Congressman Mickey Leland was a humanitarian and a passionate advocate for the poor and hungry in America and abroad, traveling the world to bring attention and resources to bear. During terms representing Houston in the Texas state legislature and later in Congress, he chaired the House Select Committee on Hunger, and fought for equitable access to healthcare and environmental rights.
His activism was steeped in his roots as a student in the civil rights movement. In 1989, he died, along with 14 others, leading a hunger relief mission to refugee camps in the Sudan. He left behind a world that continues to mourn and remember him, Leland interns who further his legacy, and three sons.
-Alison Leland
Professor of Political Science, The Honors College, University of Houston