Charles Rangel
Congressman Charles Rangel Was Born On This Day In 1930, In New York City.
The 78 Year-Old Rangel Is Serving His 19th Term As The Representative From The 15th Congressional District, Comprising East And Central Harlem, The Upper West Side And Washington Heights/Inwood.
He Is The Chairman Of The Ways And Means Committee, Chairman Of The Board Of The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee And Dean Of The New York State Congressional Delegation.
Congressman Rangel Is A Founding Member And Former Chairman Of The Congressional Black Caucus. He Was Also Chairman Of The New York State Council Of Black Elected Democrats And Was A Member Of The House Judiciary Committee During The Impeachment Hearings For Former President, Richard Nixon.
Rangel, A Military Veteran. Enlisted In The United States Army And Served From 1948 To 1952. During the Korean War, He Was A Sergeant In The All-black 503rd Field Artillery Battalion In The 2nd Infantry Division. In late November 1950, This Unit Was Caught Up In Heavy Fighting In North Korea. Rangel Was Awarded A Purple Heart For A Shrapnel Wound To His Foot And The Bronze Star With Valor For His Actions In The Face Of Death.
After He Obtained A Juris Doctor From St. John's University in 1960, He Ran For Election To The U.S. House Of Representatives In 1970, Defeating Long-Time Congressman Adam Clayton Powell In The Democratic Primary And Then Winning The General Election. He Has Won Re-Election Every Two Years Since.
A Staunch Civil And Human Rights Activist, During The 1980s, Rangel Was Arrested For Participating In An Anti-Apartheid Rally In Front Of The South African Embassy in Washington, DC.
On March 15, 1999, Congressman Rangel Was Arrested Along With Two Other Prominent Black Leaders (Al Sharpton And Former Mayor David Dinkins), For Protesting The Fatal Shooting Of African American, Amadou Diallo, By Four White New York City Police Officers.
"In Order For Black History To Breathe, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
