‘Trailblazing’ former Rep. Carrie Meek dies at 95

We would like to take a moment to honor former Rep. Carrie Meek, who died Sunday in her Miami home at the age of 95.

Her death came after a “long illness,” a family spokesperson said.

For those of you who don’t know who she is, this amazing woman who broke barriers throughout her winding political career was born in Tallahassee, Florida in 1926 as the daughter of a sharecropper and granddaughter of a slave.

She served as Miami-Dade Community College’s first Black professor, associate dean and assistant to the vice president.

She went on from there to beat out 12 other candidates when she ran for the Florida state House in 1978, and five years later, she became the first Black woman elected to the state senate.

For the next decade, Meek used her legislative perch to push a range of Democratic priorities from immigration reform to economic development.

She has been described as a trailblazer, and a champion of civil rights, healthcare, education, jobs and housing.

Late civil rights legend Congressman John Lewis once said of Meek, ‘We see showboats and we see tugboats,” referring to the different legislative styles in Congress. He went on to add, “she’s a tugboat and I never want to be on the side of issues against her.”

Meek is survived by her three children, seven grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

RIP Dear Madame… job well done.