The Lion Of Harlem Is Silent, Why The Passing Of Charles Rangel Marks The End Of An Unstoppable Political Era And The Secret Debt He Claimed America Still Owes

The concrete canyons of Upper Manhattan feel a little colder this week, and the air in the halls of power in Washington, D.C., carries a sudden, heavy stillness. The news of the passing of Charles Rangel has sent a rhythmic shockwave through the American political landscape, signaling the final departure of a man who was, for over half a century, the undisputed “Lion of Harlem.” To many, he was a fixture of the nightly news—a formidable Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee and a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. But to the people who walked the…