Marland Jeffries, father of House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries of New York, died Sunday, according to Jeffries' office.
Marland Jeffries, 85, is a former substance abuse counselor who raised two sons with his wife of 56 years, Laneda, in Brooklyn in the 1970s and 1980s. The younger Jeffries grew up in an area known for both its central role in black culture and black expression, and the role blacks played in the drug epidemic of the time.
Congressman Jeffries, publicly praised his parents for his “spirit of public service.”
Marland Jeffries is also survived by his second son Hassan Jeffries, a historian at Ohio State University, five grandchildren, and his brother Leonard Jeffries.
“Marland Jeffries, a graduate of Central State University in Ohio and Columbia University in New York, and a proud member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., will be missed by those who loved him. “We are grateful for a life well lived. The Jeffries family requests privacy at this time,” a statement from Congressman Jeffries' office said.
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