Elijah cummings was born on the date January 18, 1951, and died October 17, 2019, at age 68, due to long-standing health complications. Not only was Elijah cummings a profound democrat, but he was also a husband to Maya Rockey Moore cummings and a father to three children, whose life and works laid a positive impact in the world of politics in the United States.
Early life and family background
Elijah cummings was born on January 18, 1951, in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the seventh child of his parents, Robert and Ruth Elma cummings who were south Carolinian sharecroppers. he attended Baltimore high school and graduated in 1969. At 11 years old, Cummings’ civil rights roots had already started to brew and show. He rallied together with other children to try and integrate a swimming pool in Baltimore.
As a Young man, Cummings was never given due attention and care from his teachers because he was poor and black-skinned. At age 17, cummings dream of becoming a lawyer was realized when he came in contact with Larry Gibson an active member of the 1960s civil rights movement. He became cummings mentor and advised him to go to law school. That meeting inspired cummings to chase after law relentlessly, regardless of his humble background.
He attended Howard University in Washington 1969 and served as sophomore class president. Cummings later became the student governor treasurer and soon became the student president. He was also a member of the prestigious phi beta kappa society at Howard University. He graduated from Howard in 1973 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Afterwards, he went on to Maryland school of law and was called to bar in 1976. He worked for a small firm in Baltimore before setting up his own practice, with two other lawyers.
Life and accomplishments as Statesman
In the year 1982, Cummings won the election for state delegate, served the Maryland General Assembly for 14 years while working as a lawyer as a delegate Cummings led the banning of inner-city billboard advertisements for alcohol and tobacco. This was the first prohibition in a large city in the US. He became the first African-American in Maryland to become a speaker pro-Tem. Cummings was widely known for his persuasive way of speaking in the statehouse. His speech held everyone’s attention, with this he became the most persuasive speaker in the statehouse.
In 1995, he won the seat of Maryland’s 7th Congressional district, according to one of his supporters’ cummings was one of the few whom politics didn’t change instead he changed it, he put the human face on it, he made it real.
From 2003 to 2004 he chaired the Congressional Black caucus and put the group to the forefront of the national consciousness. He campaigned vigorously for stricter gun control laws and was a big advocate for helping addicted to drugs. He also supported Barack Obama.
He co-chaired the presidential campaign in Maryland in 2008 which also led to more winnings for Obama which brought a positive change to the black community in the US. He was a democrat but he had friendships outside of the party. He was a free-spirited person.
In 2015, he made headlines when he took to Baltimore’s streets to quell riots stemming from the death of Freddie Gray, a black resident who died after being arrested.
In 2016 he was the senior Democrat on the house Benghazi committee in 2017 he stood against Donald trump and publicly asked him what present can they bring to the generations unborn, he needed to know the plans Donald Trump had for the development of the Nation even after falling sick in 2017 he was still fighting for the rights of the people.
In January 2019 cummings became chairman of the House committee on oversight and reform, which gave him the power to investigate Trump. Cummings was a supporter of both white and black people. All he was concerned about was the welfare of all citizens of the united states.
Cummings had an early life of being bullied as a black child,spat on and also told by one of his counsellors in school that he was poor and should abandon his dreams of being a lawyer, Regardless of all of these cummings pushed on to break the barriers of environmental limitations and became the best he could be leaving a positive change on every platform he was given. He has left his footprints on the sands of time.
