By Stephen Janis, Special to the AFRO

According to AFRO sources, Rep. Cummings’ funeral at New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore Oct. 25, will be attended by former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama, as well as former Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden.

The body of Congressman and lifelong Baltimore resident Elijah Cummings will lie in state at the United States Capitol Thursday, Oct. 24 at the National Statutory Hall, a rare honor reserved for the country’s most esteemed leaders. The public remembrance for the six-term congressman will include a memorial service for members of Congress and feature remarks from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnel. 

The Democrat who served the city’s Seventh District for over two decades passed last week due to what his office said was a variety of ailments.  Last year Cummings had undergone surgery for a defective heart valve. He was also hospitalized with a serious knee infection last summer and had recently been unable to walk without assistance.

Congressman Elijah Cummings (AFRO Photo)

He was 68. 

Cummings was also honored during a memorial service at Morgan State University, his Alma Mater on Wednesday Oct. 23, at the Murphy Fine Arts Center. That service was attended by a variety of local dignitaries and thousands of mourners from across the city, state and region.

As both the city and country mourn, it was Cummings’ ability to reach across the aisle in a highly partisan congress and his response to the Uprising after the death of Freddie Gray in police custody, that friends said was reflective of both his character and compassion.

“He was a transformational leader that earned credibility throughout the world,” said State Senator Jill P. Carter. “He was a champion for Baltimore, justice, and accountability.”

Recently, Cummings was thrust into the national spotlight as he battled the administration of President Donald J. Trump.  In his role as the chairman of the powerful House Oversight Committee he fought to hold Trump accountable, marshaling multiple investigations into alleged malfeasance by White House officials.  

“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,” said Baltimore mayor Jack Young in a written statement. 

Cummings was born in Baltimore in 1951.  He attended Howard University and graduated from the University of Maryland Law School. 

His political career began in the Maryland State House of Delegates where he served as both a delegate for fourteen years and head of the Legislative Black Caucus. 

He was elected to Congress in Maryland’s Seventh District in 1996 after a special election.   He was the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee until 2018 when the Democrats won the House and he was elevated to chairman.  

There he fought the Trump administration on multiple fronts, drawing the ire of the president who blasted both Cummings and the West Baltimore community he represented.  In a series of tweets Trump called the city “rodent infested mess” where “no one would want to live.”  

Cummings response was indicative of his equanimity and spirit of fellowship, friends say. 

“When I hear criticism by anybody about my city, I think the thing that bothers me most is that we have a situation where there are folks who are stepping on the foot, on the hope of our children,” The Washington Post reported Cummings said shortly after Trump’s tweets critical of the city. 

“I don’t know what I would have done if I’d had people in high places when I was a little boy telling me what I couldn’t do. Instead, I had people telling me what I could do.”