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Born in Atlanta, Georgia on March
17, Cynthia McKinney is the daughter of retired nurse, Leola McKinney, and
one of Atlanta's first Black law enforcement officers, former Georgia State
Representative Billy McKinney.
Having strong academic achievement in Atlanta as a child, Cynthia went on to
attend and study at the most prestigious academic institutions in the United
States. She earned a B.A. in International Relations from the University of
Southern California, a Masters of Art in Law and Diplomacy from the Fletcher
School of Law and Diplomacy, and her mother keeps hoping that this is the
year she will complete her Ph.D. Cynthia's debut into public office came in
1988 when she was elected to the Georgia State Legislature. In 1992, Cynthia
made history when she became the first African American woman to represent
Georgia in the United States House of Representatives.
THE BACKBONE OF GEORGIA
Because of her strong values, the people have confidence in her, making
Cynthia a force to be reckoned with in Georgia politics today. Georgia's
Democratic governors and senators have all called on her for support.
While in Congress, from 1993 - 2003, Cynthia worked hard for the people of
Georgia, as she became known as the voice for the voiceless. She provided a
seat at the table for people long left out of Georgia's political and
economic mainstream. She supported candidates representing the people who
had been politically marginalized. The result was more hope and more
representation at the local level for black people and people of low wealth
throughout the rural black belt of Georgia.
Cynthia successfully landed an "Enterprise Community" designation for her
rural constituents and provided true empowerment for them through funding
that continues today.
After a redistricting battle that went all the way to the Supreme Court,
Cynthia was forced out of the district that first elected her to Congress.
She has not, however, broken ties with her first constituents. She brought
hundreds of millions of dollars back to her constituents and fought so that
underrepresented communities could finally have sensitive representation at
all levels of government. Her pioneering work on behalf of black farmers led
to the United States Department of Agriculture admitting that it had,
indeed, discriminated against black farmers for decades.
Today, Cynthia represents the eastern suburbs of Atlanta, including the City
of Stone Mountain, made famous in Martin Luther King's I Have a Dream
speech.
From Community Oriented Police to sound barriers along the interstate, from
clean fuel public buses to constituent services, communities today are still
benefiting from Cynthia's Congressional work. Her work in Congress continues
her tradition of taking tough stands and fighting the good fight for justice
and opportunity that she began during her tenure in the Georgia Legislature.
Shortly after her election to the Georgia State House, she joined with other
civil rights leaders and filed a lawsuit that led to an increased number of
black judges in Georgia, including in DeKalb County. She filed a lawsuit
against Georgia's infamous second primary, instituted for the purpose of
black disfranchisement. Later, she was a victim of the state's open primary,
enacted for the same purpose.
In 1990 she led the effort on the House Reapportionment Committee that
created new State Senate districts across Georgia, including DeKalb County.
Cynthia's willingness to stand with courage and conviction has resulted in
increased opportunity that benefits us all today.
In 1991, Cynthia spoke on the floor of the Georgia House of Representatives
against George Bush's bombing of Baghdad. Her colleagues walked out on her,
prompting local and national press to compare her to former State Senator
Julian Bond, current National Chairman of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), who was denied his seat in the
Georgia State Senate because of his stand against the Vietnam War.
Because of her antiwar stance, Cynthia was approached by women civic leaders
and asked to run for Congress. In 1992, the Year of the Woman, she did and
we all won.
A PROVEN LEADER
During her tenure in the U.S. Congress, Cynthia McKinney became a household
name in Georgia and in many states across America, as well as in many
countries around the globe. Cynthia easily won recognition as an outspoken
leader for human rights, an ardent advocate for peace, and a determined
worker for justice.
Cynthia succeeded Colorado's Pat Schroeder and California's Ron Dellums on
the House Armed Services Committee, with both of them supporting her
nomination to that Committee. As a member of the House Armed Services
Committee, Cynthia passed legislation to extend health benefits for Vietnam
War veterans still suffering the health effects from exposure to the
defoliant Agent Orange.
As reports now surface that our soldiers are returning from Iraq and testing
positive for depleted uranium, it is important to note that Cynthia McKinney
sponsored legislation to end the use of all depleted uranium weapons until
their health effects are known. McKinney has reintroduced this bill in the
109th Congress.
Cynthia continues to vote against record Bush Administration Pentagon
budgets and challenged the Pentagon to explain how it "lost" over $2.3
trillion in un-trackable transactions. She continues to decry the Pentagon's
sweetheart deals with Halliburton, the Carlyle Group, and DynCorp and its
successor companies.
Cynthia speaks out against the loss of our fundamental freedoms during Bush
Administration prosecution of the War on Terrorism and reminds Committee
members of the well-known and documented abuses during the COINTELPRO era.
Cynthia helped Department of Defense and Department of Energy workers who
suffered exposure to nuclear material and she also spoke out for families
that lived around these sites. Cynthia worked with the Chair of the Veterans
Affairs Committee to strengthen money in the budget for homeless veterans
and to protect the Atlanta Regional Veterans Affairs Hospital located in the
4th District. Many overlooked veterans were able to get their medals because
of the work Cynthia did this to make sure that all veterans were recognized
for the sacrifices they made.
Cynthia also served on the House International Relations Committee for 10
years where she was the highest-ranking Democrat on the Human Rights
Subcommittee. Cynthia made the time to help those in need who had a human
rights claim. Cynthia felt that it was important that US policy reflect a
deep respect for human rights. So she worked tirelessly on legislation to
stop conventional weapons transfers to governments that are undemocratic or
fail to respect human rights. Her legislation to end the mining of coltan in
eastern Democratic Republic of Congo was mentioned in a United Nations
special report. Almost single-handedly, she forced the United Nations to
convene an independent commission on the Rwanda genocide and the role of the
US and the UN in failing to stop Africa's most horrific genocide.
Cynthia hosted the first delegation of Afro-Latinos from Central and South
America and worked with the World Bank and the U.S. State Department to
recognize Afro-Latinos. She stood with Aboriginals against Australian mining
companies; and with the U'wa people of Colombia in their fight to save their
sacred land from oil rigs. She stood with poor Georgia farmers, black and
white, against South African mining companies operating in the US. During
her tenure on the House International Relations Committee, Cynthia
recognized others who championed peace and nominated President Jaochim
Chissano, President of Mozambique, for the Nobel Peace Prize and he made it
to the final group. In her final Congressional act, she nominated Juan
Carreras for the same honor, for his work to bring peace to Democratic
Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes region of Africa. Today, Cynthia
continues to work with Carreras to bring justice to the dead in one of
Africa's most horrific moments.
Cynthia had also begun to focus on COINTELPRO and Hip Hop empowerment.
Cynthia held three Hip Hop Powershops featuring Kevin Powell, Afeni Shakur,
Li'l Zane, and media executives.
She also held two COINTELPRO hearings: one on US Political Prisoners, the
other on the murder of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Cynthia used her
positions of influence on both the House Armed Services Committee and the
House International Relations Committee to apply international human rights
standards to US conduct at home and abroad.
CYNTHIA STANDS WITH COURAGE
Cynthia was tapped by the Congressional Black Caucus to lead its effort on
the Durban World Conference Against Racism. With her leadership, the
Congressional Black Caucus spoke on this United Nations effort and at this
important event, never once compromising on the rights of all peoples to
come together and express their pain and suffering and ways to end it.
Cynthia was unwilling to be silenced in the face of injustice.
Despite all her efforts on behalf of the poor and dispossessed, in Africa,
Asia, Latin America, and in the United States, Cynthia learned from news
reports that AIPAC, The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, had
targeted her for defeat. Cynthia never lost her courage and refused to
compromise her strong American values. However, when Cynthia McKinney became
one of the first Members of Congress to demand a thorough investigation into
the events of September 11, 2001 and responsibly asked the question, "What
did the Administration know and when did it know it about the events of
September 11th?" she was vilified and targeted by Georgia and national
Republicans. As a result of her thought-provoking question, an estimated
40,000 Republicans voted in the Democratic Primary to oust Cynthia. It is
called "crossover" voting and her supporters filed a lawsuit against this
practice so that no voice of the people like Cynthia's would ever be
silenced again in such an unfair electoral practice.
Currently, Mississippi Democrats have an active lawsuit against
Mississippi's open primary statute. Georgians will look at this lawsuit with
much interest to revive their own if it is successful.
Cynthia was invited to Mumbai, India to speak at the World Social Forum. She
has spoken all over the United States and in Germany, France, Italy,
Jamaica, and many places all over the world because she is nationally and
internationally recognized for her tireless voice on behalf of justice in
the United States. We need her voice again in the United States Congress.
Cynthia McKinney is an independent thinker. Cynthia is running to retain her
seat in Congress and you can count on her because she is not beholden to any
special interests -- just the people. |
