Heart and Soul

Elijah Cummings has died and the world will bend a little less towards justice without him.

He was a warrior for justice. He didn’t merely push back against what was wrong, he proclaimed the truth boldly. There aren’t a lot of people who can do that with such authority. Representative Cummings walked the walk. He was more than entitled to talk the talk.

I’m too stunned to say much this morning. Even though I knew he had not been well, I still feel such a sense of loss.

Elijah Cummings spoke at the kickoff to the Columbia 50th Birthday celebration at the Mall. His speech about Rouse’s revolutionary vision was a keen contrast to the prepared remarks of other local dignitaries. I soon found out why.

I contacted his office to get a copy of his speech. After some back and forth, a staff member admitted that, although his office prepared speeches for him, he never followed them. He spoke from his heart, from his own life experiences, and he spoke to the issues he knew people needed to hear.

Rest easy, Mr. Cummings. Thank you for all the battles that you fought to make our country better and stronger in the face of injustice.