National Urban League Mourns the Passing of Former Congresswoman Carrie Meek

NEW YORK (November 29, 2021) – The nation has lost one of its greatest champions for racial justice and equal opportunity with the passing of former Congresswoman Carrie Meek of Florida, National Urban League President Marc H. Morial said today.

“The daughter of a sharecropper and granddaughter of a slave who was denied admission to graduate school in her home state because of her race, Congresswoman Meek dedicated her career to creating a just and equitable society and expanding opportunity for every American,” Morial said. “Spurred by her early experiences with segregation, which she called a ‘shadow’ on her life, she led the integration of Miami-Dade Community College, where she spent three decades as an educator and administrator.

 “She was a quintessential Southern ‘steel magnolia,’ with honey in her voice and steel in her spine,” Morial said. “She was elected to Congress just as Hurricane Andrew devastated her district, and she proved to be an even greater force of nature. She fought tirelessly for her community and her country and was an inspiration to the generation of public service who followed in her considerable wake.”

The National Urban League extends its deepest sympathy to her children, former Congressman Kendrick Meek, Sheila Davis Kinui, and Lucia Davis-Raiford, and to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.