One of the major facets of the IAH Terminal Redevelopment Program (ITRP) is the renovation of the existing Terminal D, also known as the Mickey Leland International Terminal (MLIT) with a  new state-of-the-art facility to make the airport ready for the future. The development of additional international facilities is needed to support continued unprecedented growth in international traffic at the airport. Nearly 44 million passengers traveled through the airport in 2018, including almost 11 million international passengers.

That begs the question for many unfamiliar with Houston or with airport history - who was Mickey Leland? A knowledge and understanding of the life and legacy of the man for which Terminal D was renamed is certainly information worth sharing.

George Thomas “Mickey” Leland was a U.S. Congressman who represented Texas’ 18^th Congressional District, which serves much of inner-city Houston and the surrounding area. Leland died tragically on August 7, 1989, along with 15 others, in a plane crash in Gambela, Ethiopia, during a humanitarian mission to Fugnido, Ethiopia. The 30^th anniversary of the tragedy just passed but Mickey Leland’s legacy lives on.

On the 30^th anniversary of the tragedy, Commissioner Rodney Ellis, Harris County Precinct One, released a communique praising Leland’s work and life. “Mickey had a deep, radical love of humanity and an unwavering commitment to justice that resided deep within his soul,” Ellis said.

“He saw injustice with great clarity and recognized the dehumanizing forces of oppression at work in Africa were the same ones at work down the street from where he grew up in Fifth Ward and in communities across the country and globe. He saw the world for what it was but also for what it could be. He saw possibilities that stretched the limitations of most people's imagination and shared that vision with all of us.”

After serving six years in the Texas State Legislature, Leland was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 1978 to represent the 18th District. He was re-elected to each succeeding Congress for two-year terms in 1980, 1982, 1984, 1986, and 1988, serving until his death.

The congressional district he led included the neighborhood where he had grown up, and he was recognized as a staunch and knowledgeable advocate for health, children and the elderly.

Leland visited soup kitchens and makeshift shelters and became increasingly concerned about the plight of people who were hungry and homeless. The work for which he is best remembered began when Leland co-authored legislation with U.S. Rep. Ben Gilman (R-New York State) in establishing the House Select Committee on Hunger. U.S. Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill (D-Massachusetts) named Leland committee chairman when it was enacted in 1984.

Reports of acute famine in sub-Saharan Africa prompted Speaker O'Neill to ask Leland to lead a bipartisan Congressional delegation to assess conditions and relief requirements. When he returned stateside, he brought together an unlikely coalition of entertainment personalities, religious leaders, and private voluntary agencies to create general public support for the Africa Famine Relief and Recovery Act of 1985. That legislation provided $800 million in food and humanitarian relief supplies and saved thousands of lives.

The Mickey Leland International Terminal serves international flights, is at capacity during peak hours, and exceeds capacity four to five weeks of the year. Prior to the ITRP, only minor cosmetic improvements had been made to the terminal since its opening in 1990, while the passenger traffic had almost quadrupled. 

The ITRP includes refurbishing the MLIT and demolition of the Terminal D/E parking garage to create an international terminal processor between Terminals D and E, where all the international ticketing counters, security checkpoint lanes and baggage claims will be consolidated. The completed ITRP will include two concourses - one each in the current terminals - where passengers will board their planes, dine or use facilities such as airport lounges.

Leland’s fight against hunger continues to this day in his name through two other organizations at his college alma mater, Texas Southern: the Mickey Leland Center for Environment Justice and Sustainability at the Barbara Jordan-Mickey Leland School of Public Affairs; and the Mickey Leland Center on Hunger, Poverty, & World Peace, which houses his papers, photos and other records.

 May his worthwhile legacy live on!