Rep. Elijah E. Cummings applauded leaders in South Carolina for taking steps toward removing the Confederate flag from the grounds of the state capitol but said Sunday that doing away with that "symbol of racial hatred" was only a first step.
"Now we must begin to address racial disparities and inequalities themselves," Cummings said on CBS' Face the Nation. "It's good to take the flag down, but now we have to move beyond that."
Cummings was part of a small congressional delegation that traveled with President Barack Obama to Charleston on Friday to eulogize the nine people killed in a church shooting there on June 17.
The Baltimore lawmaker and top-ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, also addressed the response by the city to the riots in April. He noted efforts underway by city, state and philanthropic leaders.
"I have a lot of hope for Baltimore," he said.