About Kendrick Meek -
Crowded Classrooms
Kendrick Meek learned the value of public service as a child. But it was as a parent that he realized just how much decisions made by the government affect everyone — including kindergartners.
How could 5- and 6-year-olds, including his daughter, learn effectively when they were packed in a room with 33 other rambunctious kids? They couldn't, Kendrick decided.
So the father and Florida State Senator took action. In 2002, Kendrick launched an initiative to reduce class sizes in Florida's overcrowded public schools. As chairman of Florida's Coalition to Reduce Class Size, Kendrick led a petition drive that collected more than 500,000 signatures. He guided the amendment through two opposition efforts in the Florida Supreme Court, as well as a campaign meant to kill the measure at the ballot box. But the people spoke. About 2.5 million Florida citizens voted for the measure, and it was approved.
"I wasn't fighting just for my daughter, Lauren," Kendrick said. "I was fighting for her classmates. I was fighting so that all kids would get a good start in an environment in which they could learn. As a father, and a lawmaker, nothing is more important to me."
It wasn't the first—or last—time Kendrick stood up for the little guy.
Standing Out, Sitting In
Kendrick's mission has always been this: to use his talents to serve his community.
His involvement started early. When his mother, Carrie Meek, decided to run for the state Legislature, 12-year-old Kendrick helped out by painting campaign signs at the kitchen table. As a college student, he honed his political leadership skills as the founder and president of the Florida A&M University's Democratic club. The next year, he became statewide president of the College Young Democrats.
He graduated from FAMU in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a reputation as a leader on the football field. He launched his law enforcement career as a Trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol, helping keep the public safe on the state's roadways. He later became a captain and was assigned to the security detail traveling with Democratic Lt. Gov. Buddy MacKay. After Hurricane Andrew blasted South Florida in 1992, Meek assisted MacKay with the state’s hurricane relief efforts. Kendrick also became an on-the-job student of government, attending meetings with MacKay and former Gov. Lawton Chiles.
Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that writing laws—not simply enforcing them—was where he could have his greatest impact. So he resigned from his job and ran for a seat in the Florida House of Representatives, which he won. He served there from 1995 to 1998 and then in the Florida Senate from 1999 to 2002.
While in the Florida House, Kendrick worked with Republicans on a bipartisan measure to provide compensation for two African-Americans, Freddie Pitts and Wilbert Lee, who had been wrongly convicted of murder 35 years earlier. He also became a strong voice for the opposition under the governor. In 2000 while in the Florida Senate, Kendrick led a 25-hour-long sit-in outside the governor's office to protest the governor's plan to roll back state policies that made sure all Floridians had equal educational and workplace opportunities. The sit-in, along with three town hall meetings attended by state residents, placed sufficient pressure on the governor, he was forced to cancel his executive order in favor of a more-balanced measure passed in the Legislature. “The incident galvanized one of the largest civil-rights marches on the state capital in history" and prompted a massive voter-mobilization effort, The Miami Herald said.
"I thought it would be a 10-minute episode," Kendrick joked at the time.
Tackling Issues
In 2002, Kendrick was elected representative for the 17th Congressional District of Florida, which includes parts of Miami-Dade and Broward County. He was elected to his fourth term in the U.S. House in 2008. The Miami Herald wrote that Kendrick "has grown in influence and effectiveness in Congress, working across the aisle to promote issues and funding for his district" and that he is "tireless, creative and willing to work across party lines." One House Leader described Kendrick as a "rising leader in the House who is respected throughout our caucus and throughout the Congress." People back home also give Kendrick kudos. He's been honored by groups as diverse as the Chamber of Commerce and the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and civil rights organizations.
Kendrick is the only Florida Democrat with a seat on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, which writes bills regarding entitlement programs that affect every American, such as Social Security and Medicare. He was appointed to the Democratic Steering and Policy Committee, which sets the policy agenda for the House Democratic Caucus. He's a co-chairman of the 30-Something Working Group, whose goal is to engage young people in the legislative process, in part through a weekly address from the House floor. The group's efforts were credited for boosting youth involvement in the 2006 midterm elections that gave Democrats the majority in both the House and Senate.
In addition to his Congressional leadership duties, Kendrick has sponsored legislation to:
•Protect homeowners from predatory lenders.
•Protect consumers from unfair overdraft fees.
•Encourage lenders to provide loan modifications to keep families in their homes.
•Provide a credit for businesses furnishing broadband service to underserved areas.
•Give a tax credit to individuals who provide housing and mentoring services to former foster care youths who have aged out of the system.
•Provide preferential trade status for Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
•Expand the number of Medicare-supported physician residency training positions in states with a shortage of residents, including Florida.
•Require the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop an emergency telephone alert system for use in case of terrorist acts or natural disasters.
•Restore federal aid to repair and/or replace private schools damaged or destroyed by natural disasters.
Roll Call noted Kendrick's reputation as that of a "fierce fighter for social and economic justice," while Gwen Ifill of PBS hinted at Kendrick's aspirations: "Meek considered himself audacious in the Legislature. He makes friends across the aisle, he walks the line, and now he's talking Senate."
Fighting for All Floridians
When the opportunity to stand up for all Floridians as their U.S. senator presented itself, Kendrick was at the front of the pack, not hanging back to see what other possible candidates would do. Members of the media noticed his characteristically bold action:
"Winner of the week: Kendrick Meek. The Miami congressman showed his confident tenacity last week, jumping into the U.S. Senate race while other Democrats sat on the sidelines nervously waiting to see what Alex Sink does. A pal of Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton, Meek has some heavy-hitter Clinton fundraisers in his corner, including Chris Korge and Ira Leesfield of Miami, and has Barack Obama's deputy national campaign manager, Steve Hildebrand, leading his Senate campaign, "- Adam Smith, St. Petersburg Times, 1/17/09
"Rep. Kendrick Meek of Miami is charging out of the gate in the Democratic primary for next year's U.S. Senate race." - Bill March, Tampa Tribune, 2/16/09
Kendrick's leadership has won him the backing of working men and women early on in the game. The Service Employees International Union, which according The Hill is "a major force in Florida Democratic politics," quickly signed on. One from the United Teachers of Dade, the state’s largest teacher union, who cited Kendrick’s dedication to educators and students alike, and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades closely followed that announcement. The list of endorsements continues to grow.
Kendrick's backers know that he shares their goals: a fair solution to Florida's foreclosure crisis, high-quality- affordable health care for all who need it, a strong education for our children, a cleaner planet and better financial management of taxpayer dollars in Washington.
A Family Calling
Kendrick is the son of retired Congresswoman Carrie Meek. He is married to the former Leslie Dixon of Brooklyn, New York. Leslie is a former Miami prosecutor who met Kendrick when a judge they both knew introduced them and insisted that they go out to lunch. Eighteen years later, the couple has two children, Lauren and Kendrick Jr., who like to join their dad as he campaigns door-to-door or takes part in service projects, such as handing out book bags stuffed with school supplies for underprivileged youths.
"There's nothing like the joy that comes from helping others in need," Kendrick said. "Public service is a legacy I learned from my mom, and that I hope to pass on to my own kids. Whether it's making sure students can learn, or reworking mortgages to keep families in their homes, it's my privilege to fight for Florida, and it's a fight I look forward to continuing in the United States Senate."
Visit the Campaign Web Site at: http://www.kendrickmeek.com/
