Kweisi Mfume
U.S. Representative from MD, District 7
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Biography
Kweisi Mfume is a 6-term Democratic U.S. Representative from Maryland's 7th District and former NAACP president serving as ranking member of Oversight Subcommittee.
Kweisi Mfume represents Maryland's 7th Congressional District, a Baltimore-centered district, having returned to Congress in a 2020 special election after the death of Representative Elijah Cummings. Originally representing the district from 1987 to 1996, Mfume then led the NAACP as president and CEO from 1996 to 2004 and later ran for U.S. Senate. Born Frizzell Gerald Gray, he adopted the West African name Kweisi Mfume, meaning 'conquering son of kings,' in 1972 as a reflection of his identity. A Morgan State University and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies graduate, Mfume served on the Baltimore City Council before his first congressional service. He now serves on the Oversight Committee as ranking member of the Government Operations Subcommittee and the Foreign Affairs Committee. Mfume champions civil rights, historically Black colleges and universities, and workers' rights.