We won! Thank you for all your support.

Here is an adaption of my speech from Election Night.

By now, you are probably tired of seeing me on your tv, on your phone, in your mailbox, knocking on your door, asking for your money, bugging on the streets. So I'm especially appreciative that you stuck with me until the end.

Let me take a few minutes to thank a few folks that made this possible. Thank you Adam and Edith Thompson who were the first to believe in us, they hosted our kick off back in July as well as this celebration tonight. Thank you Jim and Dotti Mann who opened up their home to our campaign and helped us open the doors of Clarksville. Sherri and Jeff Robinson, Jane and Mark Olson who brought our team together at a crucial time. Dr. Merriel Bullock-Neal, my mentor and friend, who has believed in me from the beginning two years ago. Thank you Monica Meeks who got me into this, with a Facebook post three years ago. Thank you Rep. Jason Hodges for giving me this opportunity and asking me to run for this seat. Thank you to the people of Clarksville for entrusting me with this leadership position. I don’t take this lightly, and I know I will work extremely hard for you everyday.

Thank you to all of the folks at the County Party. You stood by me and you stood up for me. Big shout out to Taylor Ray who handled our social media, Deidre Ward my treasurer, my campaign manager Chas, the field organizers Mary Richards, Keely Sage and Ruby Marvel. Together we knocked on over 11,000 doors, made over 6,000 calls, and sent over 10,000 texts. I’d also like to thank the 155 donors who invested in our campaign.

Last, but most importantly, I want to thank my amazing wife, Sherry. For standing by my side through a career that took our family across the world, And even through something as chaotic and crazy as running for office. To my kids and grandkids, you are the reason why I am here tonight. I’ve never turned away from a struggle, especially when it’s the right thing to do, and that’s a lot easier when you know you have good people cheering you on every step of the way.

A little bit about me; I was born and raised in a small town in West, TN. I lost my mom due to complications from childbirth as I was being born. With Tennessee having a higher than average maternal death rate, that's a reality I share with too many of my fellow Tennesseans. It’s also a reality that far too many black women face due to a healthcare system that doesn’t fully acknowledge their pain. I learned the hard way that it takes a village to raise a child. For me, the village had to step in on day one. That’s what our community does, we take care of each other when times are tough. We love each other through it.

At the age of 20, I realized that in order to be better, I had to do better. So, I made the decision to join the Army. I was fortunate to have an uncle who was a recruiter in Memphis that told me I could serve my country and make a better life for my family. So, I entered with the goal that I would stay in 4 years and then figure out the next thing. Well, 4 years turned into 10, 10 turned into 15, 15 turned into 23 years. Four countries, a tour with the 82nd Airborne Division, 3 combat deployments (between Afghanistan and Iraq) and a final stop here in Clarksville TN with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). I am thankful for a career that brought me back home to Tennessee where I was able to retire as an Army Master Sergeant, settle to be closer to family, watch my grandkids grow up, and start a business.

I have been incredibly blessed. One story that captures what the Army and life gave me is the story of our first home. After my wife and I got married we rented a small 2 bedroom home. At first, that’s all we could afford. No bed, no furniture… just a roof over our head and four walls. We slept on the floor in the living room as a family. With my next paycheck, we were able to purchase a bedroom set for our daughter, the next paycheck, a living room set so my wife could have a place to sleep and finally a bed for my wife and I. Experiences like that make you really appreciate a comfortable bed.

I want to highlight those who walked the path before me and honor their work and sacrifice. My candidacy as a black man may make history, but it’s not unprecedented. Just 26 years after the abolishment of slavery, Clarksville elected Jesse M Graham, a black teacher as their state representative. At a time when the scars of the civil war were still fresh and violence against black folks was on the rise, one man dared to make history 126 years ago. The radical racism of the time did not take that sitting down. They removed him from office two weeks after he was seated and held a sham election to replace him with a white man, then very quickly passed a bill to ban black candidates from serving in our legislature.

What followed, we all know very well, was the hatred and violence of Jim Crow for nearly a century. That’s not what defines us, and it certainly is not the end of our story. Out of hardship was forged a steely determination to change the things we cannot accept. Community elders like Dr. Burt brought us together in service and love. That’s what our community does, we take care of each other when times are tough. Our elders founded an NAACP chapter and raised up vital houses of faith. Folks like Rev. Jerry Jenkins, Trustee Kim Wiggins, and Juanita Charles all carried us forward with their historic political runs. And so, our struggle continues.

We have so much to do over the next 2 years. Bringing down the cost of living, continuing to improve infrastructure to keep up with rapid growth, honoring a woman’s right to make her own health care decisions, giving our children a fair shot at success, improving access to quality health care, and realizing the promises that TN offers, to anyone willing to put in the work.

I’m under no illusion that this will be easy, but it’s a task that I’m uniquely qualified to handle and I will be counting on you along the way to help speak truth to power in our State’s Capitol.

Now is not the time for more partisan gridlock, demonizing teachers, or withholding Medicaid expansion because of petty disagreements. It’s time to do right by the people, who elected us to do so.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to represent you, and thank you for the countless hours you’ve spent making our campaign a successful one.

May God bless you, this great city, and may God bless America. *pause*

Now, let’s get to work.