Former Congressman Charlie Rangel’s legacy and impact celebrated in Harlem

HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) — The legacy of political dynamo Charlie Rangel is already being celebrated by those who knew him.

Rangel died on Memorial Day at the age of 94 after spending nearly five decades on Capitol Hill representing the people of New York. He was also a Korean War veteran made history as the first African American to chair the powerful Ways and Means Committee.

The trailblazing lawmaker meant so much to so many people – from former presidents to the political activists of today.

“I’ll never forget how he took the lead on this idea I had for enterprise zones to get people to invest in urban areas and bring them back and it worked,” said former President Bill Clinton.

On Monday, Clinton praised his friend for helping cities flourish with enterprise zones, which created more housing and jobs.

And as thanks, Rangel’s name appears throughout Harlem.

Civil rights activist Jennifer Jones Austin recalled her time working with the congressman on the zones.

“Because of him, I got to work on the Empowerment Zone Initiative that he championed while he was in congress working alongside President Clinton,” Austin said. “And I just remember he didn’t have to, but he did. He saw in me a desire. And for me, he was a giant. He was a hero who was continually marrying community with his country and serving to the best of his ability.”

The Apollo Theater, which was once in dire financial straits, benefitted from the empowerment zone program in the mid-’90s.

The theater’s future was also a goal of the “Gang of Four,” a political coalition from Harlem made up of Rangel, Basil Paterson, former mayor David Dinkins, and Percy Sutton — the former Manhattan borough president.

Rangel was the last surviving member of the influential group.

Sutton’s granddaughter Danielle Sutton spoke out about the group’s long-lasting legacy.

“One of the things that I think about a lot with their legacy is the Apollo Theater, and trying to really bring that to fruition after it was bankrupt for a very long time and putting energy into creating that cultural mecca back,” Sutton said.

Sutton says her grandfather and Rangel were the best of friends. Rangel’s death hits hard — as it does for so many resident in Harlem.

“He never stopped fighting, he never stopped being proud of his community, and that is why we feel like it is a loss to all of us, like a family member, like our daddy died, our granddaddy died,” said Rev. Al Sharpton.

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