COVER STORY

THE PERSONAL IS POLITICAL

Over the years, our vendors at The Contributor have shared so many opinions with us. They often have strong feelings and thoughts about who should or should not be in office, who isn’t holding up their end of the political bargain and who citizens should think more about before giving them a chance. We decided over the next year to allow space for folks who sell the paper to tell our readers what they think about local politicians. The first in our series is a profile on Robin Kimbrough Hayes, who is running for 2022 Davidson County General Sessions Court Judge, Division V. (Go to https://www.nashville.gov/departments/elections to find voter registration information and election dates.) Hayes profiles herself in her own words, and then our vendor Maurice Ballard gives us his thoughts on Hayes, who befriended Ballard over his years of selling The Contributor.

IN HER OWN WORDS: Robin Kimbrough Hayes

Robin grew up in a trailer park in Lexington, Ky., as a latchkey child before attending Fisk University in Nashville. After earning her law degree from Emory Law School in Atlanta, she returned to Nashville to serve as Assistant Attorney General in Tennessee's Attorney General Office where she argued cases from the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River before the Court of Criminal Appeals. Later she also served as Associate General Counsel for the Tennessee Department of Children's Services.

These professional experiences showed her that her heart is with everyday people. While using her legal skills to advance social justice for the least in our communities, her faith also led her to become an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church, which she considers to be a vital part of her call to ministry, as she works to address issues of poverty, criminal justice reform, and women's issues. A member of the Nashville Branch of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), NOAH (Nashville Organized for Change and Hope), Delta Sigma Theta, Incorporated, the Nashville Coalition Against Domestic Violence, and the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship.

Additionally, she serves as the President of the National Panhellenic Council of Nashville, and provides leadership for all the Black Greek-lettered organizations on issues addressing criminal justice reform, policing, housing, healthcare, economic development, and voter engagement. Recently, she accepted an appointment to sit on the Tennessee Democratic Party Advisory Board and a Board member of the Tennessee Democratic Women’s Collaborative.

For over a decade Robin dedicated her career to helping victims of domestic and sexual violence as Legal Counsel for the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, where she worked on legislation and policies to keep victims safe and hold batterers accountable. She organized state-wide training and consultations to educate and inform others on these issues and is a strong believer in power and strength through communication. Now, Robin has integrated her faith and legal background serving as a chaplain and special advisor in a higher education setting. After her US Senate primary race, she split her time with the chaplaincy representing indigent clients and volunteering for the Legal Aid Society. Robin has proven herself a champion on issues having an impact on the poor and underserved communities. She has advocated and fought fearlessly for her clients while raising awareness on barriers facing many of them, including access to healthcare, systemic racism, poverty, mental health, and housing. She served as an expert and spokesperson at numerous events on topics related to the intersection of faith and criminal justice, anti-racism, cultural humility, deprivatization of prisons, the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, and civic engagement.

Robin Kimbrough Hayes wants you to join her in her fight for justice for all by becoming a member of Team Justice.

IN A VENDOR'S WORDS: Taking and making the turns in and of life with Robin Kimbrough Hayes

BY MAURICE BALLARD

As it's all known by every individual in life that everyone has or had some sort of hardship and or terrible struggle within their childhood lives, well only to bring abroad the turns of life in which indeed that can be called an enormous and outstanding accomplishments, we view the actual actions of one that began as a trailer park latchkey child from out of Lexington, Ky.

I believe Robin Kimbrough Hayes is one that has found it and has accepted it in her mind and heart to constantly keep leaping over the many trials and hurdles in and of life only to insist on seeking and searching for the betterments of life. Yes, she has fought, but found her ways through the hectic turns of life. She has accepted that true growth must happen, and in that personal hunger and thirst, her first turn and or stretch came the abilities to achieve and attend school at the prominent Fisk University here in Nashville. Then there shortly afterward she entered another turn in the race of life by continuing an upward pike into earning her law degree from the well known Emory Law School of Atlanta, and but then returned to Nashville to continue to be of a marvelous service worker where she has served as Assistant Attorney General within the Attorney General Office here in Tennessee, in which her works of arguing cases from the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River before the Courts of Criminal Appeals were truly amazing. She also worked as Associate General Counsel for Tennessee Department of Children's Services. All of these jobs have allowed her to stay true to understanding and keeping her heart with the everyday individuals and people. Within that time of using her legal skills to advance the social justice for the least of Tennessee's communities it allowed her heart to truly become touched by our Almighty God whiles her faith strengthened and began to deeply move in works for the Lord to-wit she became an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church, in which is a vital part and or key of her ministry/life as she dealt and deals with addressing all issues of hers in today's life, such as poverty, criminal justice reform and the many women's issues there. Then again we can examine another turns in her life whereas she has also became a member of Nashville's Branch of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), NOAH (Nashville's Organized for Change and Hope), the Delta Sigma Theta Incorporated, the Nashville Coalition Against Domestic Violence and the Interdenominational Ministers Fellowship. In addition to that she does grand service of president on the National Panhellenic Council of Nashville by providing leadership for all the Black Greek-lettered organizations on issues addressing Criminal Justice reform, policing, housing, healthcare, economic development, and voter engagement. Most recently she has accepted an appointment to sit on the Tennessee Democratic Women's Collaborative while being a happily devoted and responsible wife and mother of five.

Within the turns of life in which Hayes has came upon we can see that she is still running strong at a comfortable pace, while for over a decade she has dedicated her career towards helping victims of domestic and sexual violence in and of circles of those circumstances by being legal counsel for the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence, in which she has furiously and endlessly worked on litigation and policies to-wit keeps victims safe and hold abusers accountable. She has organized state-wide training and consultation to educate and inform others of these issues and is a strong believer in power and strength through communication. Whereas through this means of communication the abilities of her integrating her faith and legal backgrounds as she serves as a chaplain and special advisor in a higher education setting, the realization is that after her U.S. When the Senate primary race was over she continued her run within the turns of life in which she split her time with the chaplaincy representing energy clients and volunteering for the Legal Aid Society. As expectations being a major factor of this so-called life the question posed is doesn't those turns in her battlefield of life in which she has made tremendous accomplishments make her worthy as a true champion? A champion on and of issues having an impact on the poor and underserved communities. She has advocated and fought dearly and fearlessly for her clients as raising awareness on barriers facing many of them including access to healthcare, systematic racism, poverty, mental health issues and housing.

Then on top of all that remaining a loving caring and responsible mother and dedicated wife, she’s a woman that has found it fit to share herself and her expertise as being a spokesperson by sharing her knowledge at a number of events on topics related to the intersection of faith and criminal justice, interracialism, cultural humility, deprivatization of prisons, the George Floyd's Justice in Policy Act and civic engagement. That's something that all should join her in, an American dream where I believe she will make justice count for us.