Mickey Leland on one of the six trips to Africa he took as a member of Congress. Image courtesy of the Mickey Leland Center on Hunger, Poverty, and World Peace at Texas Southern University.
Dear Friends,
Every year around Thanksgiving, I always think about my friend and mentor, the late U.S. Representative Mickey Leland, who would be turning 80 in a few days. Mickey championed the causes of poor and vulnerable people worldwide. He fought for affordable housing and alleviating homelessness, healthcare, and for civil and human rights.
He was especially troubled by hunger and starvation; he understood how the gnawing ache of hunger consumed a person's mind, body, and soul. He once shared that his drive to end world hunger came after watching a young child draw her last breath before his eyes in Sudan in 1984. He said he saw her face every day after that. That a child, that anyone, can die of starvation in a world of abundance and plenty was and is a terrible injustice. An injustice that Mickey could not abide or ignore.
He ultimately lost his life in a tragic accident while working to end hunger in Africa. I do not doubt that if he were alive today, Mickey would be participating in some program to feed the less fortunate in Houston or some remote corner of the world.
Here in Harris County, we’re carrying on Mickey Leland’s legacy through transformative investments toward food, nutrition, and affordable housing. We’re making existing homes safer, addressing the scarcity of affordable housing, and reducing housing instability for vulnerable Harris County residents.
Mickey Leland gave his life working to end hunger around the world, and in that spirit, I’m immensely proud of our work to end hunger here at home. We’re funding innovative solutions through community partners such as Common Market, Urban Harvest, Small Places, and the Houston Food Bank. Everyone deserves access to fresh, healthy food.
Mickey is on my mind often. We live in troubling times, where we are seeing a raw resurgence of racism and violent, dehumanizing ideologies. Where racial injustice still thrives. Where refugees seeking asylum in our country are held in filthy, inhumane conditions and denied their basic needs and rights. Where families are torn apart by cruel policies enacted by our government. Where too many people struggle to make ends meet amidst growing inequality. And where people still go hungry. But in Mickey is where I still find hope.
Typically, he spent this time of year challenging his friends and all who would listen to be as charitable as possible and reminding them that having food and a home is a luxury not to be taken for granted in a world where poverty overwhelms prosperity.
This holiday season, let’s make a place at the dinner table for those less fortunate than ourselves. I can think of no better tribute to Mickey Leland’s legacy.
Sincerely,
Rodney Ellis