By AFRO Staff
As the primary voting day is fast approaching on July 19, the AFRO American Newspapers has announced its endorsement for Rep. Kweisi Mfume (MD-7). He is no stranger to a majority of Baltimoreans as he is a Baltimore native himself, and a political force in the community for years.
Mfume represented the 7th District from 1987 to 1996, when he resigned. He campaigned again in 2020 and won the vote as of May 5.
Congressman Mfume is currently a member of the House Committee on Oversight & Reform, House Committee on Small Business, and Congressional Black Caucus.
Rep. Mfume was born Frizzell Gray in Baltimore, Md., Oct. 24, 1948. The representative attended Baltimore City public schools and graduated from Morgan State University in 1976. He was a member of the City Council in Baltimore City from 1979 to 1986. He was chair of the committee on health policy while there.
So far, his congressional successes include the passing of legislation to address the longstanding need for diversity in clinical cancer trials by pharmaceutical companies using federal dollars (the “Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act”). He also codified and tripled the budget of the only federal agency tasked with promoting the growth and competitiveness of minority-owned businesses (the Minority Business Development Agency) and brought back billions of dollars in COVID-19 relief money to his district.
Bills Mfume recently helped pass include a gun violence bill, an extended unemployment bill, and legislation to protect small business subcontractors.
He is confident of the work already done and through re-election, he will continue such work. AFRO endorsed Mfume in 2020 and we stand by him now to continue the great work he is doing for Baltimore City on Capitol Hill.
Mfume was also a Vice-Chair, Board of Research America, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), from 1996 to 2004.
Mfume was sworn in as a member of the 116th Congress on May 5, 2020, after winning a special election to fill the remainder of the term vacated by the death of his friend of 42 years (and successor in Congress) Congressman Elijah Cummings. Mfume subsequently won the election to a full term in the 117th Congress.
For the last two decades, he has lectured at scores of colleges, universities, corporations, medical associations, and bar associations across the country on the subjects of history, politics, diversity, compliance, health policy, disparities in health care, tolerance and the new challenges of gender and race.
The AFRO proudly endorses Rep. Kweisi Mfume for Maryland’s 7th District.
Help us Continue to tell OUR Story and join the AFRO family as a member – subscribers are now members! Join here!