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Congressional Daily Record
This section is a tribute, commemoration, or district-facing statement. It mentions members such as Betty McCollum. Extensions of Remarks are statements submitted for the official record, even if they were not spoken live on the floor.
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April 28, 2026
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Extensions of Remarks
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Download official Extensions PDFReturn to issue contextHON. BETTY McCOLLUM
of minnesota
in the house of representatives
Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the life of an extraordinary man and revered community leader, Mr. Yusef Mgeni. Yusef passed away on April 7, 2026, at age 77, following a lengthy illness. He is survived by his wife, Iva Jean Mgeni; his son, Victor Mgeni; and his daughter, Aisha Mgeni.
cobbler, and Theresa Agnes Baker Anderson, Yusef is a son of Saint Paul's Rondo neighborhood, a predominantly African American community, most of which was demolished to make way for Interstate 94 in the late 1950s. The grandnephew of former slave and civil rights leader Frederick McGhee, Minnesota's first Black attorney and founder of the state's first Black Catholic church, Yusef was keenly aware of and extremely proud of his lineage.
Yusef Mgeni in an African naming ceremony and later in a court of law. Yusef, a Yoruba name meaning “God increases” or “a person seeking wisdom to benefit others,” and Mgeni, a Swahili word meaning “guest,” “visitor,” or “foreigner,” were aptly chosen, foreshadowing the path that would define his life's work.
degree in journalism. He began producing programming for the University of Minnesota's radio station, KUOM, and later helped expand Minneapolis-based KMOJ, which began broadcasting in 1976 to serve Black residents of public housing in North Minneapolis. Over time, the station broadened its reach while continuing to provide community- centered programming led by Black residents.
Yusef joined the Saint Paul NAACP in 1988, where he eventually became Vice President and Branch Parliamentarian. Yusef played a key role in landmark negotiations with the Saint Paul Police Department, resulting in a mediated agreement addressing racial profiling. Years later, Yusef successfully negotiated for body-worn cameras to be worn by officers, which became an amendment to this agreement.
Educational Equity for the Saint Paul Public Schools from 2006 to 2012. He was a champion for ethnic studies in Minnesota schools, believing that ethnic studies are American history and not a supplement to it—a way for everyone to see themselves reflected in what they are learning.
covered a wide swath, including his work with the African American Leadership Council, Saint Paul's Hallie Q. Brown Center, the Urban Coalition, the Saint Paul Urban League, the Sabathani Community Center, the Million Man March, and Saint Paul Strong. He was interviewed for the Rondo Neighborhood Oral History Project, preserved by the Minnesota Historical Society, in which he reflected on his life's work.
4th Congressional District. As a leader in Saint Paul's Black community and the Rondo neighborhood, Yusef reached out to me personally over the years, not only in his capacity as a local leader, but also as my neighbor. We were able to have many deep, valuable, and meaningful conversations about the history of the Rondo neighborhood and Saint Paul's Black community. I learned so much from those conversations, which repeatedly proved helpful to me in my work as a member of Congress. I fondly remember some of those conversations taking place on bitterly cold January mornings as we marched together in celebration of the life of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
It was my great honor and privilege to call Yusef a friend. He has been an inspiration to me, and his legacy will continue to inspire many for generations to come.
Mr. Speaker, please join me in celebrating the remarkable life and powerful work of Mr. Yusef Mgeni.