Many people recognize André Carson as the man who represents Indiana’s Seventh Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives.
However, they may not know about the influences and life experiences that have shaped Carson’s approach to and views on key issues that affect all Americans.
In 2008, while serving on the Indianapolis City-County Council, Carson was elected to Congress after the death of his grandmother, the late Julia Carson, one of the state’s most popular political figures.
In a relatively short amount of time, Carson has been able to get important legislation passed into law, has secured more than $500 million in federal resources for the Seventh District and has experienced a quick rise in congressional leadership.
Recently, with the start of the 103rd session of Congress, House Democratic leaders named him a senior whip, a key position that helps coordinate the votes of House Democrats on major issues and gives Carson a seat at the table as strategic legislative decisions are made.
In addition, Carson has been promoted to secretary of the Congressional Black Caucus, one of the five senior positions in that group.
When he’s not in Washington, Carson can be found interacting with constituents, appearing at numerous events and community meetings across the district. In person, he enjoys meeting people, hearing their concerns and sharing an encouraging word or joke.
Some may say the eloquent congressman exhibits capable confidence and strength, while being disarmingly humble and unpretentious at the same time.
This week the Recorder spoke with Carson about the life events that led to his career in public service and his views on key issues.
How do you feel about your new leadership roles in Congress?
I’m deeply honored. My grandmother was big on hard work, and this is the result of hard work, showing myself worthy and allowing preparation to meet the opportunity. When I came to Congress I knew that while working in the midst of 435 people I had to go beyond the call of duty to get noticed. You have “show horses” and then you “have work horses,” and when you go to Washington they say “Carson’s a workhorse.”
I think because I was willing to help and add to the discussion and research as an assistant whip, I worked pretty effectively at bringing people together to agree on votes and even help people flip their positions on tough legislation dealing with a plethora of issues. Once I gained the trust of the party, I think they saw I was an asset.
I was able to get legislation, signed into law by President Obama after being in Congress just four years, which couldn’t have been done without Republican support. This is a relationship business and after watching my grandmother work with Republicans at an early age, I try to replicate that now.
What inspired you to go into public service?
In 1984, I had a chance to go with my grandmother and Dr. Pat Payne (director of multicultural education for Indianapolis Public Schools) to the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco. A guy by the name of Jesse Jackson was running for president. Here I am, a young guy, with my hair in a little Afro and curl, seeing somebody running for president who looked like me. That transformed me as a kid because, you see different images on television, and at the time we had cats like Mr. T, Eddie Murphy and Action Jackson (laughs). But to see Jesse Jackson empowered me.
Even though Jackson didn’t get the nomination at the convention, I came back and started registering voters, although I wasn’t even old enough to vote myself. I volunteered with Operation Breadbasket and the Rainbow Push Coalition.
Still, I didn’t grow up saying I want to be a politician someday. At first I wanted to be a businessman, or a doctor or scientist of sorts, because I wanted to help people. Law enforcement was also important, given the effects that crime had on the neighborhood I lived in.
Seeing people coming out of shelters and seeing Vietnam War vets planted a seed in me to want to help people. Then of course, my grandmother would take me with her to what I originally thought were boring meetings, and told me to just be quiet and sit in the corner. At times she couldn’t get a sitter, a typical single mom dilemma, so she was trying to watch me and negotiate in these meetings.
A lot of those discussions were getting into me, whether it was Iran Contra, or the welfare discussion that was huge in the ‘80s because you had a mythology under the Reagan administration about welfare queens who were draining taxpayer dollars and that kind of thing.
Even when you’re young you still have a level of observation, and all of this helped me develop sensitivity for people who were less fortunate and were being unfairly blamed for things they have no control over.
What were you like in high school?
When I got to high school (Arsenal Technical High School), we didn’t have a Back history class. This was during the golden age of conscious hip-hop, when you had groups like Public Enemy, X-Clan, Eric B. and Rakim and Poor Righteous Teachers.
I remembered Pat Payne, and contacted her about starting a Black history class. She said that if I could get a thousand signatures, we could make it happen. All my Black friends were like, “man, they ain’t gonna’ put a Black history class here. But my white friends wanted it, and helped me get between 500 and 600 signatures. Embarrassed, some of the Black students were like, “yo’ Dré, you’re really serious about this” and got on board.
In high school, I was a young activist fighting against police brutality and clashing with law enforcement. I mean, I was always a good guy, there’s nobody who can ever say dré was a bad guy. I got along with everybody, from the cool kids and the nerds to the thugs, because I’ve always been a universal person and believed that we are all part of the human family.
Still, I didn’t see myself as a politician, but as an agitator or as an activist, somebody who can work outside the system and press politicians. My grandmother wasn’t a traditional politician, given her circumstances, being a single mom, divorced at a young age and raising kids.
With her struggle, some folks would say that she would never make it. But through her, because she was an activist in organized labor, my reference point of getting things done was to agitate the system. As I became older, however, I recognized that you can still advocate for change, but work within the system.
Next week: André Carson talks about what he learned from his grandmother, the top challenges facing the Seventh District, his relationship with President Obama and his favorite activities.
