Kendrick Meek facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kendrick Meek
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 17th district
In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2011
Preceded by	Carrie Meek
Succeeded by	Frederica Wilson
Member of the Florida Senate from the 36th district
In office November 3, 1998 – November 5, 2002
Preceded by	William H. Turner
Succeeded by	Redistricted
Member of the Florida House of Representatives from the 104th district
In office November 8, 1994 – November 3, 1998
Preceded by	Elaine Gordon
Succeeded by	Frederica Wilson
Personal details
Born	Kendrick Brett Meek (1966-09-06) September 6, 1966 (age 58) Miami, Florida, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Arshi Siddiqui (m. 2020)
Children	2
Parent	Carrie Meek (mother)
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. He followed in his mother Carrie Meek's footsteps, who also served in Congress.

After working in Florida's state government, Meek was elected to the U.S. House. In 2010, he ran for the United States Senate but came in third. Today, he works as a spokesperson for groups that support using fossil fuels.

Early Life and Education

Kendrick Meek was born on September 6, 1966, in Miami, Florida. His mother was Congresswoman Carrie Meek. He graduated from Miami Springs High School in Miami. He was a good football player there.

In 1989, he earned a degree in Criminal Justice from Florida A&M University. He played football in college too. He also started a student group called the Young Democrats.

Starting His Career

After college, Meek became a trooper with the Florida Highway Patrol. He was assigned to Miami. He later worked on the security team for Florida's Lieutenant Governor, Buddy MacKay. This helped him begin his political career.

Serving in Florida's Government

Kendrick Meek served in the Florida House of Representatives from 1995 to 1998. During this time, he worked on important issues. These included economic fairness and social justice.

He helped pass a law to give money to Freddie Lee Pitts and Wilbert Lee. These two African American men were wrongly convicted of murder. It took many tries to pass this law. Meek worked with both Democrats and Republicans to make it happen in 1998.

Florida State Senate

From 1998 to 2002, Kendrick Meek was a member of the Florida Senate.

Protesting the "One Florida" Plan

In January 2000, Meek and fellow lawmaker Tony Hill held a protest. They sat in Governor Jeb Bush's office for 25 hours. They were protesting a new plan called "One Florida." This plan aimed to end certain programs that helped minority groups get into universities or jobs.

Meek said they protested because they couldn't get a meeting with the Governor. He felt the Governor was disrespectful. The protest ended when Governor Bush agreed to delay the plan. Meek and Hill later said the plan divided Florida. They wanted it to end.

Reducing Class Sizes

In 2002, Meek started an effort to make class sizes smaller in Florida's public schools. The idea was to set limits on how many students could be in a class. For example, pre-kindergarten to 3rd grade classes would have a maximum of 18 students.

Supporters said many urban classes had too many students, sometimes 40. Meek said parents would finally get to vote on smaller classes. Governor Bush and other Republicans were against it. They worried about how much it would cost.

Meek led a petition drive. He collected over 500,000 signatures. This put the issue, called Amendment 9, on the 2002 ballot. He also fought against efforts to stop the amendment. On November 5, 2002, Florida voters approved the amendment.

U.S. House of Representatives

Kendrick Meek during his time in Congress.

Kendrick Meek was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002. He took over the seat from his mother, Congresswoman Carrie Meek, who retired. He served in Congress until 2011.

Working in Congress

As a U.S. Representative, Meek was part of important committees. He served on the Committee on Ways and Means. This committee handles taxes and other money matters. He was also part of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. This group works with lawmakers from other countries.

Meek was also a leader in the Congressional Black Caucus. This group works to address issues important to African Americans. He was also the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation.

His Views on Issues

Meek supported increasing the minimum wage. This means raising the lowest amount of money workers can be paid per hour. He also voted for a law in 2008 to help the economy during a financial crisis.

On social issues, Meek voted against a proposed change to the United States Constitution. This change would have banned same-sex marriage. He also supported allowing gay people to adopt children.

Political Campaigns

Meek ran for the U.S. House of Representatives four times. In most of these elections, he did not have a Republican or third-party opponent. He was often automatically elected.

2010 U.S. Senate Campaign

On January 13, 2009, Meek announced he would run for the United States Senate. The Senate seat was opening up because Senator Mel Martinez was retiring. Meek said he wanted to be a "fighter for Florida."

He made history by collecting enough signatures to get on the ballot. This was the first time a statewide candidate in Florida did this. On November 2, 2010, Meek lost the Senate race. He came in third place. Marco Rubio won the election.

After Congress

In 2011, President Barack Obama nominated Meek to be a Special Representative to the United Nations. Later, in 2016, Meek joined a law firm called King & Spalding LLP. He gave advice to large companies.

Since 2023, Kendrick Meek has worked as a paid advocate for Natural Allies. This is a group that supports the fossil fuel industry. In this role, he has spoken out against moving away from fossil fuels to cleaner energy.

Personal Life

Kendrick Meek is married to Arshi Siddiqui Meek. She is the CEO of a government affairs company. She also used to advise Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Kendrick Meek has two children, Lauren and Kendrick Jr.

Electoral history

See also

• List of African-American United States representatives
• List of African-American United States Senate candidates