He was born in Baltimore, Maryland under the name Frizzell Gray. Educated at Morgan State University and later Johns Hopkins University, he changed his name while working on local radio.
He served as a Baltimore city councillor from 1979-1986. Elected to the United States Congress in 1986 as representative for Maryland's 7th Congressional District, he eventually became head of the Congressional Black Caucus.
He left Congress to become president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in February 1996.