Author Archives: Rep. Elijah Cummings

In the Baltimore region, and across America, job growth remains the most important issue on people’s minds. We have evidence that our economy is improving, but it also remains painfully clear that we have much more to do — both nationally and right here in our own community. In my neighborhood, we are aware that, […]

Led by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, we are fighting back against Republican-sponsored voter identification laws and other voter suppression schemes that – left unchallenged – could deny millions of Americans their fundamental right to vote this year. All who love America and our democratic system have an important stake in the outcome of this […]

As Americans consider our choices in this presidential election year, President Obama and his progressive vision have been under constant attack by those who want (as they are quick to proclaim) to “take America back.” However, when the anti-Obama factions are asked, “Back to when?” their answers are less than clear. Recently, an analyst whom […]

The first two months of this year have brought millions of Americans – and our nation – good economic news. Due, in no small part, to President Obama’s economic policies, job growth and the broader economic forecasts are continuing an upward trend that has been gaining steam for the last two years. On the jobs […]

This month, as America celebrates African Americans who most influenced our nation’s history, it is worth remembering that our “history” as a people has a very personal aspect. For the young people of our community, the adults who help them to learn and grow as human beings are the leaders they will most remember. An […]

This month, as we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we also should be asking ourselves this question: “What message does Dr. King’s legacy have for the leaders of our time?” I suspect that he would be talking about the economy — and here is why. Nearly 50 years after Dr. King […]

Each morning, when I watch the neighborhood children on their way to school, I am re-inspired to do everything within my power to keep our nation’s promise to them. “Develop your talents and work hard,” we counsel our young, “and you can create a better life than the one to which you were born.” This […]

While too many Republican-dominated state legislatures have been making it more difficult for minorities, young adults and the elderly to vote, Marylanders have taken important steps toward the democratic ideal of “every voter counts, every vote is counted.” Those who are imposing more onerous voter registration and voting requirements on groups that voted for President […]

It was only when my nephew, Christopher Cummings, an honor student at Old Dominion University, was killed in a home invasion and double shooting last June that I began to fully understand the relentless pain that the families of crime victims experience. Christopher was a wonderful young man, determined to build a life helping others, […]

My earliest years were spent in a row house near Baltimore’s waterfront. It should hardly be surprising, therefore, that our maritime tradition and the opportunities offered by the maritime professions became closely associated in my thinking. After all, it was right here, working in Baltimore’s shipyards, that Frederick Douglass planned and perfected his journey to […]

This week, as I was preparing to speak at “One Year Out,” a kickoff rally for President Obama’s reelection campaign in Maryland, I could not help but recall my extraordinary privilege, four years ago, of leading then Sen. Barack Obama’s 2008 Maryland Presidential Campaign. Yet, the most compelling image elevating my thinking was of another […]

During my more than six decades of life, I have witnessed the struggle to afford a college education from every vantage point. The core lesson of that experience is clear. When we educate our young people, we grow and prosper as a community — while those that fail to do so fall behind. Most Americans […]