difficult day. elijah cummings was a great, great statesman. he was a fighter. he did not pull any punches, but he was a kind and gentle human being. he encouraged me when i first came to congress. he inspired me. he knew that i had come in a special election and had being shoes to fill. i actually followed my predecessor, who i had worked for, a close friend of elijah s. elijah told me, hey, now you ve got to step up, you know, carve your own agenda, you know, and get out there. he actually offered to help, and so he came to my district. this is elijah in terms of how he inspired others and how he supported us all. he came to my district early on in, i believe it was 98 or 99. held a town meeting on gun safety, on mass incarceration, and on criminal justice reform.
many years ago i say sometimes 20 times a day but it s one i live by, he says i only have a minute, 60 seconds it is. forced apan me i did not choose it, but i know that i must use it. give account if i abuse it, suffer if i lose it. only a tiny little minute. but eternity is in it. and so i join you as we move forward to uplift not only the nation put the world. 23 years ago a 45-year-old elijah cummings took the house floor to give his first floor speech as the newest member of congress. and izappeal with a pledge he lived up to every day. i got to interact with and interview a wide variety of politicians and cummings was
there are efforts to stop people from voting. that s not right. this is not russia. this is the united states of america. and i will fight until the death to make sure every citizen whether they re a green party, whether they re a freedom party, whether they re a democrat, whether they re republican, whoever has that right to vote. because it is the essence of our democracy. cummings is also the son of sharecroppers and a native son of baltimore arb a city he loved with every breath. i spoke to him months after the death of freddie gray, a young black man died from injuries sustained in police custody about what growing up in baltimore was like. from the age of 5 years old
and it was an amazing moment and he lifted me up in ways that no one else had. he was the first member of congress to come to my district to help me. and he constantly supported me over and over and over again in everything that every campaign i mounted, every effort i was engaged in. sherrilyn, i know you worked with the congressman. you re also connected to baltimore, a city he deeply loved and lived his whole life, more or less. what was his relationship like to that city? i think of elijah cummings as the quintessential baltimorian. he really passionately loved the city and really walked the city with a sense of pride and dignity. he felt tremendous compassion for people living at the margins, but most of all he felt respect from the city and demanded respect for the city. he was proud to represent the city. one of the things i loved so much about him was the way he
today congressman cummings is dancing with the angels. he passed from health complications at the age of 68. he s so deeply and profoundly missed by everyone who cares about this country. we re going to discuss his remarkable legacy next.