Former Congressman and past NAACP President Kweisi Mfume to speak at Loyola Feb. 1 Kweisi Mfume, former U.S. Representative from Maryland’s Seventh District and immediate past president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, will present “Race: Exploring America’s Agenda,” at Loyola College in Maryland on Thursday, Feb. 1. The event begins at 7 p.m. in McGuire Hall on the College’s North Charles Street campus. Born and raised in Baltimore, Mfume left school at 16 after his mother’s death, taking on odd jobs to help provide for his three younger sisters. He began running with gangs and became a teenage parent before deciding to rebuild his life at age 22. Mfume earned his GED and later enrolled in the Community College of Baltimore. Politically active from his freshman year on, Mfume edited his school’s newspaper and served as head of the Black Student Union. He later attended Morgan State University, where he graduated magna cum laude, and Johns Hopkins University, where he earned a master’s degree in Liberal Arts. Mfume would later serve on the boards of both institutions. Mfume quickly gained recognition as an activist, organizer and radio commentator. He won a seat on the Baltimore City Council in 1979, and was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1986. During his 10 year Congressional career, Mfume became chairman of the Joint Economic Committee of House and Senate, and later co-sponsored and helped pass the Americans with Disabilities Act. He also co-authored and successfully amended the Civil Rights Bill of 1991 to apply the Act to U.S. citizens working for American companies overseas. Mfume served as chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus and, in his last term, was appointed the House Democratic Caucus’ Vice Chairman for Communications. Elected Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in February 1996, Mfume served there for nine years. This event is free, but tickets are required. For more information or to reserve tickets, please visit www.loyola.edu/campuslife/alana/mfume.html. | 
