The Gwinnett County woman who made national headlines last year by organizing "Come Meet a Black Person" events is running for a Georgia state Senate seat.
Records show Cheryle R. Moses, 59, qualified last week to run as a Democrat in the race for Senate District 9. She was the only Democrat to qualify but will likely have a tough road ahead in her November challenge to Republican incumbent PK Martin.
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District 9 includes parts of the Lawrenceville, Dacula, Lilburn, Grayson and Loganville areas.
Moses became a sort of internet phenomenon in November, when her professional organization, Urban Mediamakers, hosted a networking event urging white people to "Come Meet a Black Person." Moses, who is black, said at the time that the event was inspired by a 2014 study from the Public Religion Research Institute that found that 75 percent of white people do not have friends of any other race.
“My goal is really to start conversations,” Moses said at the time. “Here in Gwinnett, everybody operates separately. Everything seems to be really segregated. If we do something like this that is lighthearted and fun, then it won’t be so serious.”
The event exploded online and in the media. It ultimately drew about 50 people — only about a quarter of which were white. Moses and her organization were later asked to leave their Lawrenceville meeting space after complaints.
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