Podcast: Harlem in the House – An interview with Charlie Rangel, Part 2

It’s nearly impossible to squeeze U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel’s 46-year career in the House of Representatives into one podcast, so naturally we broke up our hour-plus conversation with Rangel into two parts.

In case you missed part one of my and Gerson Borrero’s discussion with the Harlem congressman, Rangel spoke at length about his bewilderment regarding Donald Trump’s presidential candidacy, as well as his thoughts on the fractured and polarized political atmosphere in Washington.

In the second part of our conversation, Rangel took us back to the origins of the so-called “Gang of Four” – the cabal of black political power brokers in New York City that included Rangel, David Dinkins, Basil Paterson and Percy Sutton – and his efforts over the years to stave off the soaring rents and housing prices in Harlem. Rangel also spoke on his admiration for Pope Francis and emphasized that religious leaders must play a larger role in encouraging civic engagement.

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