Nov 29, 2021

Greater Miami Jewish Federation, JCRC mourn the death of Rep. Carrie Meek

The Greater Miami Jewish Federation and its Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) mourn the death of Congresswoman Carrie Meek. The daughter of a sharecropper and granddaughter of slaves, she fought passionately against discrimination and inequality for all communities and was a staunch advocate for refugees and immigrants, in particular Miami’s Haitian community. She also spoke out against the unequal treatment of Afro-Cubans by Cuba’s communist government and marched in Freedom Sunday on Dec. 6, 1987, when 200,000 people protested in Washington, DC in support of Soviet Jewry.

We are grateful for the Congresswoman’s decades of friendship, her unwavering support on local issues and her heartfelt and passionate commitment to a strong and secure Israel. She traveled with us to Israel on Federation missions and was a close friend to many of our most committed leaders. She was a unifier of the Black and Jewish communities and so many others. She had a strong moral compass and, having grown up in segregated Tallahassee, understood at her core that all people have the right to be treated fairly and justly.

Gepsie Metellus of Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center said it best: “Her story is that inspirational example that will stand the test of time.”

May Congresswoman Meek’s name forever be a blessing and may the causes that she championed and the values she embodied continue to endure.