today in black history

October 12, 2023

World War II hero Dorie Miller, who shot down Japanese fighter planes during the attack on Pearl Harbor, was born in 1919 in Waco, TX.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver

POSTED: September 07, 2008, 7:29 am

  • POST
    • Add to Mixx!
  • SEND TO FRIEND
  • Text Size
  • TEXT SIZE
  • CLEARPRINT
  • PDF

Hon. Emanuel Cleaver II
Missouri, 5th District
U. S. House of Representatives
1641 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Ph: 202-225-4535
Fx: 202-225-4403
www.house.gov/cleaver

101 W. 31st Street
Kansas City, MO 64108
Ph: 816-842-4545
Fx: 816-471-5215





211 West Maple Avenue
Independence, MO 64050
Ph: 816-833-4545
Fx: 816-833-2991

Chief of Staff

Phil Scaglia
phil.scaglia@mail.house.gov
 
Legislative Director

Andrea Martin
andrea.martin@mail.house.gov


Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II is currently serving his second term representing the Fifth District of Missouri in the House of Representatives and sits on the exclusive Financial Services Committee and the Speaker’s Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.





















Enlarge Map


He was born in Waxahachie, Texas, grew up in public housing and graduated high school in Wichita Falls, Texas. Congressman Cleaver went on to attend Prairie View A & M University, earning a B.S. in Sociology.

Congressman Cleaver arrived in Kansas City as an activist in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference charged with founding a Kansas City chapter of the civil rights organization. In 1974, after the Kansas City Chapter of the SCLC received its charter, he began his pastoral career at St. James United Methodist Church with a membership of 47. Today, St. James has a membership of 2,800.

In 1979 Cleaver was elected to City Council of Kansas City. After three terms, he ran for and was elected to the office of Mayor, where he made history as the first African American to hold the City’s highest office.

As Mayor, Cleaver worked tirelessly to improve the quality of life for the City’s residents. He championed programs and initiatives designed to create jobs and stimulate economic development, including infrastructure improvements, city planning and youth outreach. Cleaver’s exemplary leadership earned him a two-term position as President of the National Conference of Black Mayors.

Congressman Cleaver and his wife, Dianne, have been married for more than thirty years, where they have made Kansas City their home. They have four grown children and three grandchildren.

Source: U.S. House of Representatives

The district is overwhelmingly white, with Blacks making up just 24.2 percent. The poverty rate in the 5th Congressional District is 12.4 percent and the median income is $38,311.

 

Related References