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Cynthia Ann McKinney The Voice Of The Voiceless

Born in Atlanta, Georgia on March 17, Cynthia A. McKinney
is the daughter of one of Atlanta's first Black law enforcement officers
and former Georgia State Representative Billy McKinney and retired
nurse, Leola McKinney.

Having received 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 she will complete her Ph.D. at Berkeley, flagship campus of the
University of California.

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
from Georgia to serve in the United States House of Representatives.

THE BACKBONE OF GEORGIA

Because of her strong values, Cynthia McKinney is a force to be reckoned
with in Georgia politics today.
Because of the confidence that people have in her,
Georgia's Democratic governors and senators have called on her for
advice and support.

While in Congress, from 1992 - 2002, Cynthia worked hard for the people
of Georgia,
as she became a 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.

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.

>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 followed a 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.

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 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.

Cynthia voted against near-record Bush Administration Pentagon budgets
and challenged the Pentagon to explain how it "lost" over $2.3 trillion
in un-trackable transactions.

She decried the Pentagon's sweetheart deals with Halliburton,
the funding of an unworkable weapon system built by the Carlyle Group,
and the administration of the Pentagon's anthrax and smallpox vaccine
program
by a well-connected corporate friend.

Cynthia spoke out against the loss of our fundamental freedoms
during Bush Administration prosecution of the War on Terrorism
and reminded 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
to make sure that all veterans were recognized for the sacrifices they
made.

Before the August 2002 primary election, Cynthia had begun a special
effort
to look into the treatment of women members of the Armed Services.

Cynthia also served on the House International Relations Committee
where she was the highest-ranking Democrat on the Human Rights
Subcommittee.
Cynthia took the time to help those in need who had a human rights
claim.

Cynthia felt that it was important that U.S. 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 U.S. 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.

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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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 have filed a lawsuit
against this practice so that no voice of the people like Cynthia's
will ever be silenced again in such an unfair electoral practice.

Cynthia McKinney is an independent thinker.

Cynthia is running to regain her seat in Congress;
and when she goes back to Washington, she will not be beholden
to any special interests--just the people.

And when Cynthia goes back with ten years experience,
she will hit the ground running with a long and determined stride.

Earlier this year Cynthia was invited to Mumbai, India to speak at the
World Social Forum. There, she was recognized for her tireless voice on
behalf of justice in the United States.

We need that voice again in the United States Congress.