McKinney, Cynthia (1955–)
McKinney, Cynthia (1955–)
African-American politician. Born Cynthia Ann McKinney, Mar 17, 1955, in Atlanta, GA; dau. of Bily McKinney (member of Georgia state house) and Leola McKinney (nurse); University of Southern California, BA in International Relations, 1978; Fletcher School of Law at Tufts, MA; m. Coy Grandison (div. 1990); children: Coy.
Served in the Georgia State House of Representatives (1989–93); elected as a Democrat to US House of Representatives 103rd Congress (1993), the 1st black woman to serve in US House from Georgia; elected to 4 succeeding Congresses, serving Jan 3, 1993–Jan 3, 2003; a victim of political redistricting (2002), was defeated in 2002 Democratic primaries by Denise Majette; reelected to Congress (2005); was an advocate for voting rights, human rights and strengthening business ties between Africa and US; served on Armed Services Committee and International Relations Committee.