By Tashi McQueen
AFRO Staff Writer
tmcqueen@afro.com
U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.-07) held a packed dedication ceremony in West Baltimore to celebrate the renaming of a local post office in honor of the late Congressman Elijah E. Cummings on July 25.
“I was privileged to serve with Elijah in the Maryland General Assembly and in the U.S. Congress,” said Mfume at Green Street Academy’s Elijah E. Cummings Innovation Center, a location that provides opportunities for hands-on learning, career and technical education and more. “He was an inspiration for his colleagues and a role model for all of us on how to be a good public servant.”
Cummings, a Baltimore native and civil rights icon, championed the well-being of African Americans, the poor, the working class, and his fellow Baltimoreans—from his school days to his years in Congress. He began his career in politics on Jan. 12, 1983 as a member of the Maryland House of Delegates, representing Baltimore City’s 44th District.
In April 1996, he left the state legislature to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, filling the seat vacated by Mfume, who had stepped down to become CEO of the NAACP. Cummings went on to serve in the House in many impactful capacities for 23 years.
Up until his death on Oct. 17, 2019 due to complications from long-standing health challenges, he chaired the Oversight and Reform Committee, a legislative entity that was leading an investigation on the 45th president’s administration.
“The renaming of the U.S. postal services facility at 340 South Loudon Avenue is a tribute that reaches beyond bricks and mortar,” said Jennifer Cummings, the late congressman’s daughter. “The building stands just minutes from the neighborhood where he grew up and less than a mile from where he was laid to rest. It is a full circle moment for a son of Baltimore who rose to national leadership, but always kept his heart rooted in the people and places that shaped him.”
Cummings highlighted her father’s advocacy for the rights and well-being of government workers during his time in public service—emphasizing his deep respect for their work and humanity.
Following Cummings’ death, Mfume stepped in once again to represent Maryland’s 7th Congressional District—a role he continues to serve in ever since.
The Elijah E. Cummings Innovation Center was filled with both happiness and heartache—warm smiles and reunions on one hand, and on the other, a lingering sorrow that Cummings was not there to witness the tribute to his life and legacy.
The United States Postal Service building at 340 South Loudon Avenue in West Baltimore is the post office set to be renamed to the “United States Representative Elijah E. Cummings Post Office Building.” Mfume explained that the celebration was not held at the post office due to parking inconveniences.
Several state and local legislators, city officials and members of the Cummings family were in attendance, recognizing the incredible legacy of Cummings in Baltimore and in politics.
Sniffles echoed throughout the crowd as a commemorative video of Cummings, his contributions and beliefs was shown to attendees ahead of the unveiling of a plaque that will be displayed on the post office.
“He was much more than a congressman…a father, a mentor to many,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott (D). “Together, we are making sure that generations of Baltimoreans to come will forever know his name.”