The Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators elected its leadership positions for the 110th General Assembly of the Tennessee House of Representatives. Rep. Raumesh Akbari of Memphis was elected Caucus Chair by acclimation. Rep. Akbari (House District 91) replaces Nashville Rep. Brenda Gilmore, who did not run for re-election. Following the vote, Rep. Akbari thanked the caucus members and vowed to continue the fight.
“I’m thankful to colleagues for their support in electing me chair of the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators,” said Akbari. “As a caucus, we represent all three grand divisions, and urban and rural districts. It’s this collective perspective that gives us strength. Working together, we will aggressively fight for our legislative agenda and for African Americans across this state. I’m thankful to the leadership of Chairwoman Gilmore, and I am looking forward to working with the new members of the board.”
Other positions elected Tuesday included:
• Caucus Vice-Chair Rep. JoAnne Favors of Chattanooga
• Caucus Treasurer Rep. Johnnie Turner of Memphis
• Caucus Secretary Rep. Barbara Cooper of Memphis
• Parliamentarian Rep. Joe Towns Jr. of Memphis
• Sergeant-At-Arms Rep. Antonio Parkinson of Memphis
• Chaplin Rep. Johnny Shaw of Bolivar
