Miami-Dade Legislative Item
File Number: 212972
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File Number: 212972 File Type: Resolution Status: Amended
Version: 0 Reference: Control: Board of County Commissioners
File Name: SYMPATHY AND CONDOLENCES TO THE MEEK FAMILY Introduced: 11/30/2021
Requester: NONE Cost: Final Action: 12/1/2021
Agenda Date: 12/1/2021 Agenda Item Number: 14A3
Notes: SEE 212990 FOR FINAL VERSION AS ADOPTED. Title: RESOLUTION EXPRESSING SYMPATHY AND CONDOLENCES TO THE MEEK FAMILY AND HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF UNITED STATES CONGRESSWOMAN CARRIE P. MEEK UPON HER PASSING
Indexes: SYMPATHY
Sponsors: Kionne L. McGhee, Prime Sponsor
Sunset Provision: No Effective Date: Expiration Date:
Registered Lobbyist: None Listed


Legislative History

Acting Body Date Agenda Item Action Sent To Due Date Returned Pass/Fail

Board of County Commissioners 12/1/2021 14A3 Amended
REPORT: See Agenda Item 14A3 Amended, Legislative File No. 212990 for the Amended version.

Office of the Chairperson 11/30/2021 Additions

County Attorney 11/30/2021 Assigned Shanika A. Graves 11/30/2021

Legislative Text


TITLE
RESOLUTION EXPRESSING SYMPATHY AND CONDOLENCES TO THE MEEK FAMILY AND HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF UNITED STATES CONGRESSWOMAN CARRIE P. MEEK UPON HER PASSING

BODY
WHEREAS, on November 28, 2021, the family of Carrie Pittman Meek (�Congresswoman Meek�) lost their matriarch and Miami-Dade County lost one of its foremost advocates, a woman who left an indelible mark on legions throughout the County, state, and country; and
WHEREAS, since her passing, a number of statements have been released about Congresswoman Meek, all of which describe her and her long-standing career as an accomplished stateswoman, in one form or another, and as a powerhouse with an indomitable spirit; and
WHEREAS, Congresswoman Meek was a devoted public servant who loved her community and constituents, and was a formidable advocate who fought tirelessly for the people she served; and
WHEREAS, Congresswoman Meek was also a woman of humble beginnings; and
WHEREAS, she was the granddaughter of a slave and daughter of a sharecropper, and raised in the Jim Crow South; and
WHEREAS, none of which limited her belief in herself or how far she would ascend in life; and
WHEREAS, instead, her background appears to have been fuel for her trailblazing life and legacy; and
WHEREAS, before serving over two decades as a legislator, Congresswoman Meek was an educator; and
WHEREAS, specifically, Congresswoman Meek was:
1) an instructor at Bethune Cookman College and its first female basketball coach;
2) a Health and Physical Education Instructor at, what is now, Florida A&M University; and
3) the first Black Professor, Associate Dean, and Assistant to the Vice President at, what is now, Miami Dade College; and
WHEREAS, these firsts at institutions of higher learning were just the beginning of Congresswoman Meek shattering glass ceilings; and
WHEREAS, after a 30-year career as an educator, Congresswoman Meek pivoted and turned her focus towards politics; and
WHEREAS, thereafter, Congresswoman Meek served over 20 years as a Florida legislator and member of the United States Congress; and
WHEREAS, she was first elected to the Florida House of Representatives where she served from 1979 to 1983 before serving five terms in the Florida Senate from 1983 through January 1993; and
WHEREAS, Congresswoman Meek was the first African American woman elected to the Florida Senate and first Black legislator to serve there in over a century; and
WHEREAS, similarly in 1992, when Congresswoman Meek was elected to represent Florida�s 17th Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives, she was one of three Black Floridians elected to serve in Congress since the 1870s; and
WHEREAS, during her five terms in Congress, Congresswoman Meek advocated for legislation to improve the lives of people in Miami-Dade County, including but not limited to matters related to:
1) housing, economic development, education, and health care reform;
2) gender and racial equality;
3) immigration policies, especially as it relates to Haitian immigrants; and
4) improving the transit system, airport, and seaport; and
WHEREAS, even after her career in Congress ended, Congresswoman Meek�s strong will and desire for change did not, and she continued her life in public service; and
WHEREAS, thus, in November 2001, the Carrie Meek Foundation (the �Foundation�) was established; and
WHEREAS, through the Foundation, Congresswoman Meek worked to provide opportunities to improve the quality of life and create opportunities for residents in Miami-Dade County and the larger South Florida community through education, housing, health, and economic development; and
WHEREAS, throughout her distinguished career, Congresswoman Meek received honors for her laudable career in public service as both an educator and legislator; and
WHEREAS, Congresswoman Meek was an inimitable living legend; and
WHEREAS, she will be missed but not forgotten by many, including those she loved and who loved her, those who worked with and for her, those she mentored, and those who admired her from afar; and
WHEREAS, this Board mourns the loss and celebrates the life of the iconic trailblazer and glass shattering Congresswoman Carrie P. Meek,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Expresses sympathy and condolences to the Meek family on the passing of United States Congresswoman Carrie P. Meek.
Section 2. Honors the life and legacy of United States Congresswoman Carrie P. Meek.
Section 3. Directs the Clerk of the Board to transmit a certified copy of this resolution to the family of United States Congresswoman Carrie P. Meek.



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