"For decades, Hillary Clinton has demonstrated her commitment to fighting for Black and Latino communities in both deed and action,” Mfume said in a statement released by the Clinton campaign.

"From voting rights, to health care, to education, to reforming our criminal justice system and eradicating poverty the need for a proven and time tested leader is more clear today than ever before,” he said.

"The basic American principle of equal treatment under law is in many ways still under attack. We need a leader who has stood up and spent time working on our behalf when it wasn't popular. She has used her life to fight for others and not just to make promises. “

Mfume, 67, represented Maryland’s 7th Congressional District from 1987 to 1996, and led the NAACP from 1996 to 2004. He began his career in politics on the Baltimore City Council.

[link:http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/blog/bal-kweisi-mfume-endorses-hillary-clinton-for-president-20160222-story.html|