Charles Rangel (2ndR), a Democrat, was the first Black chairman of the powerful House Ways And Means Committee and a pioneering African American voice in the US Congress

Charles Rangel (2ndR), a Democrat, was the first Black chairman of the powerful House Ways And Means Committee and a pioneering African American voice in the US Congress

Charles Rangel, a founding member and pioneering leader of the US Congressional Black Caucus, died on Monday, the Caucus said. He was 94.

A native and longtime resident of the storied New York neighborhood of Harlem, Rangel entered the US Congress in 1971, serving for 46 years before retiring in 2017.

Originally published on doc.afp.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.