Goodlettsville, Tennessee—Keeda Haynes, Criminal Justice Reform advocate and former Public Defender announces her run for Tennessee’s 5th Congressional District.
“It is time to have a voice in Congress that has been a part of both the American dream and it’s nightmare. I have been afforded incredible opportunities, but I also have been the victim of a system that is not designed to reform people but to instead oppress them. I want to help make change, not just within that system, but all systems that oppress members of the community.”
Keeda Haynes is a native of Franklin, Tennessee and graduate of Tennessee State University (TSU) with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. She attended and attained her Juris Doctorate from the Nashville School of Law in 2012. Keeda has worked to bring a new face to criminal justice reform as she spent four years in federal prison for her alleged involvement in a drug distribution ring.
Just weeks after earning her degree from TSU, Keeda was dropped off at the gates of Alderson Federal Prison Camp for an 84 month sentence for a crime she did not commit but was convicted, she was 24 years old.
Knowing first-hand the inequities of the system, the disparate treatment of defendants based on race and economic status combined with the dangers of mandatory minimum sentencing, Keeda passed the Bar and went to the front lines of the criminal justice system as a public defender. Her refusal to become a casualty of the War on Drugs made Keeda a fierce advocate for each of her clients.
“Our country is at a crossroads and we must make responsible decisions to allow everyone to pursue life, liberty and happiness. Access to quality health care, an equitable criminal justice system, affordable housing and education are what I will continue to fight for daily for the 5th Congressional District.”
Keeda is currently a Legal Advisor at Free Hearts, a Non-Profit Organization led by formerly incarcerated women that supports other formerly incarcerated women and children who have parents that are incarcerated or deported.