Draft:Demetrus Coonrod

Demetrus Coonrod is among the first in Tennessee, and the U.S., to earn her voting rights back after a felony conviction. A formerly incarcerated Black woman, Coonrod successfully restored her voting rights in December 2016. Her achievement is notable especially in Tennessee, where voting rights restoration is more difficult than in other states, and where few citizens regain voting rights after serving time for a felony conviction. In Tennessee, nearly 10% of the state can't vote in elections per felony convictions. 21% of Black Tennesseans are disenfranchised. That's more than in any other state. Having restored her own voting rights, Coonrod is an advocate for the formerly convicted reentering society, fighting for the reinstatement of their civil rights, especially their voting rights, to ensure that those who have paid their debt can fully participate in civil life again. In 2022, Coonrod published a memoir, From Prison To Purpose: A Past That Shaped My Future, in which she recounts her rise from the traumas and desperations of poverty to dedicated civil servant.

Coonrod is the only convicted felon to be elected to office in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She is is a Democratic politician and currently Council Woman for District 9, voted in for her second term on April 24, 2021. She sits as chair member of the Council's Economic Development Committee. She recently announced she is running for a seat in the Tennessee House of Representatives, District 28 in November of 2024.

She is a mother, grandmother, author, and graduate of the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga where she received a bachelor's degree in Sociology in 2022.

Early life
Coonrod was born in Chattanooga, TN on December 30, 1974, the oldest of 4 siblings. Because her parents struggled with drug addiction, she helped care for herself as well as her siblings. She was raised by her grandmother, who she calls her "shero." At 12 years old, Coonrod became a mother. Growing up in oppressed conditions and forced to endure a life of abuse, violence, and hardships, she endured traumas she now uses as a drive to accomplish positive change.

She graduated from Chattanooga High School for Paideia and Performing Arts Phoenix 3 in 1993. She earned an associates degree from Chattanooga State Community College. She earned a bachelor's degree in Sociology with a minor in Criminal Justice from the University of Tennessee Chattanooga.

In 2001 and 2002, Coonrod pleaded guilty to being involved in holdups at Popeye's and a plasma center. While she did not herself commit crimes, she allowed others to use her vehicle to do so. She was convicted of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, sentenced to an 84-month sentence, and sent to prison in Tallahassee, Florida. She was released early due to cooperating with police during an investigation into corrections officers smuggling drugs in exchange for money and sex.

Politics
After being released from prison, Coonrod decided to pursue politics. To do so, Coonrod had to break a cycle: "I had to exclude a lot of people from my life. That included family and friends. Understanding that my environment was a breeding ground for criminal activity, I went to the streets to change that narrative for others, showing them a better path." The Hamilton County Election Commission acknowledged Coonrod as eligible and qualified to run for office, as her voting rights and citizen rights were restored in November 2016. In April 2017, Coonrod defeated long-serving Republican Yusuf Hakeem.

Coonrod recently announced her candidacy for Tennessee's House District 28 seat and setting up a Democratic primary race with three-term incumbent Rep. Yusuf Hakeem, of Chattanooga. Coonrod is focused on the issues impacting Chattanoogans and all Tennesseans, and on bettering the lives of all. The state and federal primary elections will be held in Tennessee on August 1, 2024. The general election will be on November 5, 2024.

Positions
In 2021, Coonrod supported Tennessee Governer Bill Lee's criminal justice reform bills, the Alternative to Incarceration Act and the Re-Entry Success Act.

Community involvement

 * Vice Chair of Hamilton County Democratic Party
 * Hamilton County School Leadership Program
 * Chattanooga-Hamilton county NAACP
 * National Black Caucus
 * Order of Eastern Star Zia 31081
 * Tennessee Municipal League
 * A Step Ahead Contraceptive Access Advisory committee
 * Human Development Committee
 * Creator and President of Eastdale Neighborhood Association
 * Board member of The Sports Barn, Community Development Block Grant, and Causeway
 * Advocate for restoring voting rights for convicted felons as part of the Ban the Box Movement
 * Member of Race, Equity, and Leadership Council by the National League of Cities
 * Board member of Criminal Justice Reform Task Force
 * Leadership Tennessee 2023-2024 Signature Program Class X