Kentucky state Rep. Lamin Swann, 45, dies days after suffering medical emergency

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Kentucky state Rep. Lamin Swann died Sunday, days after he was hospitalized with a medical emergency, his mother said.

Swann, a Lexington Democrat, suffered a “significant medical emergency” on Tuesday, his mother, Pamela Dixon, said in a statement released by the Kentucky House Democratic Caucus. Dixon did not provide details about the medical emergency.

Swann, 45, was elected last year. He was a member of the committees for transportation, health services, economic development and workforce investment, and elections, constitutional amendments and intergovernmental affairs, according the General Assembly’s website.

“Beyond our faith, what comforts us is knowing the positive and lasting impact he had on so many,” Dixon said. “Those include his loved ones and friends; those he advocated for throughout his life; and, now, those whose own lives will forever be strengthened by his decision to be an organ donor.”

Swann was a strong advocate on issues ranging from social justice to expanding disability rights, caucus leaders Derrick Graham, Cherlynn Stevenson and Rachel Roberts said.

“Lamin was a great friend, and our caucus is better for having known and worked alongside him,” the caucus leaders said in a joint statement.

According to a biography posted on his campaign website, Swann grew up in Lexington and was 8 years old when he joined his grandfather at the Kentucky State Capitol to call for the recognition of the state holiday honoring civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Swann majored in social work at the University of Kentucky. He was a staff writer and section editor at the the school’s student newspaper and he was active with the university’s Violence Intervention & Prevention Center, the biography said.

Swann later became an organizer and activist during protests for racial justice, his biography said. He worked with clients in the family reunification process within Fayette County Family Court and ran a studio in north Lexington concentrating on fashion and product design.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, posted on Twitter that his “heart is heavy” with the news of Swann’s passing.

“Lamin was always smiling, leading with kindness while working to build a better Kentucky for all,” Beshear said.

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