Please join us with
Former Congresswoman and Presidential Candidate
Cynthia McKinney
featured at two events this week:
Silencing People of Colors’ Vote and Voice in America
Tuesday, April 10th, 4-6pm (Room 312)
UDC-DCSL: 4340 Connecticut Ave., NW WDC 20008
4-5: clips from award winning documentary, American Blackout, 5-6: McKinney talk
Political Assassinations & Their Relevance Today
John Judge and Cynthia McKinney
Wednesday, April 11th, 12-2pm (Room LL105)
UDC-DCSL: 4340 Connecticut Ave., NW WDC 20008
About Cynthia McKinney
“In the fight against bigotry, we stand together, and we must. In the fight against injustice, we stand together, and we must. In the fight against intimidation, we stand together, and we must. After all, a regime that would steal an election right before our very eyes will do anything to all of us.”
Cynthia McKinney has made a career of speaking her mind and challenging authority. Her political career began unofficially in 1986 when her father, Billy McKinney, a Representative on the Georgia State House, put her name on the ballot as a write-in. She garnered a large percentage of votes without even trying. Cynthia immediately began making her own mark, defying House dress codes for women by wearing trousers instead of dresses. She spoke out against the Persian Gulf War, and despite being in the House with her father, she often disagreed and voted against him.
In 1992, McKinney won a Democratic seat in the US House of Representatives in the newly created 11th district, drawn from Atlanta to Savannah. She was the first African-American woman to represent Georgia in the US Congress. During her second term, her district was re-drawn and re-numbered the 4th district. McKinney protested the new boundaries, but was still re-elected to the seat. She earned even more distinctive assignments with the National Security Committee and the International Relations Committee’s International Operations and Human Rights Subcommittee. She was a supporter of a Palestinian State in Israel-occupied territory, and sparked controversy by criticizing American policy in the Middle East, including President Bush’s policy regarding Iraq before 9/11. After the attacks, McKinney suggested the President perhaps had prior knowledge of 9/11. The criticism she received from these ideas may have contributed to her defeat in the 2002 election; however, she ran for the seat again and was re-elected in 2004. McKinney was also very active in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and a vocal critic of the government’s response.
Cynthia McKinney has never been afraid to speak her mind, and stand up for what she believes in. Late in 2007, she left the Democratic Party to bring her energy and ideas to the whole country by becoming a Green Party Presidential Candidate.
for information:
Eva Seidelman
Juris Doctor Candidate – 2013
University of the District of Columbia
David A. Clarke School of Law
[email protected]
