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When the Texas House of Representatives met in January 1973, three of the new members were the first African Americans elected to the House since Reconstruction. One of these was twenty-eight-year-old Mickey Leland. Leland remained in the state legislature until 1978, when he won Barbara Jordan's seat in the U.S. Congress.

For many, Leland is best remembered for his fight to end global starvation. He helped create the House Select Committee on World Hunger and in 1985, urged Congress to send $800 million in famine relief funds to Africa. Today, the Congressional Hunger Center honors his legacy through the Mickey Leland International Hunger Fellowship, which trains leaders in the movement to end hunger worldwide. More»