Kwanza Hall

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Kwanza Hall
Rep. Kwanza Hall official photo 117th Congress.jpg
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 5th district
In office
December 3, 2020 – January 3, 2021
Preceded byJohn Lewis
Succeeded byNikema Williams
Member of the Atlanta City Council
from the 2nd district
In office
2005–2017
Preceded byDebi Starnes[1]
Succeeded byAmir Farokhi[2]
Personal details
Born (1971-05-01) May 1, 1971 (age 50)
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children2
EducationMassachusetts Institute of Technology (attended)

Kwanza Hall (born May 1, 1971)[3] is an American politician and businessman who briefly served as a member of the United States House of Representatives for Georgia's 5th congressional district. He previously served as a member of the Atlanta City Council for the 2nd district. He was first elected in 2005 and re-elected without opposition in 2009. He represented the neighborhoods of Atlantic Station, Castleberry Hill, Downtown, Home Park, Inman Park, the Marietta Artery, Sweet Auburn and the Martin Luther King Historic District, Midtown, Poncey-Highland, and the Old Fourth Ward.[4][5] He opted to not run for re-election in 2017, and was a candidate in the 2017 Atlanta mayoral election.

In the runoff for mayor, he endorsed Keisha Lance Bottoms. In 2018, he was hired as senior political advisor in her administration, violating a city charter provision that bars elected city officials employment for one year after leaving office, followed by the position of director of development for Procter Creek for Invest Atlanta, which also came under scrutiny.[6] He chose to run for Georgia's 5th congressional district in the 2020 special election, following the death of incumbent congressman John Lewis. He finished first in the first round of voting on September 29, but did not receive a majority, and thus the race was decided in a runoff against Robert Michael Franklin on December 1, which Hall won by nearly nine points. Hall was sworn in two days later and served the final month of Lewis's term; Nikema Williams had been chosen by the Georgia Democratic Party to run in the general election in Lewis's stead.

Early life and education[]

Born and raised in Atlanta, Hall graduated from Benjamin E. Mays High School.[7] Hall attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he studied political science, but dropped out during his senior year.[4][5][8][9]

Early career[]

Before holding elected office, Hall worked in the Fulton County government and served as vice president of technology for GoodWorks International, a human rights and public service consulting firm co-chaired by Andrew Young. He then became the director of business development for MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Inc.[4][5][10]

In 2002, Hall was elected to the Atlanta Board of Education, where he served for three years prior to his election to the Atlanta City Council.[11] During his time on the Atlanta Board of Education, Hall worked toward closing the achievement gap and contributed to reforms that improved the performance of Atlanta Public Schools on statewide tests.[8]

Hall represented District 2 on the Atlanta City Council, a post he was elected to in 2005. He was re-elected in 2009 and again in 2013. Among the most notable of the initiatives he has been involved in during his tenure is the Atlanta Beltline project.[12] Hall has also focused strongly on community improvement including land use, historical preservation, and sustainable development of in-town neighborhoods.[13]

2017 Atlanta mayoral election[]

Main article: 2017 Atlanta mayoral election

Hall filed to run in the 2017 Atlanta mayoral election in January 2017. During the campaign, Hall focused on public safety, transportation, and affordable housing.[14] Hall placed seventh in a field of 12 candidates.[15]

U.S. House of Representatives[]

Election[]

2020 Georgia's 5th district special election[]

Main article: 2020 Georgia's 5th congressional district special election

After the death of incumbent Congressman John Lewis, Hall announced his candidacy for the September 2020 special election to succeed him.[16][17][18] Hall placed first in the September 29, 2020 general election. As no candidate earned 50 percent of votes cast, Hall and the second place finisher, Robert Michael Franklin Jr., advanced to a December runoff election.[19][20] He won the runoff election on December 1, 2020.[21]

Personal life[]

Hall is divorced and lives in the Martin Luther King Historic District.[4][5] In August 2020, Hall tested positive for COVID-19.[22]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Our Campaigns: Debi Starnes
  2. ^ Our Campairns: Amir Farokhi
  3. ^ "Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress - Retro Member details".
  4. ^ a b c d "Atlanta City Council Bio". Atlanta City Council. Archived from the original on 2009-08-14. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  5. ^ a b c d "Meet Kwanza Hall". Hall for Council. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  6. ^ .https://www.ajc.com/news/local-govt--politics/former-council-member-137k-city-hall-job-violated-atlanta-charter/oZAihwxjnCr8Ukphrk6xFO/
  7. ^ "Kwanza Hall applauds Atlanta's support of Black thought and success". Rolling Out. 2019-02-08. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  8. ^ a b "Honorable Kwanza Hall". Operation Hope. Archived from the original on 2006-10-04. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  9. ^ "Growing up as a Black male in Atlanta has challenges. Here's what it's like". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  10. ^ "Kwanza Hall raises the most money of all Atlanta mayoral candidates". Rolling Out. 2017-04-12. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  11. ^ "Kwanza Hall". www.blackmensdossier.com. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  12. ^ "Five Questions With...Kwanza Hall". A Is For Atlanta. 2009-04-15. Retrieved 2009-07-30.[dead link]
  13. ^ Wheatley, Thomas (2009-06-11). "Poncey-Highland Master Plan community meeting scheduled". Creative Loafing. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
  14. ^ "Kwanza Hall for Mayor". Archived from the original on 2010-04-30. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
  15. ^ Stafford, Leon; Journal-Constitution, The Atlanta. "Atlanta mayoral race: Get to know the candidates". AJC. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  16. ^ Bluestein, Greg; Journal-Constitution, The Atlanta. "Several prominent Democrats line up to succeed John Lewis in Congress". AJC. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  17. ^ "Here's who qualified to run in the special election to fill John Lewis' seat". 11Alive.com. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  18. ^ "7 seek to follow Lewis in House, but long-term prospects dim". AP NEWS. 2020-07-31. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  19. ^ "Live Georgia Special Election Results: Fifth Congressional District". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  20. ^ "Hall, Franklin head to runoff for rest of John Lewis' term". Associated Press. 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
  21. ^ "Hall wins runoff to briefly fill seat of late Rep John Lewis". AP NEWS. 2020-12-01. Retrieved 2020-12-02.
  22. ^ "Comedian Rodney Perry and Former Atl Councilman Kwanza Hall Test Positive For COVID-19". WAOK-AM. 2020-08-04. Retrieved 2020-08-07.

External links[]

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Georgia's 5th congressional district
2020–2021 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from ""