Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Mayor Sylvester Turner, Alison Leland and two U.S. Congress members on Saturday, April 25 unveiled a statue honoring the late Congressman Mickey Leland, a global humanitarian who devoted his life to helping others.

All the speakers – including Congressman Leland’s widow, Alison, and U.S. Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee and Al Green – mentioned the importance of recognizing him during the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic that has created food insecurity in the country and also has highlighted the inequalities in the nation’s health care system, especially for the poor and people of color.

“When we look at photographs of this dedication, we’ll be struck by the fact that we are all wearing masks,” Alison Leland said. “And then we will be reminded of this was the 2020 spring that we were here. And this is a time when leadership is so important. It fills me with pride that the memory and the passion and the leadership of Mickey are remembered and honored in the city he loved.”

Commissioner Ellis said the project to erect the statue started in December 2018 when Harris County Commissioners Court approved the sculpture’s creation. Installing it during the midst of the pandemic is appropriate considering what Mickey stood for.

“We decided what better way to pay homage to what we are going through other than to point out that there is still hope,” Commissioner Ellis said. “Mickey’s vision for a fair and just world that sustains a thriving, interconnected humanity transcendent of borders only becomes more urgent and relevant with each year that has passed since we lost him.”

Congressman Leland, born Nov. 27, 1944, in Lubbock, and 15 others died in a plane crash on Aug. 7, 1989, while on a humanitarian mission to Fugnido, Ethiopia. He served six terms in Congress and six years as a Texas state legislator. He focused his political career on issues such as health and hunger.

“We are in the midst not only of health care crisis, but we are in the midst of a situation that has also created food insecurities – all of those things he (Congressman Leland) stood for. At the same time we are also concerned about at-risk and vulnerable communities,” Mayor Turner said.

Congresswoman Jackson Lee agreed.

“If you pour yourself out into the sick of those with COVID-19 and those who are hungry, then you will rise like the noon day sun,” Congresswoman Jackson Lee said. “This is the right time, Commissioner Ellis, to honor this giant. There is no better time to honor a man who would be walking the streets looking for the homeless and the hungry during COVID-19.”

Said Congressman Green, “When an activist was arrested, we called Mickey. When there was a person who was hungry and needed food, we called Mickey. When there was a lack of health care and someone didn’t have insurance, we called Mickey. And when there was a person who was evicted from his or her home and needed a place to stay, we called Mickey.”

Saturday’s ceremony was held in front of the statue that was installed Thursday, April 23 in Hermann Park on the west plaza of Miller Outdoor Theatre. The project was a partnership between Harris County Precinct One, City of Houston and its Parks and Recreation Department, and Houston First Corp., which promotes the city.

“In this park, there are people who come literally from all over the globe,” Mayor Turner said. “There are many, many events staged right there in Miller Outdoor. And it is a fitting location for someone who … represented Fifth Ward – the Nickel – the City of Houston, Texas and the United States, but someone literally who was a citizen of the world.”

In April 2019, Commissioners Court approved a contract with artist Edward “Ed” Joseph Dwight Jr. to create the statue. Dwight is a groundbreaking African American sculptor and artist. He was also a test pilot in the Air Force and engineer. He made history when he was selected by the Kennedy administration to be the first African American astronaut trainee.

Commissioner Ellis and other speaker praised Dwight for accurately capturing what Leland stood for as a man, a politician and humanitarian.

“As we fight the virus, we must also fight for justice and equity to bridge the underlying social and economic inequality that has unfairly left many people and communities vulnerable and struggling,” Commissioner Ellis said. “In these troubling times – 30 years after his death – Mickey is still a beacon of hope, reminding us that we must demand a truly just, fair and healthy world for all to call home.”