Nov 18, 2008 6:28 pm US/Eastern
Group Hopes Parren Mitchell Gets Posthumous Award
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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A group of prominent Marylanders hopes a respected black congressman who died last year will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
CBS
A group of prominent Marylanders hopes a respected black congressman who died last year will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Suzanne Collins reports on the nomination of former Congressman Parren Mitchell for that honor.
Parren Mitchell was the first black congressman from Maryland. His supporters say he steadfastly supported minorities and the poor for 16 years, even when it meant a fight.
Now a group of prominent Marylanders is posthumously nominating Mitchell for the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Only a president can select the recipient based on significant lifetime contributions.
"His big thing was excellence, representing your people well, understanding your history and not using excuses," said Senator Nathaniel McFadden.
Mitchell was a World War II vet with two Purple Hearts. As a student, he sued to become the first African-American to get into the University of Maryland graduate school. In Congress, he worked hard for minority businesses, helping create "set asides" in government contracts.
"Even though he has left us, minority businesses are still receiving billions of dollars in business, providing jobs," said Clarence Mitchell III, Parren Mitchell's nephew.
According to his family, just before his death, Mitchell was able to watch Barack Obama announce his candidacy on TV. Now they hope the new president will see fit to bestow the highest civilian honor on the former congressman.
The chairman of Maryland's Democratic party, who started out as the congressman's assistant, remembers learning a lesson when Mitchell shunned special interests.
"And the question was, `Do I hold on to my convictions or do I succumb to the convenience of the cash?' And he chose his personal convictions," Michael Cryor said.
The letter to nominate Parren Mitchell will be forwarded after Obama's January inauguration.
Others who have agreed to support Mitchell's nomination include Senator Barbara Mikulski and Governor Martin O'Malley.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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