Raumesh Akbari
Minority Leader of the Tennessee Senate
Assumed office
January 10, 2023
Preceded byJeff Yarbro
Member of the Tennessee Senate
from the 29th district
Assumed office
January 8, 2019
Preceded byLee Harris
Member of the Tennessee House of Representatives
from the 91st district
In office
November 2013 – January 8, 2019
Preceded byLois DeBerry
Succeeded byLondon Lamar
Personal details
Born (1984-04-14) April 14, 1984
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationWashington University (BA)
Saint Louis University (JD)
WebsiteOfficial website

Raumesh Aleza Akbari (ruh-MESH ack-BERRY) (born April 14, 1984)[1] is an American politician and member of the Tennessee Senate for the 29th district since 2019. She was formerly a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for the 91st district. She currently serves as First Vice Chair of the Education Committee, and a member of the Commerce and Labor Committee, and the Ethics Subcommittee.[1] She is a member of the Democratic Party.

Early life and education

Akbari was born in Memphis, Tennessee to parents Lisa and Hooshang, both professional trichologists.[2] Her father is from Iran, and her mother is from Memphis.[3][4] She has a fraternal twin, Raumina.[5]

Akbari is a 2002 graduate of Cordova High School in Memphis, Tennessee. She attended Washington University in St. Louis, where she graduated in 2006 with a BA degree in African American studies and a minor in political science. In 2009, Akbari received her Juris Doctor from St. Louis University School of Law. She currently directs legal affairs and human resources for Akbari Corp., a small business founded by her parents in 1981.[6] Senator Akbari is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority and The Links.

Career

Akbari was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2013 following a special election. She served in the state House for three terms until her 2018 election to the Tennessee State Senate.

Akbari is a member of the Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association, National First Vice President of the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women (N.O.B.E.L Women), NewDEAL, National Black Caucus of State Legislators, and the Democratic Party of Shelby County.

In 2015, Akbari was elected by her peers to serve Tennessee as the state co-director of Women in Government, a national non-profit, non-partisan organization of female state legislators.[7] In 2017, she was selected by the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators to serve as that organization's[8] Chair. Akbari currently serves as the Financial Secretary of the National Black Caucus of State Legislators.

Akbari was selected as one of seventeen speakers to jointly deliver the keynote address at the 2020 Democratic National Convention.[9] She also delivered an address at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.[10]

In 2019, Akbari was selected to be a Marshall Memorial Fellow in Europe for the German Marshall Fund.[11]

Criminal justice reform

In 2017, Akbari introduced legislation to ban lifetime prison sentences for minors. Akbari advocated for the successful 2019 clemency of Cyntoia Brown and reintroduced the legislation in 2019.[12] Akbari has also advocated for cash bail reform, eliminating mandatory minimum sentences, and progressive sentencing laws.

In 2020, Vice President Biden appointed Akbari to a national criminal justice reform task force.[13] Fellow members of the task force include Eric Holder, John Kerry, and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.[14]

Public policy

Akbari's policy agendas have focused on criminal justice reform, economic development in underserved communities, healthcare expansion, and public education investment.

Akbari has advocated for the expansion of Tennessee's Medicaid program, as well as a state-level law that would ensure women receive equal pay for equal work.[15]

Following a 2014 incident at the Galilee Cemetery in Memphis, Akbari sponsored legislation to streamline burial practices, allowing families to know where a loved one is buried.[16]

In early 2014, Shelby County Schools announced a plan to close 13 campuses in southwest and northwest Memphis, including Alcy Elementary.[17] A "Save-Alcy" group was formed by Akbari and other parent and community volunteers with the goal of keeping Alcy Elementary open. After a month of negotiations, the board reversed its decision to close the Alcy campus citing the more than 60 community leaders who stepped-up and committed to volunteer at least three hours at the elementary school each week. For her efforts, Akbari was hailed as a "champion of a school rarely in the limelight.[18]"

Akbari has also worked to restore historic local grave sites, including those at Mount Carmel and Hollywood cemeteries which were previously inaccessible due to overgrowth.[19]

Personal life

Akbari resides in Memphis. She is an active volunteer with Meals on Wheels through the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association. Akbari is a Baptist.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 "Senators - TN General Assembly". www.capitol.tn.gov. Archived from the original on 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2023-02-16.
  2. ↑ Stockard, Sam (6 May 2016). "Akbari Proving to be Worthy Successor to Iconic DeBerry". Memphis Daily News. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
  3. ↑ Tatter, Grace (2015-11-30). "How a Memphis lawmaker quietly passed a law that may have kept your school from state takeover". Chalkbeat Tennessee. Archived from the original on 2021-04-26. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  4. ↑ Arnold, Sky (2016-07-26). "Tennessee Rep. speaking at DNC in Philadelphia". WZTV. Archived from the original on 2021-04-26. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  5. ↑ Campbell, Ricky (2016-07-28). "Raumesh Akbari: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com. Archived from the original on 2021-04-26. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  6. 1 2 "About Rep. Akbari". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  7. ↑ "Gilmore & Akbari elected to leadership role with Women In Government – Nashville PRIDE, Inc". pridepublishinggroup.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-01. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
  8. ↑ "Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators elect leadership positions | Welcome to the Tri-State Defender". Archived from the original on 2017-04-08. Retrieved 2017-04-07.
  9. ↑ "Democrats Unveil A New Kind of Convention Keynote". 2020 Democratic National Convention. 16 August 2020. Archived from the original on 17 August 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  10. ↑ "Transcript: Rep. Raumesh Akbari speaks at Democratic convention". The Tennessean. Archived from the original on 2023-02-16. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  11. ↑ "2019 Marshall Memorial Fellows Announced". The German Marshall Fund of the United States. 2019-05-02. Archived from the original on 2020-01-07. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  12. ↑ "Tennessee General Assembly Legislation". wapp.capitol.tn.gov. Archived from the original on 2020-07-04. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  13. ↑ "Biden taps Tennessee senator for unity group". Nashville Post. 20 May 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-08-21. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  14. ↑ Oprysko, Caitlin (8 July 2020). "Biden, Sanders unity task forces release policy recommendations". POLITICO. Archived from the original on 2020-08-18. Retrieved 2020-08-17.
  15. ↑ "Get to know Raumesh Akbari". www.tndemocrats.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
  16. ↑ "State Lawmaker Considering Tougher Penalties For Cemetery Owners". 29 January 2014. Archived from the original on 1 October 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  17. ↑ http://www.scsk12.org/uf/standard/ckeditor/samples/ckfinder/userfiles/files/2014/news/2014-15%20School%20Closures.pdf Archived 2015-10-01 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ↑ http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/alcy-elementary-in-memphis-has-happy-ending-in-closing-story-ep-355954519-326001831.html Archived 2015-10-01 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ Anthony, Kontji (8 September 2013). "Citizens fixing neglected cemetery". Archived from the original on 2015-10-01. Retrieved 2015-09-30.
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