乔治·托马斯·“米奇”·利兰 was America’s most effective spokesman for hungry people in the United States and throughout the world. 在国会的六届任期中, 当了六年的德州议员, 民主党全国委员会官员, he focused much needed attention on issues of health and hunger and rallied support that resulted in both public and private action. Leland combined the skills of the charismatic leader with the power of a sophisticated behind-the-scenes congressman. He matured during his years in Congress into a brilliantly effective and influential advocate for food security and health care rights for every human being. 1989年米奇·利兰去世时，他是众议院饥饿问题特别委员会主席. His committee studied the problems associated with domestic and international hunger and then delivered the practical solution of food.
早期生活与教育 乔治·托马斯·“米奇”·利兰, 3, 是11月27日出生的吗, 1944, 在卢博克市, 德州, 爱丽丝和乔治·托马斯·利兰, II. 很小的时候, he, 还有他的母亲和兄弟(威廉加斯顿利兰), 住在休斯顿第五区, 德州. 在一个以非洲裔美国人和西班牙裔为主的社区长大, 利兰第一次接触“公共”是在一所实行种族隔离的公立学校. 然而，作为一名学生，利兰表现出了早期的希望. He ranked in the top ten percent of his class when he graduated in 1964 from Philis Wheatley High School in Houston, 德州. 在60年代末就读于德州南方大学时, Leland emerged as a vocal leader of the local civil rights movement and brought national leaders of the movement to Houston. He graduated from 德克萨斯南方大学’s School of Pharmacy in 1970 with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy. 1970年至1971年，他在母校担任临床药学讲师, and set up a “door to door” outreach campaign in low-income neighborhoods to inform people about their medical care options and to perform preliminary screenings. During the same period 米奇利兰 organized and led the Black Citizens Action Teams (“Black Cats”) to protest against police brutality. 在伦纳德·奥巴马总统执政期间. 利兰·斯皮尔曼获得了德克萨斯南方大学的荣誉博士学位. 1983年，他与乔治城大学法律系学生艾莉森·克拉克·沃尔顿(Alison Clark Walton)结婚. 利兰议员是三个孩子的父亲, 贾勒特·大卫(2月6日出生), 1986)和双胞胎, 奥斯汀·米奇和卡梅隆·乔治(1月14日出生), 1990, 利兰死后).
利兰的政治生涯
In 1972, 米奇·利兰(米奇利兰)从休斯顿第88区当选为德克萨斯州众议院议员, 德州. 1978年之前，他一直在德克萨斯州立法机构任职. 在奥斯汀，利兰因为穷人争取医疗保健权利而出名. Leland was largely responsible for the passage of legislation that provided low-income consumers with access to affordable generic drugs. He also supported the creation of health care access through 健康 Maintenance Organizations (HMO’s). 来完成他在奥斯汀的目标, 他曾在德克萨斯州劳工委员会任职, 国务委员会, 人力资源委员会, 立法会, 以及职业和工业安全小组委员会. 利兰还当选为监狱改革联合委员会副主席. He was the first African-American legislator to serve on the Senate-House conference Committee as a member of the House Appropriations Committee. Congressman Leland was elected in November 1978 to the United States House of Representatives from the 18th Congressional District of Houston, 德州. 他的国会选区包括他长大的社区, 他被认为是一位知识渊博的健康倡导者, 儿童和老人. 他的领导能力很快在华盛顿得到注意, 在他的第一个任期内，他被选为新生党鞭, 后来两次担任多数党党鞭. 利兰在1989年8月去世前，每届国会都再次当选议员. 他参观了施粥所和临时避难所, 他越来越关心饥饿和无家可归的人. 他最令人难忘的工作始于利兰与共和党众议员共同起草立法. 本·吉尔曼(R-NY)成立众议院饥饿问题特别委员会. 演讲者托马斯·P. 1984年法案通过时，奥尼尔任命利兰为主席. 特别委员会的任务是“进行持续的, 全面研究和审查饥饿和营养不良问题.”
虽然它没有立法权, 该委员会, 第一次, 为与饥饿有关的问题提供了一个单一的焦点. The committee’s impact and influence would stem largely from Congressman Leland’s ability to generate awareness of complex hunger alleviation issues and exert his personal moral leadership. 除了关注饥饿问题之外, 他的立法倡议将成立全国婴儿死亡率委员会, 为高危妇女提供更好的新鲜食物, 儿童及婴儿, 第一次为无家可归者提供综合服务. Leland’s sensitivity to the immediate needs of poor and hungry people would soon make him a spokesman for hungry people on a far broader scale. Reports of acute famine in sub-Saharan Africa prompted Speaker O’Neil to ask Leland to lead a bipartisan Congressional delegation to assess conditions and relief requirements. 当利兰回来时, 他把娱乐圈的名人聚集在一起, religious leaders and private voluntary agencies to create general public support for the Africa Famine Relief and Recovery Act of 1985. 该法案提供了8亿美元的食品和人道主义救援物资. The international attention Leland had focused on the famine brought additional support for non-governmental efforts, 挽救成千上万的生命. Leland’s ability to reach out to others with innovative ideas and to gain support from unlikely sources was a key to his success in effectively addressing the problems of the poor and minorities. He met with both Pope John Paul II about food aid to Africa and with Fidel Castro about reuniting Cuban families. In Moscow as part of the first Congressional delegation let by a Speaker of the House in the post-Cold War era, 他建议美国和美国联合采取行动.S. -苏联对莫桑比克的粮食倡议. 作为黑人党团会议主席, 利兰自豪地颁发了党团会议有史以来第一个授予非黑人的奖项, 摇滚音乐家鲍勃·盖尔多夫和新闻记者泰德·科佩尔. Geldorf was honored for his Band Aid concert and fund-raising efforts for African famine victims and Koppel for his news stories on the African famine.
米奇·利兰也是其他事业的有力倡导者. 在担任众议院饥饿问题特别委员会主席期间, 利兰是能源和商业委员会的成员, 电讯小组委员会和金融小组委员会, 健康与环境, 能源与电力. He chaired the Subcommittee on Postal Operations and Services and served on the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service and the Subcommittee on Compensation and Employment.
少数民族事务
米奇利兰 was a very effective promoter of responsible and realistic broadcast television and cable programming. Through widely publicized congressional hearings he aroused the nation’s conscience and reduced violence in children’s television programming. 他还通过在广播行业就业的平权行动倡导种族多样性, 无论是在镜头前还是镜头外, 和所有权. 特别是, he worked to assure that all of the characters in the media avoided ethnic stereotypes and fairly portrayed the rich diversity that makes up the American public. 当联邦政府开始将联邦资产私有化时, 例如Conrail, 米奇利兰 successfully included legislative language that required the participation of minority investment bankers in the negotiations. 米基·利兰对种族平等的真诚关注为他赢得了政治上的领导地位. 在1985 - 86, 利兰议员曾担任第99届国会黑人核心小组(CBC)主席. CBC成立于1971年，当时只有13名成员. 到1987年，CBC已经发展到23个成员. 利兰也是1976年至1985年民主党全国委员会(DNC)的成员. 1981年至1985年，他担任民主党全国委员会黑人核心小组主席, 在这种情况下, 他曾在民主党全国委员会执行委员会任职.
在1988年竞选连任时, 报道援引利兰议员的话说, “这是我在国会的第10年, 我想回去.他进一步说道, “我的影响力越大, 我就越能帮助第十八区的人民, 还有全国各地的人.” Leland was becoming increasingly successful in international human rights and world hunger issues. 他反对南非种族隔离制度的不公正, and led successful boycotts against South Africa Airways and was instrumental in obtaining a congressional override of President Reagan’s veto of economic sanctions against South Africa. 他孜孜不倦地解决国内和国际的饥饿和营养不良问题. 利兰竭力阻止粮食援助被用作政治工具. 他主张与各国政府进行沟通, 即使是那些敌人, 以进一步实现人道主义目标，并支持联合国的权利.S. 公民向任何国家的平民提供人道主义援助. 他的成功举措扩大了对发展中国家初级卫生保健的供资, 包括联合国儿童基金会的儿童生存活动和美国农业部支持的维生素A项目.S. 国际开发署(USAID). 在利兰的庇护下, the Select Committee reemphasized the priority of hunger and the alleviation of poverty within the foreign assistance program of the United States. The committee successfully campaigned for expanding credit to the poorest individuals in low-income countries and the use of proceeds from the sale of donated U.S. 用于保健、教育和其他基层发展活动的商品. 米基·利兰死时和生时一样，他的使命是帮助那些最需要帮助的人. 在1989年领导另一个救援任务时, 去一个孤立的难民营, Fugnido, 在埃塞俄比亚, 这里收容了数千名逃离邻国苏丹内战的无人陪伴儿童, 利兰的飞机在埃塞俄比亚的一个山腰上坠毁. 飞机坠毁造成机上所有人死亡, 包括国会议员, 他的幕僚长帕特里斯·约翰逊, 还有其他13名来自政府部门的乘客, 人道主义, 开发组织.
传记由米奇利兰世界饥饿中心提供 & 和平 德克萨斯南方大学 .
“我现在是一名代表世界各地人类的活动家……. 那是我的社区……”