Edmond for Office!

Who would have know that sitting in the chair beside them in a Public Policy class, walking around campus or even standing in line for coffee here at Georgia State University was an up and coming politician? When I met Edmond Richardson, I did not know that I was in the presence of a politically active individual. For Edmond, voting is not enough. To hear him speak is to understand his passion for people in his community and his desire to do more than talk about it. The Urbanite had a chance to interview this amazing young man about his past, present and future.

Background Edmond Richardson was born in Hinesville, Georgia in 1981 and raised in nearby Glennville, Georgia where he attended the Tattnall County Public School System. During Mr. Richardson's matriculation in the Tattnall County School System he exemplified leadership capabilities. While at Tattnall County High School he served as Senior Class President '99, Student Body President '99, and was involved in various programs and activities in and around the community. After graduating from high school, Edmond enrolled at Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia where he continued his community activism. Elected as Student Body President in 2002; by virtue of his position he also served on the College's Board of Trustees. While attending Morris Brown College, Mr. Richardson had the opportunity to learn from wise legislators such as United States Congressman David Scott (D-GA), and former State Representative Judge Barbara Mobley (Dekalb County State Court Judge). Also, while at Morris Brown College, Edmond met his lovely wife Shikennia Jones, a life long Dekalb County resident and educator with the Fulton County Public School System. Mr. Richardson successfully completed his Bachelor's of Arts in Political Science with honors and relocated to the Ellenwood Community where he and his wife now reside. Currently Edmond, as an employee with the Social Security Administration in the Office of the Regional Commissioner (Congressional Inquiries Unit), is simultaneously completing a Master's of Public Administration at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University.

Those who paved the way Edmond has a strong legacy behind him that consists of nearly sixty other African American politicians and activist born, raised or groomed in the state of Georgia. Many of the familiar ones have made their impact in Atlanta but the majority of Georgia politicians are in the smaller communities that compose the rest of this great state. Below are some of the most prominent names in Georgia politics. Edmond Richardson is soon to become an addition to this list

Maynard Jackson-elected mayor of Atlanta in 1973, he was the first African American to serve as mayor of a major southern city. Jackson served eight years and then returned for a third term in 1990, following the mayorship of Andrew Young. As a result of affirmative action programs instituted by Jackson in his first two terms, the portion of city business going to minority firms rose dramatically. A lawyer in the securities field, Jackson remained a highly influential force in city politics after leaving elected office. Before and during his third term, he worked closely with Young, Atlanta Olympics Organizing Committee Chair Billy Payne, and others to bring the 1996 Olympic Games to Atlanta.

Cynthia McKinney- elected in 1992 as the first African-American Congresswoman from Georgia, Cynthia Ann McKinney 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.

Clarence Thomas- born in Pin Point, Georgia, a small community outside Savannah. He is an American jurist and has been an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States since 1991. He is considered to be part of the "conservative wing" in the current court. He is the second African American to serve on the nation's highest court, having replaced Justice Thurgood Marshall. Thomas was the youngest of the justices with whom he served from the time of his appointment to the confirmation of Chief Justice John Roberts in 2005.

Hosea Williams- the son of blind African American parents, was born in Attapulgus, Georgia, on Jan. 5, 1926. Williams joined the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and in 1963 was recruited to the staff of Martin Luther King. He was active in the Freedom Summer voting registration campaign and was arrested on 124 occasions. With John Lewis, Williams led the Selma to Montgomery protest march on March 7, 1965, that was attacked by mounted police. The sight of state troopers using nightsticks and tear gas was filmed by television cameras and the event became known as Bloody Sunday. Williams was with Martin Luther King when he was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Williams was elected to Georgia General Council in 1974 and controversially endorsed Ronald Reagan for president in 1980. After becoming a member of the Atlanta City Council, he led a march in Forsyth County, which resulted in a violent confrontation with the Ku Klux Klan in 1987.

Andrew Jackson Young, Jr.- is a noted Civil rights activist, former mayor of Atlanta, Georgia and was the state's ambassador to the United Nations in the Jimmy Carter administration. In 1957 Ambassador Young moved to New York City to accept a job with the National Council of Churches. However as the civil rights movement heated up Young decided that his place was in the South, and soon moved back to Atlanta, Georgia. He again worked on drives to register Black voters. In 1964 he was named executive director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, with whom he organized many peaceful protests. Young became one of Dr. King's principal lieutenants, and was with King in Memphis, Tennessee when King was shot in 1968. Andrew Young helped draft the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In 1970 Andrew Young ran unsuccessfully for Congress; in 1972 he ran again and became Georgia's first African American congressman since Reconstruction.