Funeral held for Charles Rangel, longtime N.Y. congressman and son of Harlem
Former Rep. Charles Rangel was laid to rest Friday with a funeral at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan. The longtime New York congressman died last month at the age of 94.
A powerful silence fell over Fifth Avenue as Rangel's casket arrived, followed by powerful words from those who spoke.
"Proud son of Harlem"
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul delivered the first remarks, calling Rangel "a giant in American life."
"He was a warrior for justice and such a proud, proud son of Harlem. I feel the presence of Harlem in this room today," she said, going on to add, "Charlie once said leadership is not about the next election, it's about the next generation."
Hochul also spoke about her day testifying before Congress about sanctuary laws on Thursday.
"I thought of Charlie because I knew I'd be here today, and I said, 'What would Charlie do?' And I just harnessed his cool, just keep your cool, don't let 'em get to you, don't get under your skin. And I thought of what he'd want me to do, he'd want me to stand up and be a loud voice for the people he spoke for," she said.
The governor was followed by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, 365bet官方网站 Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and former President Bill Clinton.
Jeffries said 20 past and present members of the House, including Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, made the trip to honor Rangel.
"What a life that he lived, what a leader, what a legacy. The legendary 'Lion of Lenox Avenue.' America is better off today because of his service," said Jeffries.
"From the streets of Harlem to the halls of Congress to the West Wing of the White House, Charlie used that unique voice of his to speak for others," Schumer added.
"A tough mind and a gentle heart"
Clinton described Rangel as his "steadfast ally" and "one of the most effective members to ever serve in Congress."
"Charlie Rangel stood by every single solitary person he ever tried to help," Clinton said, adding, "I ask all of you never to forget the smile on his face, the spring in his step and the steel in his spine. And fight on for the world he loved and the country he believed in."
He said Rangel was the ideal partner and public servant, as much at home at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. as he was on 125th Street.
"Charlie Rangel, who cared about people halfway around the world and never once took his eye off Harlem. That is the trick of all public service in a democracy," Clinton said.
The 94-year-old Rev. Herbert Daughtry said his friend Rangel "was able to combine what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used to call a tough mind and a gentle heart, and he achieved that combination as so few of us are able to do."
Mourners have been paying their respects at public viewings throughout the week, and Rangel's body lay in state Thursday at City Hall.
His closed casket sat in the building's marbled rotunda, draped with an American flag. Uniformed police stood at attention on either side, backed by the state and nation's flags.
The last person to lie in state at City Hall was City Councilman James Davis, who was assassinated by a political opponent in the council's chambers, located the floor above the rotunda, in 2003.
"The Lion of Lenox Avenue"
Rangel spent nearly 50 years representing New York on Capitol Hill.
In 1970, he defeated Adam Clayton Powell Jr. in the Democratic primary for the state's 18th Congressional District. He was the first African-American to chair the influential House Ways and Means Committee, and he was a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus.
He was a son of Harlem, affectionately called "the Lion of Lenox Avenue," and part of the so-called "Harlem Gang of Four" coalition with Basil Paterson, Percy Sutton, Herman "Denny" Farrell and former Mayor David Dinkins. They were known as the first to break down race and class barriers.
Late in his career, Rangel faced a series of ethics violations. In 2010, the House Ethics Committee convicted him of 11 counts of violating House rules, and Congress censured him. But the people of Harlem stood by him, and he was reelected to the House two more times before he retired in 2017.
In addition to his long political career, Rangel was a decorated Korean War veteran who received a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star.
He's survived by a son, daughter and three grandsons.
