Tennessee Voices, Episode 290: Robin Kimbrough Hayes, unopposed Nashville judge candidate
Growing up in poverty and in the only Black family in a Lexington, Kentucky trailer park gave Robin Kimbrough Hayes an early education on the needs of vulnerable communities.
The path forward was not easy for someone raised by a single mother, but she eventually went to college and law school, and, in May, unseated an incumbent General Sessions Court judge in the Nashville-Davidson County Democratic primary. She is unopposed in the Aug. 4 general election.
On this episode of the Tennessee Voices video podcast, Kimbrough Hayes spoke about her background and what drives her every day.
She is currently chaplain and special assistant to the president at Meharry Medical College, one of four historically Black colleges and universities in Nashville.
Kimbrough Hayes last ran for office in 2020 as a Democratic primary candidate for the U.S. Senate. She came in second place to eventual nominee Marquita Bradshaw of Memphis.
The judge-to-be said her motivation to sit on the court is to serve people who cannot make it to court during traditional hours because they would lose wages or be out of a job. She is planning to hold community listening sessions and town halls, wants to hold evening hearings, and vowed to be transparent and accountable.
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About Tennessee Voices
The Tennessee Voices videocast is a 20-minute program, which started in March 2020 and invites leaders, thinkers and innovators who have written guest columns for a USA TODAY Network Tennessee publication to share their insights and wisdom with me and our viewers.
Please email your ideas for future guests to me at dplazas@tennessean.com. Thank you for watching.
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David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and an editorial board member of The Tennessean. Tweet to him at @davidplazas.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Voices: Trailer park to courtroom with Robin Kimbrough Hayes
