We must redouble our multi-pronged efforts to investigate foreign interference in the 2016 presidential election and any subsequent actions undertaken by those in power to derail those investigations. At the same time, we also must do far more to assure full democratic participation by our countrymen and women here at home. Elijah Cummings Long before […]
Author Archives: Congressman Elijah Cummings
Special to the AFRO
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To be Black in America is also to be Green
For years now, scientific researchers and civil rights organizations like the NAACP have been documenting the disparate impact of climate change – and its underlying causes – upon Communities of Color. Elijah Cummings On the streets of our cities, as well as in our more rural communities, pollutants from coal-fired power plants are exacerbating serious […]
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Lives are in the Balance
Recently, as I waited to begin a healthcare town hall with my congressional colleagues, John Sarbanes and Dutch Ruppersberger, I was filled with gratitude for the neighbors who were filling the large meeting room to capacity on a Sunday afternoon. Elijah Cummings “These good people get it,” I thought to myself. “They understand that we […]
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Hope & Change: The Transformation of America
If the mark of a successful American presidency is to leave our nation and world in a better place than it was when a President first entered office, then the 44th President of the United States could conclude with some confidence that he has succeeded. It would be an evaluation of President Obama’s stewardship of […]
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Our Movement for a Better America Continues
If anyone thought that our battle for a better, more prosperous and more inclusive America would be won on Election Day, they now realize that our fight has just begun. Elijah Cummings During the lead up to November 8, President Obama reminded us that hope would be on the ballot this year — and fear […]
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Protecting Our Progress in 2016
Last week, I was honored to deliver the Congressional Black Caucus’ televised Message to America: Protecting our Progress at the Ballot Box. It was a message that deserves repeating again and again. Elijah Cummings (Courtesy Photo/Facebook For more than four decades, the CBC has fought to protect and expand the right to vote for all […]
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Hope and Fear Are on the Ballot This Year
At our annual Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Dinner in Washington D.C. earlier this month, President Obama shared some important insights about this year’s elections. Elijah Cummings Speaking to the CBCF for the last time as President, he made it clear to us all that his presidency must not be an endpoint, but, rather, a renewed […]
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Working Together to Achieve Fair and Effective Policing
Congressman Elijah Cummings As our Department of Justice’s “pattern or practice investigation” of the Baltimore City Police Department has revealed, far too many law enforcement officers have participated in repeated violations of the constitutional rights of our citizens, especially our African American citizens. Now, with the cooperation of our Police Department, we are proceeding toward […]
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Congress Must Vote So that Every American Can Vote
Elijah Cummings On August 6, principled Americans of every background commemorated the 51st anniversary of that historic day in 1965 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act into law. With a few strokes of his ceremonial pen, the President joined a bipartisan congressional majority in affirming every American’s right to vote as […]
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Democrat’s Pledge to America
America’s Democratic Party now has an undisputed candidate for President and a platform upon which most progressive Americans — and, more specifically, progressive Americans of Color — can agree. Elijah Cummings In primary elections and caucuses across this nation, Democratic voters gave Secretary Hillary Clinton their majority approval, while also giving Senator Bernie Sanders and […]
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Protecting Our Climate, Health and Civil Rights
Congressman Elijah Cummings As the AFRO-American reported in June, our nation’s Black doctors are deeply concerned about the dangers climate change poses to our health. Since Americans of Color are especially vulnerable to those threats, measures to better protect our planet are fast becoming critical civil rights objectives. A survey conducted among members of the […]
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Black History Month 2014: Civil Rights in America
To mark the 50th anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Dr. Carter G. Woodson’s Association for the Study of African Life and History has chosen “Civil Rights in America” as its overarching theme for Black History Month 2014. At a time when voter suppression, gerrymandered congressional districts and Senate filibusters continue to thwart the […]