Tennessee State Sen. Raumesh Akbari (D-Memphis-29) has reportedly endorsed former Democratic Vice President Joe Biden for president in the 2020 election.
This, according to The Memphis Commercial Appeal.
“Look at where we are right now on the international stage,” the paper quoted Akbari as saying.
“I think Vice President Biden has the most experience to … right this ship and really improve and strengthen the bonds that have been broken under this current administration. I think of all the candidates who are on this stage he’s the one with the total package … You have someone who actually has a healthcare plan, a criminal justice plan, an economic development plan that makes sense. And it’s practical.”
Tennessee’s Super Tuesday presidential primary is scheduled for March 3 of next year.
“When asked, Akbari, an African-American, said she had no issues with Biden’s opposition to school-busing or his friendly relationships with members of the Senate who were avowed segregationists,” according to The Commercial Appeal.
As The Tennessee Star reported in March, Akbari sponsored a bill in the Tennessee General Assembly that would require teachers in the state to take bias training.
“This bill requires that all school personnel receive implicit bias in-service training that encourages school personnel to explore and discover their own implicit biases in order to deliver more equitable education to all students,” according to a summary of the bill, as described on the Tennessee General Assembly’s website.
The bill also requires that all students admitted to a teaching preparation course in the 2019-2020 academic year and academic years thereafter, and who desire a license to teach, pass a course of implicit bias training, according to the bill’s summary.
As The Star reported last year, Akbari also planned to sponsor legislation that could automatically help restore the right to vote for people with low-level felony convictions.
– – –
Chris Butler is an investigative journalist at The Tennessee Star. Follow Chris on Facebook. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Joe Biden” by Joe Biden.
