot summer day in South Baltimore, a lawyer stood up for what was right — for some little children who needed her," Cummings said during an appearance before the American Bar Association in April in Baltimore.

Cummings became an attorney and later asked Mitchell's father, who was a senator, to guide him in running for office. In 1995, Cummings helped C4 when he himself became a state delegate.

"He took us young delegates under his wing and taught us how to move bills through committee," C4 said.

State lawmakers were not the only ones he mentored.

"I am eternally grateful for his mentorship and for blazing a trail that opened doors for sons of Baltimore like me to serve in elected office," Baltimore City Council President Brandon M. Scott said in a statement. "He motivated generations of Baltimoreans to public service through his inspirational speeches and deep commitment to our young people. He motivated me to serve. I am a better person and undoubtedly a better public servant because of Congressman Cummings. I will miss hearing 'Brandon, I need to see you.'"

During meetings with Cummings, Scott said he always learned something from the congressman, who "was never satisfied with good enough and constantly sought solutions to our city’s most persistent problems. He cared deeply about Baltimore and everyone in it."

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The Baltimore Ravens shared that Cummings also mentored players.

"Cummings was an agent for change, a titan of civil rights and a fighter for Baltimore, his district and the area. He was a friend and a mentor to a number of our current and former players," according to a statement from the Ravens organization. "His passion and his intense and principled efforts to make the Baltimore area better will be missed. Indeed, he was a beacon of hope and light."

Champion For Health Care, Education

The head of the University of Maryland Medical Center said the organization lost a partner who worked to improve the community.

"Congressman Cummings reflected what it truly meant to be a Baltimorean," Dr. Mohan Suntha, president/CEO of University of Maryland Medical Center, said in a statement. "His work ethic was only eclipsed by his passion for the citizens of Maryland, and more specifically, his neighborhood of West Baltimore."

Suntha said the University of Maryland Medical Center considered Cummings an advocate.

"He recognized the power behind the social determinants of health and worked tirelessly to improve the conditions of our community," Suntha said.

Cummings said the most important vote of his career was for the Affordable Care Act, which ensured health care coverage for all and which he said helped Maryland progress from having a rate of 11.3 percent of uninsured residents in 2010 to 6.1 percent in 2016.

As chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, he launched an investigation into rising prescription drug costs, including soaring prices for insulin. He introduced the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act, to allow the federal government to negotiate lower prices for prescription drugs under Medicare Part D.

"Our collective responsibility as a community is to strive to live up to his ideals and standards," Suntha said. "Today marks the loss of a champion of our community, and we will be forever grateful for his support."

Cummings also left his mark on academia, which also was grieving his death. He worked to simplify financial aid for students who wanted to attend college and was dedicated to expanding access to higher education.

"The city of Baltimore, the state of Maryland, and our nation, will forever be indebted to the legacy of this great public servant," Morgan State University President David Wilson said in a statement. He described Cummings, who sat on the university's board of regents, as "one our fiercest advocates and supporters" whose "wisdom, wise counsel and superb leadership will be greatly missed."

When asked on WBAL Radio what propelled Cummings to prominence, C4 said: "Congressman Elijah Cummings was an empathetic man. If you listen to him in speeches, he always talked about the little person and working with people." C4 noted Cummings lived on Madison Avenue and was a neighbor to those in the community.

His legacy was "caring for and never forgetting about his neighbors," former Governor Martin O'Malley, who was also the mayor of Baltimore, told WBAL Radio. "Even though he was in the halls of Washington, he always came home to Baltimore. And his life and his passion was lifting people up and helping them be the best they could be."