McKinney - News Briefs

DECATUR, GA. -- "I want to make sure that everybody in Georgia is counted in 2000, including poor people and people of color."

Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney will host a town hall meeting in conjunction with the U. S. Census Bureau Saturday, August 15, 1998 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon at the Manuel Maloof Center Auditorium located at 1300 Commerce Drive in Decatur. "My job is to make the people of the 4th Congressional District of Georgia and beyond aware of the upcoming census and how the consequences of the count will impact their lives and their livelihood. The objective of this town hall meeting is to instruct, inform, activate, and engage people in this very political process," stated the Congresswoman.

"The census count determines how the big American pie is cut and the size of your individual serving. In 1990, the census missed one in ten African American males, one in twenty Hispanics, and one in ten young Asian males. These people were completely overlooked and therefore under-represented in the count. During the last census in Georgia, census counters came from rural Alabama to count people in an Atlanta public housing complex called Techwood. This was not a funny story of the country mouse visiting his city slicker cousin, it was conservative politics. The residents of Techwood did not get counted," said McKinney.

Topics and presenters at the town hall meeting will include Mr. Earl Shinhoster, Director Voter Education, Secretary of State's office. He will address the issues of "Redistricting in the State after Census 2000". The Voting Rights Act calls for the reapportionment of states following this census. "In 1996 we experienced the political ramifications of redistricting. Just imagine the battle we fought, only nationwide," commented McKinney. Other sessions include Ms. Bonnie Young Regional Director, Atlanta District, U.S. Census Bureau addressing the "Establishment of Partnerships for Census 2000"; Ms. Stephanie Staggers-Profit, U.S. Census Bureau discussing the "Role of the Complete Count Committee"; Mr. Bill Kesler, Regional Recruiter, U.S. Census Bureau addressing the issue of "Recruiting and Staffing for Census 2000"; and Dr. Patricia Johnson, U.S Department of Commerce discussing the duties and objectives of the "Census Advisory Committee on the African-American Population"

"I want to make sure that everybody in Georgia is counted in 2000, including poor people and people of color. The only way we are going to achieve this is to teach the traditionally undercounted to become players in the game and inform communities to stand up be counted," concluded McKinney.