Last Friday morning, in what many consider to be the middle of the night, Georgia marked an electoral milestone that had immediate impact for Joe Biden and likely lasting effects for presidential politics.
The final vote count for Clayton County, acknowledged by the AP at 3:10AM on Friday, November 6, 2020, with 94,365 for Biden and 15,671 for Trump, put Biden in the lead in Georgia for the first time. The Clayton County Board of Elections and Registration is at 121 S McDonough St, Jonesboro, GA 30236.
10 minutes later, 17 miles north, outside the Monaco Hookah Lounge, 255 Trinity Ave SW, Atlanta, GA 30303, King Von was in a scuffle, was shot, and eventually died.
Clayton County is part of Georgia’s 5th congressional district, a seat long held by the legendary civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis, who passed away this year.
King Von was a fast-rising American rapper and songwriter from Chicago who had just released a new album, Welcome to O Block.
Ten minutes and 17 miles in the American South, encompassing decades of struggle, portending decades of change, with wide-ranging impact on American culture, politics, and power. Ten minutes and 17 miles showing The Great Migration is still at the center of who we are, and how we sing, and how hard we still fail each other.