Mickey Leland
Mickey Leland | |
---|---|
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas's 18th district | |
In office January 3, 1979 – August 7, 1989 | |
Preceded by | Barbara Jordan |
Succeeded by | Craig Washington |
Member of the Texas House of Representatives from the 88th district | |
In office January 9, 1973 – January 3, 1979 | |
Preceded by | Unknown |
Succeeded by | El Franco Lee |
Personal details | |
Born | George Thomas Leland November 27, 1944 Lubbock, Texas, U.S. |
Died | August 7, 1989 Gambela, Ethiopia | (aged 44)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Alison Clark Walton (m. 1983) |
Children | 3 |
Education | Texas Southern University (BS) |
George Thomas "Mickey" Leland III (November 27, 1944 – August 7, 1989) was an American politician and anti-poverty activist. He served as a
Early years
Leland was born in Lubbock, Texas to Alice and George Thomas Leland, II. At a very early age, the Lelands moved to Houston's Fifth Ward neighborhood.
Growing up in a predominantly African American and Hispanic neighborhood, Leland attended
It was during the administration of then-Texas Southern University President Leonard O. Spearman, where Leland received an honorary doctorate degree from his alma mater.
Texas House of Representatives
In 1972, Texas for the first time allowed its State
Re-elected in 1974 and again in 1976, Leland served three two-year terms in the Texas House of Representatives, representing the 88th District and while in Austin, he became famous for being a staunch advocate of healthcare rights for poor Texans. He was responsible for the passage of legislation that provided low-income consumers with access to affordable generic drugs, and supported the creation of healthcare access through Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). In order to accomplish his goals in Austin, Leland served on the Texas State Labor Committee, the State Affairs Committee, the Human Resources Committee, the Legislative Council, and the Subcommittee on Occupational and Industrial Safety. He was elected the Vice-Chairman of the Joint Committee on Prison Reform including becoming the first African-American to serve on the Senate–House Conference Committee as a member of the House Appropriations Committee.
U.S. House of Representatives
After six years in the Texas State Legislature, Leland was elected to the United States House of Representatives in November 1978 to represent Texas's 18th District and was re-elected easily in 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986 and again in 1988 to six two-year terms, serving until his death. The congressional district included the neighborhood in which he had grown up, and he was recognized as a knowledgeable advocate for health, children and the elderly. His leadership abilities were immediately noticed in Washington, and he was named to serve as Freshman Majority Whip in his first term, and later served twice as At-Large Majority Whip. Leland was re-elected to each succeeding Congress until his death.
Leland was an effective advocate on hunger and public health issues. In 1984, Leland established the congressional select committee on Hunger and initiated a number of programs designed to assuage the famine crises that plagued Ethiopia and Sudan through much of the 1980s. Leland pioneered many afro-centric cultural norms in Washington which included wearing a dashiki and African-style hats.[2]
As he visited soup kitchens and makeshift shelters, he became increasingly concerned about the hungry and homeless. The work for which he is best remembered began when Leland co-authored legislation with U.S. Rep.
Although the committee had no legislative jurisdiction, the committee for the first time provided a single focus for hunger-related issues. The committee's impact and influence would stem largely from Leland's ability to generate awareness of complex hunger alleviation issues and exert his personal moral leadership. In addition to focusing attention on issues of hunger, his legislative initiatives would create the National Commission on Infant Mortality, better access for fresh food for at-risk women, children and infants, and the first comprehensive services for the homeless.
Leland's sensitivity to the immediate needs of poor and hungry people would soon make him a spokesperson for hungry people on a far broader scale. Reports of acute famine in sub-Saharan Africa immediately prompted Speaker O'Neill to ask Leland to lead a bipartisan Congressional delegation to assess conditions and relief requirements. When Leland returned, he brought together entertainment personalities, religious leaders and private voluntary agencies to create general public support for the Africa Famine Relief and Recovery Act of 1985. That legislation provided $800 million in food and humanitarian relief supplies. The international attention Leland had focused on the famine brought additional support for non-governmental efforts, saving thousands of lives.
His ability in reaching out to others with innovative ideas and to gain support from unlikely sources was a key to his success in effectively addressing the problems for the poor and minorities. He met with both Pope
Leland was a powerful advocate on other major issues as well. While chairing the House Select Committee on Hunger, Leland was a member of the
Death
On August 7, 1989, Leland died in a
Personal life
Legacy
Since Leland's death, a number of buildings and initiatives have been renamed in his honor:
- A federal building in Downtown Houston (which currently serves as the congressional headquarters for his most recent successor, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee)
- The International Terminal (Terminal D) at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston
- A street in Addis Ababa
- A condominium village in Addis Ababa
- The
- The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Mickey Leland Environmental Internship Program
- The Department of Energy's Minority Education Initiative was renamed the Mickey Leland Energy Fellowship
- A large number of other government programs, fellowships, and academic organizations have also been named in his memory.
- Singer-songwriter Pierce Pettis included a song about Leland on his 1991 album Tinseltown.
- The Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men in Houston
- The Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs[6] at Texas Southern University.
- So Others Might Eat's Leland Place[7] is a 90-day transitional housing program for 23 homeless men in recovery, located in Washington, DC.
There is a statue on Leland in Hermann Park, Houston, near the Miller Outdoor Theatre.
See also
- History of African Americans in Houston
- List of United States Congress members who died in office (1950–1999)
- List of African-American United States representatives
References
- ^ "Distinguished HISD Alumni Archived 2012-05-15 at the Wayback Machine," Houston Independent School District
- ^ Leland, Mickey. Handbook of Texas Online. Last accessed November 10, 2006.
- ^ Hiltzik, Michael A. "Leland crash leaves no survivors." Los Angeles Times at the Boca Raton News. Monday August 14, 1989. 7th year, Issue 144. 1A. Google News 5 of 34.
- ^ "Roberta Worrick Dies; Wrote Tales of Africa". New York Times. 14 August 1989. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-01-18.
- ^ "Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs". Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs. Retrieved 2017-02-19.
- ^ "SOME's Leland House". So Others Might Eat. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
Further reading
Talton, Benjamin (2019). In This Land of Plenty: Mickey Leland and Africa in American Politics. Philadelphia, PA:
Videos
(1) Arrival Ceremony for Leland on August 23, 1989 [1]
(2) Memorial Service for Congressman Leland on August 14, 1989 [2]
(3) Reaction on the Leland plane crash from August 13, 1989 [3]
(4) Update on Leland fatal plane crash from August 13, 1989 [4]
(5) Call-in session on the resignation of House Speaker Jim Wright from May 31, 1989 [5]
(6) Congressional Black Caucus from May 23, 1989 [6]
(7) Black Jewish Relations from April 11, 1989 [7]
(8) Judaism Foreign Policy from April 11, 1989 [8]
(9) Nominating Speeches at the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, Georgia from July 21, 1988 [9]
(10) Hiring & Promotion Cable TV & Broadcast Industry from May 17, 1988 [10]
(11) Program Trading Stock Market Volatility from April 21, 1988 [11]
(12) Telephone Rate Regulation from November 10, 1987 [12]
(13) World Hunger from October 14, 1987 [13]
(14) Iran-Contra Investigation Day 1 from May 5, 1987 [14]
(15) South African Sanction Veto Override from September 29, 1986 [15]
(16) 1986 Election Briefing from August 14, 1986 [16]
(17) Scrambling Satellite Television from June 12, 1986 [17]
(18) Jim Wright Roast on May 13, 1986 [18]
(19) Mickey Leland Interview from December 16, 1985 [19]
(20) Employment Issues from July 10, 1985 [20]
(21) William Reynolds Nomination from June 5, 1985 [21]
(22) Black Hispanic Breakfast from July 18, 1984 [22]
(23) Minority Caucus from July 18, 1984 [23]
(24) Broadcast Reform from October 6, 1983 [24]
(25) Broadcast Reform from September 23, 1983 [25]
(26) Minorities in the Media from September 19, 1983 [26]
(27) GM Car Brake Defects from August 5, 1983 [27]
External links
- United States Congress. "Mickey Leland (id: L000237)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
- Mickey Leland from the Handbook of Texas Online
- Mickey Leland Center – The repository of Congressman Leland's Archives, legislative papers, and documents
- Mickey Leland Center on World Hunger and Peace at Texas Southern University – Social Networking Page
- Biography of Mickey Leland (usaid.gov)
- Biography of Mickey Leland (Texas Southern University)
- Biography of Mickey Leland (University of Houston)
- Mickey Leland National Urban Air Toxics Research Center[permanent dead link]
- Mickey Leland Energy Fellowships at the U.S. DOE
- Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellowship Program at the Congressional Hunger Center
- Appearances on C-SPAN