MIAMI (WSVN) - South Floridians from various walks of life came together in Miami to pay their respects and say goodbye to former U.S. Rep. Carrie Meek.
The lawmaker’s family, friends and the community joined local leaders at Booker T. Washington Senior High School for her viewing, Sunday.
Mourners described the congresswoman, who died Nov. 28 at age 95, as a political pioneer and devoted mother.
“She loved this country, she loved this community, and we’re just blessed,” said her son, former U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek. “This morning, when I went to go see her for the first time since her death, at the funeral home, the joy just overtook me coming out that she’s resting now, that she’s home now.”
The granddaughter of a slave, Meek was the first Black woman ever elected to the State Senate and the first Black Floridian to be elected to Congress since before the Civil War.
They’re achievements the Tallahassee native never thought she’d accomplish.
“I was discriminated against during those days. I never thought I would be able to go to the Capitol, and I lived about three blocks down and across the railroad [tracks] from the Capitol,” she said during an interview. “Little did I know that one day I would be in that Capitol in Tallahassee.”
Those present at the viewing had the opportunity to express their love and gratitude for the beloved South Floridian.
“Words don’t suffice. She was exceedingly bright and hardworking, dedicated, but charming,” said U.S. Rep Mario Diaz-Balart.
“She was just a dynamic speaker. When she got up and she said on the [House] floor, ‘We’ve got to kill this bill, Black Flag dead,’ you knew your bill was going to be defeated,” said former U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. “She carried a lot of weight, and she was a living legend.”
“She was someone who was able to call to attention injustices in ways that others maybe had not paid attention to or couldn’t effectuate change,” said Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava.
That service, her son said, is now her legacy that will continue to live on.
“We’re just overwhelmed by it, but we’re thankful and we’re joyful that her spirit is alive and well, as we continue to celebrate her life for the next couple of days,” he said.
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