[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 179 (Friday, November 8, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1406-E1407]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         TRIBUTE TO THE LATE REP. ELIJAH CUMMINGS BY HIS STAFF

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. AYANNA PRESSLEY

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, November 8, 2019

  Ms. PRESSLEY. Madam Speaker, I include in the Record the following 
op-ed article, authored by the current and former staff of our dear 
friend, and forever Chairman, Elijah Cummings of the Oversight and 
Reform Committee, who passed away last month. The op-ed ran in USA 
Today on October 25, paying tribute to the man who served his 
constituents and country so well in this House for more than twenty-
three years.

                  [From the USA Today, Oct. 25, 2019]

How We Will Remember Our Boss, Chairman Elijah Cummings: Moral Clarity 
                             in All He Did

         (By Current and Former Staff of Rep. Elijah Cummings)

       As current and former congressional staff of the late Rep. 
     Elijah E. Cummings, chairman of the House Oversight and 
     Reform Committee, we had the great honor and privilege of 
     working with him over the course of more than two decades.
       Many public figures have praised the chairman in recent 
     days, extolling his unmatched integrity, courageous 
     leadership and commitment to service and justice. To these 
     well-deserved tributes, we would like to add our own eulogy, 
     based on our experience working by his side.
       He was inspiring, both in public and even more so in 
     private. He brought moral clarity to everything he did, and 
     his purpose was pure--to help those among us who needed it 
     most. He taught us that our aim should be to ``give a voice 
     to the voiceless,'' including families whose drinking water 
     had been poisoned, sick patients who could no longer afford 
     their medicine and, most of all, vulnerable children and 
     ``generations yet unborn.''
       Whether in a hearing room full of members of Congress or in 
     a quiet conversation with staff, his example motivated us to 
     become our best selves in the service of others.
       He was genuine. He insisted on personally interviewing 
     every staff member he hired so he could ``look into their 
     eyes.'' Each of us has a personal memory of sitting down with 
     him for the first time, and it was like nothing we had 
     experienced before. He would ask why we were interested in 
     public service, how we thought we could contribute and what 
     motivated us.
       Then he would lean in and ask in his low baritone voice, 
     ``But . . . what feeds your soul?''
       More than a few of us left those interviews with tears in 
     our eyes, perhaps feeling that we had learned more about 
     ourselves than about him. He made that kind of personal 
     connection with everyone he met, from the people of his 
     district, to witnesses who testified at hearings, to 
     whistleblowers who reported waste, fraud or abuse. Since his 
     passing, we have been inundated with messages from many whose 
     lives he touched.
       He was demanding. He would boast that he had the hardest 
     working staff in Congress and that he sometimes would call or 
     email us in the middle of the night, which was absolutely 
     true. His directive to be ``effective and efficient in 
     everything you do'' still rings in our ears.

[[Page E1407]]

       In exchange, he listened to us, respected us and trusted 
     us. He made sure we knew he was truly proud of us--memories 
     we each now cherish. The result of his unwavering support was 
     fierce loyalty from every member of his staff. We committed 
     to doing everything in our power to fulfill his vision.
       He was a unifying force, even in this era of partisanship. 
     He would command order with a sharp rap of his gavel, elevate 
     debate by noting that ``we are better than that'' and urge 
     all of us to seek ``not just common ground, but higher 
     ground.''
       Guided by his faith and values, he would look for and bring 
     out the good in others, forming bridges through human 
     connection.
       He fully grasped the moment in which we are now living. He 
     invoked history books that will be written hundreds of years 
     from now as he called on us to ``fight for the soul of our 
     democracy.'' As he said, this is bigger than one man, one 
     president or even one generation.
       He was acutely aware of his own transience in this world, 
     He reminded us repeatedly that we are here ``only for a 
     minute'' and that all of us soon will be ``dancing with the 
     angels.''
       He would thunder against injustice, or on behalf of those 
     who could not fight for themselves, and he would vow to keep 
     battling until his ``dying breath.'' He did just that. His 
     final act as chairman came from his hospital bed just hours 
     before his death, as he continued to fight for critically ill 
     children suddenly in danger of deportation.
       He had so much left to accomplish, but he has left it for 
     us to complete. As he told us presciently, ``These things 
     don't happen to us, they happen for us.''
       It is difficult to describe the emptiness we now feel. His 
     spirit was so strong, and his energy so boundless, that the 
     void is devastating.
       But, of course, he left us with instructions: ``Pain, 
     passion, purpose. Take your pain, turn it into your passion, 
     and make it your purpose.'' He lived those words, and he 
     inspired us to do the same.
       Sometimes, after a big event, he would take us aside for a 
     quiet moment and say, ``I just want to thank you for 
     everything you do and for being a part of my destiny.''
       Today, we thank him for being part of ours. And we commit 
     to carrying forward his legacy in the limited time allotted 
     to each of us--to give voice to the voiceless, to defend our 
     democracy, and to always reach for higher ground.
       The authors of this tribute are current and former staff of 
     the late House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, 
     D-Md whose funeral is Friday. Their names are below:
       Aaron D. Blacksberg, Abbie Kamin, Ajshay Charlene Barber, 
     Alex Petros, Alexander M. Wolf, Alexandra S. Golden, Aliyah 
     Nuri Horton, CAE, Amish A. Shah, Amy Stratton, Andy Eichar, 
     Angela Gentile, Esq., Anthony McCarthy, Anthony N. Bush, 
     Aryele N. Bradford, Ashley Abraham, Ashley Etienne, Asi 
     Ofosu, Asua Ofosu, Ben Friedman, Bernadette ``Bunny'' 
     Williams.
       Beverly Ann Fields, Esq., Beverly Britton Fraser, Brandon 
     Jacobs, Brett Cozzolino, Brian B. Quinn, Britteny N. Jenkins, 
     Candyce Phoenix, Carissa J. Smith, Carla Hultberg, Carlos 
     Felipe Uriate, Cassie Fields, Cecelia Marie Thomas, Chanan 
     Lewis, Chioma I. Chukwu, Chloe M. Brown, Christina J. 
     Johnson, Christopher Knauer, Dr. Christy Gamble Hines, Claire 
     E. Coleman, Claire Leavitt.
       Courtney Cochran, Courtney French, Courtney N. Miller, 
     Crystal T. Washington, Daniel Rebnord, Daniel Roberts, Daniel 
     C. Vergamini, Darlene R. Taylor, Dave Rapallo, Davida Walsh 
     Farrar, Deborah S. Perry, Deidra N. Bishop, Delarious 
     Stewart, Devika Koppikar, Devon K. Hill, Donald K. Sherman, 
     Eddie Walker, Elisa A. LaNier, Ellen Zeng, Emma Dulaney.
       Erica Miles, Fabion Seaton, Ferras Vinh, Fran Allen, 
     Francesca McCrary, Frank Amtmann, Georgia Jenkins, Dr. 
     Georgia Jennings-Dorsey, Gerietta Clay, Gina H. Kim, Greta 
     Gao, Harry T. Spikes II, Hope M. Williams, Ian Kapuza, Ilga 
     Semeiks, Jamitress Bowden, Janet Kim, Jaron Bourke, Jason R. 
     Powell.
       Jawauna Greene, Jean Waskow, Jedd Bellman, Jenn Hoffman, 
     Jennifer Gaspar, Jenny Rosenberg, Jess Unger, Jesse K. 
     Reisman, Jessica Heller, Jewel James Simmons, Jill L. 
     Crissman, Jimmy Fremgen, Jolanda Williams, Jon Alexander, 
     Jordan H. Blumenthal, Jorge D. Hutton, Joshua L. Miller, 
     Joshua Zucker, Julia Krieger, Julie Saxenmeyer.
       Justin S. Kim, K. Alex Kiles, Kadeem Cooper, Kamau M. 
     Marshall, Kapil Longani, Karen Kudelko, Karen White, Kathy 
     Crosby, Katie Malone, Katie Teleky, Kayvan Farchadi, Kellie 
     Larkin, Kelly Christl, Kenneth Crawford, Kenneth D. Crawford, 
     Kenyatta T. Collins, Kevin Corbin, Jr., Kierstin Stradford, 
     Kimberly Ross, Krista Boyd, Kymberly Truman Graves, Larry and 
     Diana Gibson, Laura K. Waters, Leah Nicole Copeland Perry, 
     LL.M.,Esq., Lena C. Chang, Lenora Briscoe-Carter, Lisa E. 
     Cody, Lucinda Lessley, Madhur Bansal, Marc Broady, Marianna 
     Patterson, Mark Stephenson, Martin Sanders, Meghan Delaney 
     Berroya, Michael F Castagnola, Michael Gordon, Michell 
     Morton, Dr. Michelle Edwards, Miles P. Lichtman, Mutale 
     Matambo.
       Olivia Foster, Patricia A. Roy, Paul A. Brathwaite, Paul 
     Kincaid, Peter J. Kenny, Philisha Kimberly Lane, Portia R. 
     Bamiduro, Rachel L. Indek, Rebecca Maddox-Hyde, Regina Clay, 
     Ricardo Brandon Rios, Rich Marquez, Richard L. Trumka Jr., 
     Robin Butler, Rory Sheehan, Roxanne (Smith) Blackwell, 
     Russell M. Anello, Safiya Jafari Simmons, Sanay B. Panchal, 
     Scott P. Lindsay.
       Sean Perryman, Senam Okpattah, Sonsyrea Tate-Montgomery, 
     Susanne Sachsman Grooms, Suzanne Owen, Tamara Alexander 
     Lynch, Theresa Chalhoub, Timothy D. Lynch, Todd Phillips, 
     Tony Haywood, Tori Anderson, Trinity M.E. Goss, Trudy E. 
     Perkins, Una Lee, Valerie Shen, Vernon Simms, Wendy Ginsberg, 
     William A. Cunningham, William H. Cole, Wm. T. Miles, Jr., 
     Yvette Badu-Nimako, Yvette P. Cravins, Esq., Zeita Merchant.

                          ____________________