Kendrick Meek facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kendrick Meek
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| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 17th district |
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| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2011 |
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| Preceded by | Carrie Meek |
| Succeeded by | Frederica Wilson |
| Member of the Florida Senate from the 36th district |
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| In office November 3, 1998 – November 5, 2002 |
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| Preceded by | William H. Turner |
| Succeeded by | Redistricted |
| Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 104th district |
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| In office November 8, 1994 – November 3, 1998 |
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| Preceded by | Elaine Gordon |
| Succeeded by | Frederica Wilson |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Kendrick Brett Meek
September 6, 1966 Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouses | Leslie Meek (divorced) Arshi Siddiqui (m. 2020) |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent |
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| Education | Florida A&M University (BS) |
Kendrick Brett Meek (born September 6, 1966) is an American politician. He served as a U.S. representative for Florida from 2003 to 2011. Before that, he was a member of both the Florida House of Representatives and the Florida Senate.
Meek was elected to Congress in 2002. He took over the seat from his mother, Carrie Meek, who was also a politician. In 2010, he ran for the United States Senate but came in third place.
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Early Life and Education
Kendrick Meek was born in Miami, Florida, on September 6, 1966. His mother was former Congresswoman Carrie Meek. He graduated from Miami Springs High School in Miami. There, he played football as a defensive lineman.
He went on to study at Florida A&M University. In 1989, he earned a degree in Criminal Justice. While in college, Meek was a talented football player. He also started the Young Democrats group at Florida A&M and later became its president.
Early Career
After college, Meek became a trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol in Miami. He worked there for four years. During this time, he became the first African American to reach the rank of captain in that role. Later, he worked on the security team for Florida's Lieutenant Governor, Buddy MacKay. This experience helped him start his career in politics.
Serving in Florida's Government
Kendrick Meek served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1995 to 1998. During his time there, he focused on issues related to the economy and fairness for all people.
Working for Justice
One important project he worked on was helping Freddie Lee Pitts and Wilbert Lee. These two African American men were wrongly found guilty of murder many years earlier. For 35 years, people tried to pass a law to give them money for what they went through. But these efforts failed many times.
In 1998, Meek brought the bill back to the Florida House. He worked with politicians from both major parties to get it passed. This was a big step in correcting a past injustice.
Florida State Senate Years
From 1998 to 2002, Kendrick Meek was a member of the Florida Senate.
Protesting for Fairness
In January 2000, Meek and fellow politician Tony Hill held a protest in Governor Jeb Bush's office. They stayed there for 25 hours. Their protest was about a new plan called "One Florida." This plan aimed to change how the state government used preferences based on race or gender.
Meek and Hill felt the plan was unfair and wanted to discuss it with the Governor. They said the Governor was not listening to their concerns. The protest ended when Governor Bush agreed to delay the plan's start. Meek later spoke out against the plan, saying it divided Florida. He believed it made it harder for African-American students to get into universities.
Reducing Class Sizes
In 2002, Meek started an effort to make classes smaller in Florida's public schools. This idea became Amendment 9 on the ballot. It aimed to set limits on how many students could be in each class. For example, it suggested no more than 18 students in pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade.
Supporters, including parents and teachers, wanted smaller classes. They pointed out that some urban areas had very large classes, sometimes with 40 students. Governor Jeb Bush and other politicians were against the idea because they worried about the cost.
Meek led a campaign to gather signatures, and over 500,000 people signed. This allowed the issue to be voted on. On November 5, 2002, Florida voters approved the amendment. This meant schools had to work towards smaller class sizes by 2010.
Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives
Kendrick Meek was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2002. He represented Florida's 17th district.
Important Roles in Congress
While in Congress, Meek served on several important committees:
- Committee on Ways and Means: This committee deals with taxes and other money-related laws.
- Subcommittee on Income Security and Family Support
- Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures
- NATO Parliamentary Assembly: This group works with lawmakers from other countries in the NATO alliance.
He also held leadership roles:
- Democratic Steering and Policy Committee
- Congressional Black Caucus: He was Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.
Meek was also part of the New Democrat Coalition. This group of Democrats worked on various topics.
Political Views
Economic Ideas
Kendrick Meek supported increasing the minimum wage. This means he believed that the lowest amount of money workers could be paid per hour should go up. He also voted for the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008. This law was passed to help the economy during a difficult time.
Social Issues
During his time in Congress, Meek often disagreed with rules that limited federal money for certain health services. He also opposed some laws that required parents to be told if their minor child sought certain health services.
Meek voted against a proposed change to the United States Constitution that would have banned marriage between people of the same gender. He said that this proposed change was not about a real problem. Instead, he believed it was meant to create political support for certain candidates. He felt that Congress should focus on more urgent issues like the economy and international conflicts.
Political Campaigns
Kendrick Meek was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives on November 5, 2002. He took over the seat from his mother, Congresswoman Carrie Meek, who retired. In his four elections for the U.S. House, he did not face a Republican or third-party candidate on the main ballot.
Running for Senate in 2010
On January 13, 2009, Meek announced he would run for a seat in the United States Senate. This seat was becoming open because Senator Mel Martinez was retiring. Meek said he wanted to be a strong voice for Florida.
He made history by becoming the first statewide candidate in Florida to get on the ballot by collecting signatures from citizens. On November 2, 2010, Meek ran in a three-way race. He lost to Marco Rubio and Charlie Crist, receiving about 20% of the votes.
After Congress
In 2011, President Barack Obama nominated Kendrick Meek to be a Special Representative to the United Nations. This role involves working with the UN on behalf of the United States.
In 2016, Meek joined a law firm called King & Spalding LLP as a senior advisor. In this job, he gives advice to large companies. Since 2023, Meek has also worked as a spokesperson for a group called Natural Allies. This group supports the fossil fuel industry.
Personal Life
Kendrick Meek is married to Arshi Siddiqui Meek. She is the CEO of a company that works with the government. She also used to be a senior advisor to Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Kendrick Meek has two children, Lauren and Kendrick Jr.
Images for kids
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Kendrick Meek's official portrait.
