Carnita Atwater

Carnita Atwater was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Atwater graduated from Frayser High School. She earned a bachelor's degree in community health education and nursing from Murray State University in 1996, a graduate degree in gerontology, public health administration, and psychology from Austin Peay State University in 1998, a doctorate in public health administration and education from the University of Bristol in 2003, and a bachelor's degree from Austin Peay State University in 2023.[1]

Atwater has experience working in the following roles:[2][3][1]

Founder of the Kukutana African American History and Culture Museum of Memphis

Dean of medical studies

Academic dean

Dean of student affairs

Medical director

Nurse

Adjunct professor

Teacher

Public health educator

Family counselor

Drug abuse counselor

Community development facilitator

Community organizer

Veteran advocate

Homeless advocate

Domestic violence advocate

Community environmental advocate

Child and elder abuse advocate

Renewable energy trainer

Environmental justice organizer

EEOC officer

Atwater has been affiliated with the following organizations:[1]

National Association of Women Business Owners, Memphis Chapter, member

National Association of Professional Women, member

TIRRC (Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Coalition

Small Business Association, member

Girls Scouts of America - Midsouth Chapter

Sierra Club – national chapter, member

Operation PUSH Coalition, member

National Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense In America

Breast Cancer Association, member

Lupus Foundation, member

Diabetes Association, member

American Heart Association, member

American Red Cross, member

Goodwill Industries Memphis

Salvation Army, member

Youth Villages, Inc., member

National Boys & Girls Clubs of America

Equal Justice Coalition

Alpha Omega Veteran Association, donor

Wounded Warriors Project, donor

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Dr. Carnita Atwater. I am running for the Governor of the State of Tennessee to give the power back to people. I am a bold, unbossed and unbought candidate standing with the people. I am the vehicle that will bring transparency back into our democracy. I am the "People's Governor". I am the first woman of color to run for the office of Governor in the history of this great State. I am a devour citizen that have had boots-on-the-ground in the State of Tennessee for over 40 years, thus making Tennesseans the center of my life's mission to bring about fairness, justice and equity for all citizens. Consequently, with my people-centered and community-driven mindset, I will transcend into this new governorship. There is only one main reason that I entered as a candidate for Governor and that is to "place people back into politics". My entire life has been about serving the people, and it did not start with ascertaining a political office. I am a firm believer that we should be our sisters and brother's keeper. As a lifelong community advocate, I am charged to stand up against the injustice of all Tennesseans no matter what race, creed, nationality, religion, gender identity, disability, social economic status or zip code. As an incoming Governor, I will not partake in political corruption, and I will not go along to get along at the detriment of our beloved citizens. We can no longer place a bandage on a third-degree societal burn in the State of Tennessee.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am the 'People's Governor" with a proven record of serving Tennesseans. I will be the bridge to building a more cohesive Tennessee which will involve listening and embracing all Tennesseans. We deserve a leader for all people and not just the elitists.I have fought for Tennesseans for over 40 years to bring about equity and justice to promote a more inclusive and diverse State for all citizens thus ensuring life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all Tennesseans.I will be the boots-on-the-ground Governor that will give all Tennesseans a seat at the table of economic prosperity. Rural Tennessee has suffered from economic disinvestments and the closing of hospitals. I want to be the great equalizer to bring equity to rural citizens.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am personally passionate about political division, political/judicial corruption, budgets are moral documents, TANF (Tennessee Assistance for Needy Families) & Medicaid cuts, taxation without representation, voter suppression, gun violence prevention, health care reform, environmental injustice, school inequities, youth outreach, housing disparities, homelessness, crime reform & restorative justice, middle-class families stabilization, teacher's compensation, women's reproductive health rights, rights of the LGBTQ+ community, immigrant's rights, abusive tax incentives to developers, misappropriation of local, state & federal funds, rural neglect & economic development, and abusive mass incarceration system.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to the copious number of children living in a crime riddled environments coupled with poverty, disinvestment of their neighborhoods, sleeping in dilapidated homes with roaches and rats crawling on their faces and seeing their classmates dying of gun shots at any given time. Nevertheless, these children can still have joy in their hearts and smiles on their faces even under the condition of untreated adverse trauma. Simply remarkable! I would like to follow Eleanor Roosevelt who was the epitome of a strong woman of leadership and optimism which set the stage of boldness in her stance for equality and justice for all people. To be a First Lady and have the courage to fly with the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American pilots in World War II, was the landmark of what true humility should be in America. She set the standard of not going along to get along. She is indeed one of my greatest sheroes. I have followed her example by being bold and steadfast as I have fought against injustice for the homeless individuals, displaced veterans, children living in poverty, Union workers wages and benefits, gentrification in disinvested communities, environmental injustice, subsidized affordable housing, end cash bail, hazard pay for teachers, Green New Deal, and abusive tax incentives to large corporations.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

All elected officials should be people-connected, community-driven and consciously woke to the needs of the people. The characteristics and principles most important for an elected official are being totally transparent, having the ability to place the people first in his or her legislative decisions, having the integrity to stand up for what is right as it relates to political malfeasance, do not make false promises that you know you are not going to keep, be accountability to the people at all cost, and having the tenacity to speak up when legislative bills are being push when you know it will hurt and harm the people. Every elected official's goal should be to ensure that all Tennesseans have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I believe in term limits and if elected officials are ineffective, disconnected to their constituents and no longer consider the "will of the people", they should no longer hold that position which I truly believe in Succession Plans. Tennesseans deserve a great social, cultural and economic awakening, therefore, as the incoming Governor, I bring with me a "Resurrection of Hope" Plan to address citizens from a holistic approach to equity, equality and justice for all.

What legacy would you like to leave?

As the next incoming Governor of the State of Tennessee, I would first like to leave a legacy of love, respect and fairness to all Tennesseans. My greatest aspiration as the next Governor is to leave a legacy of placing people back into politics. As a community advocate, I already bring to the table a legacy of feeding 10,000 homeless individuals per year, donating 5,000 book bags and supplies to children, donating 5,000 coats, gloves and hats, donating 200 air conditioners to senior citizens, creating 100 jobs for ex-felons, teenagers and single parents each year. Therefore, my legacy will be a continuation of who I am as a person. As the next Governor, I would love to leave a legacy that bridge the divide between political parties, thus bringing our beloved State in a healthy state of being, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all citizens. I would like to be remembered as the first "People's Governor" that truly cared about the people unconditionally. A Governor with boots-on-the-ground that makes every Tennessean feel special and a part of our beloved Volunteer State. I would love to leave a legacy that bring into play an even economic playing field for all Tennesseans no matter what your political affiliation, race, gender identity, religion or social status may be. I would like to be so uniquely different that Tennesseans would say I am proud to be a T and we now have true democracy that represent the people. This legacy would entail implementing a Tennessee Universal Health Care, Poverty Commission for the Underserved and Marginalized, Small Business Initiative, Farmer tax Incentives, Veteran Honor Initiatives, Domestic Violence Underground Safe Haven, Tennessee Food Disparity Plan, Solar and New Green Deal Renewable Energy Plan to save our beloved Tennessee known as TENN BEAR (Better Environmental Assessment Revitalization) and TENN SOIL (Saving Our Innovative Land). Inclusion and diversity would be my blueprint for the next Governor after me.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event that happened in my lifetime that I remembered was the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I remember my father, mother, grandmother and grandfather crying and praying for a better world. As a child, I remember feeling afraid and thinking that I would be killed also because I was black. I was 9 years of age living in a racially segregated South.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was my own lawn service business at 12 years of age which I ran for 5 years until I finished high school. I owe all of my success to my father who supported me in this new venture of empowerment. I am a daddy girl; therefore, my dad taught me to be cool, calm and collected. Never sweat the small things in life. Always let God order your steps. My dad taught me to drive a tractor at 6 years of age on our 300-acre family farm. It is important that fathers intentionally plant into their daughters the seed of love, greatness, nurturing and admiration. My dad was my first hero and mentor. He planted a seed of greatness in me as a girl child, and he placed no barrier in my life to what I could be. I cannot count the times my dad told other fathers, "Just because she is a girl does not mean she cannot beat that boy in anything he attempts to do". My dad was a true Girl Dad! I know my dad is smiling down on me. I thank my father for being such a wonderful father that did not place any stipulations on me as a girl child. He taught me that I could be anything I wanted to be in this life. At ten years-of-age, I told my father that I was going to run for the President of the United States, but I was blessed to have been the Dean of Medical Studies, Dean of Student Affairs, Academic Dean, Medical Director, Adjunct Professor, Nursing Home Administrator, Hospital Administrator, Nurse, Teacher and now running as the first African American woman for the Governor of the State of Tennessee. I am already a winner. ATWATER FOR GOVERNOR 2026.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

My fictional character would be a Fairy Godmother of the State of Tennessee. In this fictional role I would first sparkle love, joy and humanity in every heart of every politician to do the right thing toward the citizens of this beloved Volunteer State. I would use the superpower to correct all the governmental wrongs that have been bestowed on the beloved citizens of this State. I would magically remove the discriminatory bans on gender identities, erase and restore the mean-spirted legislative bills against women's reproductive health care, magically erase the worries of senior citizens as they age in place in their familiar homes, give every veteran an opportunity to own their home with honor and pride, shield every child from gun violence and give every citizen a safe neighborhood to live no matter what their zip code or the color of their skin. I would gather all the homeless individuals and place them in loving and nurturing environment with wrap-around service to let them know that they are love and they are certainly a part of our Tennessee family. I would place portable food satellites in every food desert across Tennessee to assure that no child goes to sleep hungry. By the flick of my magical

power, I would fund the communities that have been disinvested for years to restore their neighborhoods to decent and safe dwellings. I would open the doors of every prison to release the felons that have non-violent fractions to give them a second chance at life to be a productive taxpayer, thus empowering them with workforce development opportunities, skill training, anger management skills, behavior modification, money management, home management and a sense of gratefulness to respect the lives of others. As a Fairy Godmother, I would cease all environmental injustice to preserve our beautiful country and the State of Tennessee. Teachers and farmers would be my superheroes. I would work hard at building a more inclusive and diverse Tennessee. One Tennessee!

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

www.atwaterforgovernor.com

Endorsements

Individual Endorsements

Rev. Dr. Ronnie C. King

Rev. Dr. Ivory and Dr. Lillie Swindle

Legendary Bobby Rush

Legendary “Jennifer Holliday – DreamGirl

Dr. Isaac Richmond (Elder)

Dr. Maurice and Loretta Tyree, Lakeland, TN

Dr. Brenda Taylor

Linda Faye Street

Constance Fields

Joyce Worsham-Adams

Mrs. Ruby Payne

Mr. John Bryant, Somerville, TN

Lucille Mack-Catron

Chelsea Camp, Clarksville, TN

Dr. Jeffery Futrell

Chasity Davis

Pastor Tony Walker, Sr.

Rev. Christina Glass

Eula Little

Brenda Woods, Bolivar, TN

Riki Lang Stone

Gale Jennings

Fadoli Mboge

Frances Barnes

Dianne Jones

Glenda Glesy, Bartlett, TN

Betty J, Briggs

Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth & Jocelyn Bracy, Bartlett, TN

Carnita Atwater did not complete [the profile publisher]'s 2023 Candidate Connection survey.

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Dr. Carnita Atwater. i am running for the Governor of the State of Tennessee to give the power back to people. I am a bold, unbossed and unbought candidate standing with the people. I am the vehicle that will bring transparency back into our democracy. I am the "People's Governor". I am the first woman of color to run for the office of Governor in the history of this great State. I am a devour citizen that have had boots-on-the-ground in the State of Tennessee for over 40 years, thus making Tennesseans the center of my life's mission to bring about fairness, justice and equity for all citizens. Consequently, with my people-centered and community-driven mindset, I will transcend into this new governorship. There is only one main reason that I entered as a candidate for Governor and that is to "place people back into politics. My entire life has been about serving the people and it did not start with ascertaining a political office. I am a firm believer that we should be our sisters and brother's keeper. As a lifelong community advocate, I am charged to stand up against the injustice of all Tennesseans no matter what race, creed, nationality, religion, gender identity, disability, social economic status or zip code. As an incoming Governor, I will not partake in political corruption, and I will not go along to get along at the detriment of our beloved citizens. We can no longer place a bandage on a third-degree societal burn in the State of Tennessee.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

I am the 'People's Governor" with a proven record of serving Tennesseans.I have fought for Tennesseans for over 40 years to bring about equity and justice to promote a more inclusive and diverse State for all citizens thus ensuring life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all Tennesseans.I will be the boots-on-the-ground Governor that will give all Tennesseans a seat at the table of economic prosperity.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am personally passionate about political and judicial corruption, budgets are moral documents, taxation without representation, voter suppression, gun violence prevention, health care reform, COVID recovery and relief, school inequities, youth outreach, housing disparities, homelessness, crime reform and restorative justice, middle-class families stabilization, teacher's compensation, women's reproductive health rights, rights of the LGBTQ+ community, immigrant's rights, abusive tax incentives to developers, misappropriation of local, state and federal funds, rural neglect and economic development, environmental injustice, and abusive mass incarceration system, Upon my successful election as Governor, within the first 90 days, I would implement a Tennessee Operation Code Orange Accountability Task Force which would be a third-party operational task force to perform an initial forensic investigation into political and judicial corruption. I would rescind all discriminatory bills. In my opinion, housing and health care should be a human right! As the incoming Governor of the State of Tennessee, my number one task would be to secure programs to afford ever Tennessean a right to affordable housing and Universal Health Care. No citizen should be sleeping on the streets of Tennessee. Criminalizing homeless individuals is immoral and indecent, therefore as an incoming Governor I would work to secure an effective Rental Commision and erect a "Homeless to Homeownership Program".

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

I look up to the copious number of children living in a crime riddled environments coupled with poverty, disinvestment of their neighborhoods, sleeping in dilapidated homes with roaches and rats crawling on their faces and seeing their classmates dying of gun shots at any given time. Nevertheless, these children can still have joy in their hearts and smiles on their faces even under the condition of untreated adverse trauma. Simply remarkable! I would like to follow Eleanor Roosevelt who was the epitome of a strong woman of leadership and optimism which set the stage of boldness in her stance for equality and justice for all people. To be a First Lady and have the courage to fly with the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American pilots in World War II, was the landmark of what true humility should be in America. She set the standard of not going along to get along. She is indeed one of my greatest sheroes. I have followed her example by being bold and steadfast as I have fought against injustice for the homeless individuals, displaced veterans, children living in poverty, Transgender children, Union workers wages and benefits, gentrification in disinvested communities, environmental injustice, subsidized affordable housing, end cash bail, hazard pay for teachers, Green New Deal, and abusive tax incentives to large corporations.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Transparency and accountability should be the main catalyst to any core responsibility. The core responsibility for the person elected to this office is first and foremost understanding "We the People". The core responsibility of this elected office should be the moral and ethical duty to be accountable for the welfare of the people. As the next potential Governor of the State of Tennessee, I truly believe that a Governor should embrace the methodology of "for the people, by the people". All legislative bills signed by a Governor should have at its core the "will of the people". Budgets are a moral document; therefore, a Governor should incorporate every citizen into that budget to assure life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all citizens. As the next potential Governor of the State of Tennessee, I firmly believe in all governmental policies should be people-centered and community-driven free of any bias and unconstitutional setbacks. An elected official should never lose sight that their main responsibility is to promote transparency and preserve trust in our democracy.

What legacy would you like to leave?

As the next incoming Governor of the State of Tennessee, I would first like to leave a legacy of love, respect and fairness to all Tennesseans. My greatest aspiration as the next Governor is to leave a legacy of placing people back into politics. As a community advocate, I already bring to the table a legacy of feeding 10,000 homeless individuals per year, donating 5,000 book bags and supplies to children, donating 5,000 coats, gloves and hats, donating 200 air conditioners to senior citizens, creating 100 jobs for ex-felons, teenagers and single parents each year. Therefore, my legacy will be a continuation of who I am as a person. As the next Governor, I would love to leave a legacy that bridge the divide between political parties, thus bringing our beloved State in a healthy state of being, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all citizens. I would like to be remembered as the first "People's Governor" that truly cared about the people unconditionally. A Governor with boots-on-the-ground that makes every Tennessean feel special and a part of our beloved Volunteer State. I would love to leave a legacy that bring into play an even economic playing field for all Tennesseans no matter what your political affiliation, race, gender identity, religion or social status may be. I would like to be so uniquely different that Tennesseans would say I am proud to be a Tennessean and we now have true democracy that represent the people. This legacy would entail implementing a Tennessee Universal Health Care, Poverty Commission for the Underserved and Marginalized, Small Business Initiative, Farmer tax Incentives, Veteran Honor Initiatives, Domestic Violence Underground Safe Haven, Tennessee Food Disparity Plan, Solar and New Green Deal Renewable Energy Plan to save our beloved Tennessee known as TENN BEAR (Better Environmental Assessment Revitalization) and TENN SOIL (Saving Our Innovative Land).Inclusion and diversity would be my blueprint for the next Governor after me.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The first historical event that happened in my lifetime that I remembered was the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I remember my father, mother, grandmother and grandfather crying and praying for a better world. As a child, I remember feeling afraid and thinking that I would be killed also because I was black. I was 9 years of age living in a racially segregated South.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My very first job was my own lawn service business at 12 years of age which I ran for 5 years until I finished high school. I owe all of my success to my father who supported me in this new venture of empowerment. I am a daddy girl; therefore, my dad taught me to be cool, calm and collected. Never sweat the small things in life. Always let God order your steps. My dad taught me to drive a tractor at 6 years of age on our 300-care family farm. It is important that fathers intentionally plant into their daughters the seed of love, greatness, nurturing and admiration. My dad was my first hero and mentor. He planted a seed of greatness in me as a girl child and he placed no barrier in my life to what I could be. I cannot count the times my dad told other fathers, "Just because she is a girl does not mean she cannot beat that boy in anything he attempts to do". My dad was a true Girl Dad! I know my dad is smiling down on me. I thank my father for being such a wonderful father that did not place any stipulations on me as a girl child. He taught me that I could be anything I wanted to be in this life. At ten years-of-age, I told my father that I was going to run for the President of the United States, but I was blessed to have been the Dean of Medical Studies, Dean of Student Affairs, Academic Dean, Medical Director, Adjunct Professor, Nursing Home Administrator, Hospital Administrator, Nurse, Teacher and now running as the first African American woman for the Governor of the State of Tennessee. I am already a winner. ATWATER FOR GOVERNOR 2022.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

My fictional character would be a Fairy Godmother of the State of Tennessee. In this fictional role I would first sparkle love, joy and humanity in every heart of every politician to do the right thing toward the citizens of this beloved Volunteer State. I would use the superpower to correct all the governmental wrongs that have been bestowed on the beloved citizens of this State. I would magically remove the discriminatory bans on Trans youth, erase and restore the mean-spirted legislative bills against women's reproductive health care, magically erase the worries of senior citizens as they age in place in their familiar homes, give every veteran an opportunity to own their home with honor and pride, shield every child from gun violence and give every citizen a safe neighborhood to live no matter what their zip code or the color of their skin. I would gather all the homeless individuals and place them in loving and nurturing environment with wrap-around service to let them know that they are love and they are certainly a part of our Tennessee family. I would place portable food satellites in every food desert across Tennessee to assure that no child goes to sleep hungry. By the flick of my magical

power, I would fund the communities that have been disinvested for years to restore their neighborhoods to decent and safe dwellings. I would open the doors of every prison to release the felons that have non-violent fractions to give them a second chance at life to be a productive taxpayer, thus empowering them with workforce development opportunities, skill training, anger management skills, behavior modification, money management, home management and a sense of gratefulness to respect the lives of others. As a Fairy Godmother, I would cease all environmental injustice to preserve our beautiful country and the State of Tennessee. Teachers and farmers would be my superheroes. I would work hard at building a more inclusive and diverse Tennessee. One Tennessee!

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state. What does that mean do you?

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state, therefore that means to me that the Governor should be the ultimate leader to serve the will of the citizens of the State of Tennessee. The citizens should be the driving force of the Governor of the State of Tennessee as the elected constitutional officer, the head of the executive branch and the highest state office in Tennessee. The Governor is responsible for being the guiding force to assuring that every Tennessean should have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The Governor is the head of the executive branch of Tennessee's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws and the state constitution, nevertheless it is unconstitutional to violate any Tennessean's rights as the Governor of the State of Tennessee as it relates to women's reproductive health rights, LGBTQ+ rights, criminalizing homeless individuals, housing disparities and health care inequities. The governor is also the keeper of the Great Seal of the State of Tennessee. According to Article III of the Tennessee Constitution, other duties and privileges of the office include granting reprieves and pardons, except in cases of impeachment, requiring written information from any officer of an executive department on any aspect of that officer's department or duties, convening extraordinary sessions of the legislature, provided she or he proclaim the purposes and limitations of the special session when she or he call it; periodically addressing the General Assembly concerning the state of the state and making recommendations for legislation, signing and sealing all commissions granted by the state of Tennessee, vetoing bills and joint resolutions, and subject to a majority override of the state legislature. At the end of the day, a Governor should be of a spirit of inclusion and equity to promote the general welfare of all citizens in this great state.

Different states require governors to have different degrees of responsibility for the state budgeting process. If it were your choice, what do you believe is the appropriate degree of gubernatorial involvement with this process in your state?

“BUDGETS ARE MORAL DOCUMENTS”. A Governor has a degree of responsibility to be the call to action for a moral agenda which we must move beyond left and right, liberal and conservative and thrive to uphold a fairer and just higher ground regarding moral values! It is time to break the silence of modern-day atrocities regarding the injustices in Tennessee. When trillions of dollars are being given to the rich while the poor suffer on the streets of Tennessee living under bridges and cardboard boxes, eating out of trash cans, middle-class being forced out of their homes, Tennesseans dying in the streets due to a lack of healthcare and nutrition, citizens working two or three jobs to make ends meet, rampant untreatable mental illness, and senseless killings on the streets of urban and rural communities. When you drive across the State of Tennessee and see the new development but look at the citizens on the streets with tattered clothes, holes in their shoes and matted hair. Tennessee budgets should be moral documents! When you have a Governor pass a law to crimi