Park Cannon

Park Cannon

The State Legislator Shaking Up Politics

  About  

  Speeches  

Rep. Park Cannon is a Georgia State Representative, one of two openly queer lawmakers in the Georgia General Assembly and its youngest. She represents House District 58 which encompasses a diverse cross-section of Atlanta.

The Democratic lawmaker recently made national headlines when she was unlawfully arrested and removed from the Georgia Capitol after she knocked on the door to the Republican governor’s office during his signing of SB 202, a restrictive law that limits voting rights in the state. Republicans rushed the bill through both chambers of the legislature a few hours before he signed it into law. It has been harshly criticized nationwide for disenfranchising Black voters, is being challenged in court and is being dubbed Jim Crow 2.0.

Rep. Cannon champions a range of social justice causes and her legislative efforts focus on education, jobs, and health care. Rep. Cannon seeks to stop the erosion of affordability for basic needs which she believes are the foundations of social stability. She also devotes her legislative work to protecting Georgia’s most vulnerable citizens: women and children, the elderly and the LGBTQ+ community. She has worked to address maternal mortality rates and the HIV epidemic in Georgia, housing affordability and extending protections to victims of family violence and sexual assault.

Rep. Cannon attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic Linguistics and a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics, and minored in Women’s and Gender Studies. During her time at UNC Chapel Hill, Rep. Cannon was named a Camões Award Recipient and inducted into the Order of The Old Well. She also participated in the Harvard Kennedy School of Government’s Executive Education State and Local Government program. She was named by the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) as a Bohnett LGBTQ Leaders Fellow and studied police accountability.

Rep. Cannon has been honored for her service to numerous organizations including SisterSong, the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus, NOBEL Women, the League of Women Voters, National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL), and the Atlanta NAACP. She was named a CALS Fellow and Henry Toll Fellow by the Council of State Governments and also participated in the Atlanta Regional Commission’s Leadership Institute.

Shaking Up Politics: Young, Queer, and Black Park Cannon is an activist-elected official - an activist who happens to hold office - in Atlanta. She is 1 of 5 LGBTQ+ Georgia State Representatives, a founding member of the Equality Caucus, and at age 29, the youngest serving member of the Georgia Legislature. The Democratic lawmaker recently made national headlines when she was unlawfully arrested and removed from the Georgia Capitol after she knocked on the door to the Republican governor’s office during his signing of SB 202, a restrictive law that limits voting rights in the state. Republicans rushed the bill through both chambers of the legislature a few hours before he signed it into law. It has been harshly criticized nationwide for disenfranchising Black voters, is being challenged in court and is being dubbed Jim Crow 2.0. As a dedicated young woman of color in a traditionally white, male-dominated space, Cannon’s enthusiasm for participatory dialogue compels her to uplift underrepresented voices and level the lopsided tables of government. In this presentation, she offers a rousing and heartfelt dialogue around voting practices, the role of young people in tearing down barriers, and what it will take from all of us to turn back the expanding voter repression taking place around the country.

  Topic Areas

African Americans/Black
Electoral Politics/Civic Engagement
Youth/Student Activism/Leadership
LGBTQ+
Reproductive Justice
Sexual Violence & Harassment
Women/Feminism
Race/Racial Justice/Racism
Organizing/Activism
Summer Institute Instructors

  Related Links

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Georgia State Rep. Park Cannon discusses arrest, new voting law

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Park Cannon PSY Keynote

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Georgia State Representative Park Cannon speaks at NAN's 2021 Virtual Convention

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Rep. Park Cannon speaks on arrest at Georgia State Capitol

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Georgia State Rep. Park Cannon: "I will keep knocking."

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Park was absolutely one of the most connective speakers we have ever hosted. She was willing to talk with everyone and listened closely to their concerns, their connections, and ideas with genuine interest. Her keynote hit all the right notes. We would strongly recommend you take advantage of booking her soon as she’s only going to become more popular in the future. It is clear she will become even more effective as she continues to implement her progressive ideas in the Georgia State Legislature and beyond.
Michael Shermis City of Bloomington ID Community and Family Resources Department

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