Elijah Cummings Youth Program honors late congressman, activist on his 75th birthday
The Elijah Cummings Youth Program (ECYP) hosted a celebration on Sunday to honor the late Maryland Congressman and civil rights activist on what would have been his 75th birthday.
The downtown Baltimore event included comments from Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman and a fireside chat on Black and Jewish relations in Baltimore with Mayor Brandon Scott and City Council President Zeke Cohen.
The celebration was open to the public. There was food and conversations about the legacy of Rep. Cummings.
Who was Elijah Cummings?
Rep. Cummings was born in Baltimore on January 18, 1951. He was a civil rights leader and also advocated for Baltimore's youth.
The long-time politician served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1996 until he died in 2019, at the age of 68. He represented Maryland's 7th congressional district.
Cummings graduated from Baltimore City College High School and then from Howard University in Washington, D.C.
He started his political career in Maryland's House of Delegates before winning his congressional seat in a special election in 1996 to replace former U.S. Representative Kweisi Mfume.
Cummings chaired the Congressional Black Caucus from 2003 to 2004.
He served as chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee from January 2019 until his death later that year.
Cummings advocated for Baltimore's inner-city residents and highlighted their struggles and needs.
He was the first Black lawmaker to lie in state at the nation's Capitol. Prominent figures who attended Cummings funeral were Obama, Bill Clinton, John Lewis, Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Mfume, among others.
What is the ECYP?
Rep. Cummings collaborated with leaders from Maryland's Jewish community to form the ECYP in 1998. The program is for high school students from Maryland's 7th Congressional District, aimed at connecting Black and Jewish communities.
Rep. Cummings' daughter Jennifer is on the ECYP Board.
Each year, 12 to 15 students are selected to participate in workshops focused on leadership, advocacy and the histories of Black and Jewish people.
For more information, visit this website.
CBS News and The Associated Press contributed to this story.