Harold E. Ford Jr., C’92, Democratic Congressman for the state of Tennessee, is chewing while he talks, for which he apologizes. “This is the first chance I’ve had to eat all day,” he explains, at 4:00 P.M. on January 9. “I gave my first speech on the floor of the House today.” The excitement is clear in his voice, even through his lunch
It’s
been a busy week. On January 7, Ford was sworn-in to the United States
House of Representatives, with his father, Harold E. Ford Sr., at his
side. His election, in which he received 61 percent of the vote,
followed the elder Ford’s retirement, after 22 years of service as a
Representative for the same district. At 26 years old, Ford Jr. is the
second-youngest member of Congress.
In
his first speech, Ford spoke of his commitment to education for the
youth of his district. “We have to search for ways to be involved in
young people’s lives,” he explains, emphasizing a need to “rehabilitate
schools and find funding for extracurricular activities, along with
academics.” Indeed, Ford sees himself as “very active and vocal on the
education issue.” He hopes “to preserve the Department of Education and
expand its role”; his “New Vision” platform stated that “the Department
of Education has to be to this Information Age what the Department of
Defense was to the Cold War.”
During
his campaign Ford spoke at more than 100 schools in the 9th District of
Tennessee, talking to 53,000 kids. He says he plans to continue to “go
to the kids — economically distressed, low-income kids” in his
district. His message is upbeat, but serious. He wants to ask young
students, “What will make you want to learn English, science, math?” He
refers to the “insane debate over ebonics” as “a surrender.” However, he
also feels a strong need to “reach out to those who don’t go on to
college, because it isn’t for everyone.”
While
at Penn, Ford, a history major, was co-founder and publisher of The
Vision, the longest-lived independent African-American student newspaper
on campus. He was also a columnist for The Daily Pennsylvanian. In his
senior year he received the Spoon Award, the highest honor award given
to a male senior active on campus.
Dr. Herman Beavers, associate professor of English at Penn and one of Ford’s teachers, welcomed Ford’s election. “He’s unique, in that he’s been groomed all of his life for this moment. … He understands politics with a level of intimacy that many people don’t,” Beavers told the DP in November.
Criticism
leveled at Ford during the campaign that he was too young for the
position and that his father had pushed him into the race doesn’t bother
him at all. “I’ve known for a long time that this is what I wanted to
do,” he says. He also points out that the history of public service in
his family isn’t limited to his father: his grandfather and three uncles
have also held elected positions. And Ford sees his age as an asset
rather than a liability. “I have a sense of idealism about serving the
public. I never went negative,” he explains, even in the face of
criticism from his opponents.
Ford
received his law degree from the University of Michigan last May; his
experience in government includes working at the Commerce Department on
the Clinton transition in 1992, and for former Democratic senator Jim
Sasser.
Of his days at the University, Ford says, “I enjoyed Penn tremendously. It was a remarkably enriching experience, academically and socially.” Anything else? “Yeah, and I got to spend time with Jerome Allen.” Allen, W’95, Penn basketball standout and now playing for the NBA, might well say the same thing of Ford.
—Susan Lonkevich
