Haynes, a public defender who is running to be the next U.S. representative for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District, believes it’s time for a fresh perspective.
Keeda Haynes, a public defender from Tennessee, is one of the Democrats challenging incumbent Rep. Jim Cooper (D-Tenn.), who has been in office since 2003. And, as Haynes puts it, just as we are currently experiencing a shift in this country, and a shift in the conversations we’re having (particularly in light of the current racial tensions), we are also experiencing a shift in who we believe should be leading this country.
“I think that we deserve somebody who is going to be an actual leader, somebody who is going to show up early and not somebody who is going to just join the party once everybody else starts talking about it,” Haynes says to ESSENCE. “I think we’ve got to have somebody that is passionate about the issues that we are facing in our community and somebody that is going to stand up for the community.”
And that pretty much sums up why Haynes decided to run for office. She says in her experience, just talking to people in her community, many felt like there was not a voice representing them in the nation’s capital. As someone who personally knows “what it is like to be locked out, to be left behind, and to be silenced by a government that is supposed to actually work for you,” Haynes explains that she is here to step in.
Featured Image, Keeda Hayes
Full article @ Essence