Former US Rep. Carrie Meek remembered as trailblazer

By ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE
Associated Press

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Carrie Meek is being remembered as a trailblazer, a descendent of a slave who became one of the first Black Floridians elected to Congress since Reconstruction. Politicians and public figures on Monday recalled Meek’s pioneering career, with many noting her devotion to working class families in her Miami district. Meek died Sunday at 95 after a long illness. Meek was 66 when she won the 1992 Democratic congressional primary in her Miami-Dade County district, later winning the seat in an unopposed general election race. She was a champion of affirmative action, economic opportunities for the poor and efforts to bolster democracy in and ease immigration restrictions on Haiti, the birthplace of many of her constituents.