Many of Georgia’s black elected officials will gather in Macon over the weekend. They plan to discuss issues like ethics, the state budget and redistricting.

The conference will also include a speech by civil rights leader and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Dr. Joseph Lowery. Jesse Jackson is expected to attend.

State Representative Tyrone Brooks of the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials says the meeting will include talks about the upcoming redistricting process.

“I think that the U.S. Department of Justice will be paying very close attention to what we do in Georgia, and we’re going to make sure that we do as much as we can to protect what we won and to hold on to what we’ve won and not allow for the clock to be turned back.”

Voter registration is also a priority. Brooks says there are about 800-thousand unregistered black voters in Georgia.

Tags: Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials, Representative Tyrone Brooks, Dr. Joseph Lowery, Presidential Medal of Freedom, Georgia redistricting