“True Warriors Wear Scars”
Congresswoman McKinney Fights Good Fight for Black America

by Darwin Campbell
African-American News and Issues

At the age of four, Georgia Congresswoman Cynthia Ann McKinney sat on her father’s shoulders as he protested and picketed in his police uniform at the Atlanta Police Department.

   She watched him stand alone trying to change conditions in the police department where he was the first Black police officer.  During that time, Black police officers could not arrest whites even if they witnessed whites committing a crime.  Racism and Jim Crow segregation also forced Black officers out of police locker rooms and into Black YMCA down the street to shower and change clothes before and after shifts.

   “My father protested small and large indignities that African American police officers had to suffer on a daily basis,” McKinney said in a whistle stop visit to Dallas where she addressed the Black Press, a group of police officers from the Black Police Association of Greater Dallas and some members of the Dallas Millions More Movement.  “My father has demonstrated that much can be accomplished when one is waiting to act, even if that act is alone.  My father taught me that true warriors don’t wear medals, they wear scars.”

   It is those memories and “scars” that make McKinney a 21st Century warrior fighting the evils that threaten and terrorize the poor, disenfranchised and downtrodden throughout this country.

   Born in 1955, McKinney earned a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California in 1978 and a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.  She also taught Political Science at Clark Atlanta University and later at Agnes Scott College, a women's college in Decatur, Georgia.  Before being elected to Congress, Cynthia served on the board of the HIV Health Services Planning Council of Metro Atlanta from 1991-92.  Elected in 1992, she is the first African American Congresswoman from Georgia and has gained national and international renown as a tireless advocate for human rights, voting rights and holding government accountable.

   McKinney's voting record reflects her philosophy that government should serve to provide uplift to local communities and the dignity of the human spirit.  This means promoting the rights of seniors, students, the disabled, minorities, veterans and workers.  She is known as a passionate, intelligent, charismatic and effective member of the House of Representatives and of the Democratic Party.

   McKinney organized a brain trust panel dealing with political attacks on Black musicians, including the MK-ULTRA and COINTELPRO programs conducted by the FBI from the 1950s to the 1970s.  She has also introduced a bill demanding the release of records pertaining to the life and death of musician and rap artist Tupac Shakur.  This piece of legislation is modeled after another bill introduced by McKinney, the Martin Luther King Records Act, which would release all files currently locked up until 2038.  She also has been actively advocating for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

   McKinney is being punished and marked for her remarks, protests and strong voice, but despite the attacks and negative publicity and attempts to scandalize her name courtesy of the White news media, she does not plan to stop being outspoken on issues and working for the people.  She refuses to bow to the powers that would like to silence her and puppetize her.

   “We articulate issues to as broad audience as possible,” she said.  “We want people informed and to know what we are dealing with in this country.”

   She also has been highly criticized by “sell out” Black columnists and white conservative talk show hosts who describe her as a “race card” user, but McKinney is undaunted in presenting the true facts about conditions in America.

   “Race continues to be an issue in America,” she said.  “In the 20th Century, Blacks were dealing with a color line problem.  In the 21st Century, we still have not resolved the color line issues in America.”

   McKinney said she is motivated to work for changes, because she is raising a son (young warrior) she wants to prepare to take leadership role in the future.  Some of the problems affecting the community include the lack of wealth, health care, high unemployment in the Black community and a racial disparity that is worst than during the days of the Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King, Jr.

   “Our community needs warriors.” she said.  “If there are no warriors on political battlefields, we fail to leverage Black political power from the system.”

   She also blasted “sell out” Blacks have aided the unraveling of the Black community, by helping retard political, leadership gains, opportunity and economic progress in the community.

   Her political career began in 1986, when she won 40 percent of the popular vote when her father, state representative Billy McKinney, submitted her name as a write-in candidate for a Georgia state house district, despite the fact that she lived in Jamaica at the time.  Two years later she ran for the seat herself and won, thus making the McKinney’s the first father-daughter duo to serve simultaneously in the Georgia House.

   McKinney represents Georgia's Fourth district, which is one of the most ethnically diverse districts in the southeastern United States.  The district comprises parts of DeKalb and Gannett Counties, two of the most dynamic and populous counties in the 15-county metropolitan Atlanta area.  South DeKalb County is home to one of the most affluent African American communities in the country.  Likewise, Gwinnett County has consistently ranked among the top five fastest growing counties in the country.

   McKinney has been under attack recently in the news media for defending herself against a Capitol Police officer who stopped her as she tried to enter the Capitol building.

According to McKinney’s record, on March 29, she had an unfortunate confrontation with the Capitol Hill Police officer.  She was trying to get to an important meeting on time to fulfill my obligations to my constituents.  Unfortunately, the police officer did not recognize me as a member of Congress and a confrontation ensued.  I did not have on my Congressional pin but showed the officer my Congressional ID.  It still did not help the situation because it escalated after the officer inappropriately touched and stopped the black, progressive Congresswoman.

   McKinney later apologized and regretted the incident, but did express serious concerns over the physical contact in this incident.  During her Dallas visit, McKinney focused declined comment on the incident choosing to focus on the state of Black leadership in America and the need for more bold warriors to take a stand.

   She pointed out that real issues affecting the lives of working people are being ignored by the media.  Some of those issues eluding the headlines involve the gigantic glut to control personal information, computers, oil, energy sources, communications and technology networks being used by every American on a daily basis.  She also said little is being made in the white media about the billions of tax dollars being wasted in the Pentagon’s budget in the war on terrorism and the contracting abuses costing billions relating to Hurricane Katrina disaster.

   McKinney lost her seat in 2002 due to a concerted effort by Republicans to organize voters to "cross over" and vote against her in the Democratic Primaries.  Her experience as the target of such an orchestrated campaign has been documented in a film titled "American Blackout," directed by Ian Inaba.  This film, which won an award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival in Utah, features McKinney's career as a Congresswoman and deals with the historical suppression of Black voters in the United States.  McKinney made a stunning comeback in 2004, a year in which Republicans took firm control of both Chambers of Congress and the White House, when she was elected once again to represent Georgia's Fourth District.  The film will make a public debut in June.

   She currently sits on both the Armed Services Committee and the Budget Committee, and throughout her six terms in Congress has been a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, the Progressive Caucus, and has worked closely with the Hispanic Caucus and the newly formed Tri-Caucus.  In addition to advocating and legislating for civil rights and the environment, McKinney has been a champion of veterans’ affairs, co-sponsoring legislation to beef up veterans' health care, and to grant work opportunity credits to employers who hire veterans.  She also has introduced a resolution to reaffirm the 1878 Posse Comitatus Act that protects the distinction between civilian and military policing and supported calls for a planned and orderly withdrawal of United States forces from Iraq.

   While these issues and her work are buried in the press, McKinney pointed out that it is up to Americans to wake up and demand accountability and action from the government that stops the abuses and protects social security, health care, Medicare and education for every American.  The goal of a government is to muzzle its people and certain ethnic groups under its thumb.  It is unfortunate that many important issues still lie hidden and untouched because the media sensationalizes and works hard to bring down people like McKinney down because of their dedication to the people.