Jerri Green

Jerri Green was born in Memphis, Tennessee. She earned a high school diploma from White Station High School, a bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee in 1999, and a J.D. from Georgetown University School of Law in 2003. Her career experience includes working as an attorney, educator, and advocate. She has also worked as a chief of staff.[1][2]

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

Memphis Bar Association

Association for Women Attorneys

Tennessee Bar Associations

Tennessee Higher Education Initiative

Moms Demand Action

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Jerri Green is a mom, lawyer, public servant, and proud Democrat. She has spent her career fighting for working families, helping guarantee living wages, reducing violent crime, and increasing healthcare access through pioneering at-home HIV testing and funding for Black midwives.

A Memphis native and White Station High alumna, Jerri earned degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and Georgetown University Law Center. She began her career as a juvenile public defender and later served as Executive Director of the Community Legal Center, providing essential legal services to those in need. She also served Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris as Senior Policy Advisor and is currently Deputy Chief of Staff, advancing public safety, women’s health, and living wages.

As the District 2 representative on the Memphis City Council, Jerri has increased funding for first responders, cracked down on neglectful landlords, expanded pre-K and youth programming, and worked to reduce gun violence.

Deeply involved in her community, Jerri served as President of the Democratic Women of Shelby County and on boards for Habitat for Humanity, Girls Inc., the Humane Society, and the Overton Shell. She was also the statewide election lead for the Tennessee Moms Demand Action Chapter. Jerri is married to Patrick, and they have three children: Beau, Vivienne, and Wilder.

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?

Affordability:

Expand paid family and medical leave

Support labor rights and collective bargaining

Increase funding for affordable housing

Promote workforce development and vocational training

Invest in small businesses, especially in underserved areas

Make quality childcare more accessible and affordable

Prioritize passenger rail across the state to connect major metropolitan

Make child care affordable and accessible

Create a stipend program to offer free diapers to low-income parents

End the tax on diapers and menstrual products

Use TANF funds to eliminate millions in medical debt for low-income families

Provide paid leave to parents and caregivers

Support elder care programs for aging family membersHealthcare:

Expand Medicaid to cover more working families and keep rural hospitals open

Protect and improve TennCare

Defend reproductive freedom and the right to choose

Support maternal health equity - especially for Black women

Invest in mental health services and addiction recovery

Legalize marijuana medicinally and recreationally to increase treatment options and decrease reliance on opioids

Strengthen mental health outreach and peer-counselor networks for veterans

Restore access to reproductive health care, including contraception and emergency care

Protect IVF and miscarriage management from state interference

Require every public college in the state to provide for women’s health and reproductive needsPublic Education:

Fully fund K-12 public education

Expand access to school counselors, nurses, and support staff

Protect honest, inclusive education

Invest in universal pre-K, special education, and rural schools

Launch Public Service Year Program for high school graduates

Waive GED testing fees and take testing to all corners of the state

Start a dedicated childcare and early education fund

Ensure every public high school provides mental health screenings any parent can opt their child into

Set up a Special Education Equity Fund

Set up a “Teach Every Student” fellowship to encourage more teacher to go into special education

Use all possible medicaid dollars within schools to make sure students have the supports they need

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Jerri’s top five issues are:

Real Support for Working Families: Paid family leave. Affordable child care. A real living wage. Because families deserve more than survival - they deserve stability and dignity.

Strong Public Schools: Fully funded classrooms. Respected teachers. Honest education—not censorship and political interference.

Health Care Access: A government that expands Medicaid, especially in rural Tennessee, and respect a woman's decisions regarding her own health.

Common-Sense Laws: Background checks. Red flag laws. Gun locks. Because no parent should fear sending their child to school.

A Future Worth Fighting For: Clean air, safe water, and climate-smart policies that protect our land—and our children.

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

Pat Head Summit, she taught me the value of working hard–in her autobiography, she talked about how she beat her opponents, which was outworking them.

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

Compassion, Courage, Common Sense. Integrity

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

Presenting and deciding budget priorities, appointing major Commissioners, offering a check on the legislature’s power

What legacy would you like to leave?

My goal is to leave the world better than when I came into it for my kids.

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

I made $4.25 an hour as a deep water lifeguard and worked there every summer for four years.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Growing up in poverty and having to watch my mom struggle as a single mom was hard. Both of us had to work hard to change the trajectory of our lives. I planned menus, wrote the grocery lists, clipped coupons, and cooked meals every night while my mom put herself back through school while I was in high school - all while I was just trying to be a normal kid.

Governors have many responsibilities, which vary from state to state. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your state?

The budget is critical. Because budgets are moral documents - you show me yours, and I’ll show you what you care about.

In most states, governors have the power to make line-item vetoes. If that is true in your state, what would be your philosophy for how and when to use this power?

In my years of being a public defender, I’ve had to practice the art of negotiation. Most everyone involved walks away not having gotten everything they wanted, but we came to an agreement. But every now and then, you have to set a case for trial because the powers that be have trampled all over my client’s rights. That’s exactly how I would approach governance–we’ll find the spaces and places we can agree and work on solutions. But when the legislature pushes some hateful or unconstitutional legislation, I’ll veto it.

Under what circumstances should the governor of your state be able to use emergency powers?

The governor should exercise emergency powers when there is a natural disaster, historic weather event, public safety threat, or otherwise that necessitates immediate relief for Tennesseans without red tape holding us back from helping them. Any situation in which a large number of Tennesseans are struggling to take care of their basic needs, i.e. housing insecurity, maternal health risks, or unaffordable gas prices or groceries, warrants emergency care and funding.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Shelby Co Mayor Lee Harris

State Rep Aftyn Behn

Senator London Lamar

Senator Sara Kyle

State Rep GA Hardaway

Fmr GOP Speaker of the House Kent Williams

Fmr State Rep Dwayne Thompson

Memphis City Council Chair Jana Swearengen-Washington and Councilor Michalyn Easter-Thomas

Nashville City Council Sandy Ewing

Knoxville City Council Karyn Adams

Washington Co Commission Jodi Jones

Cumberland Co Commission Deborah Holbrook

Obion Co Commission Phillip Dunlap

Dickson City Council Stacey Levine

Covington City Alderwoman Jean Johnson

Pikeville City Vice Mayor Jeania Lansing

Memphis-Shelby Co School Board Members Michelle McKissack, Tamarques Porter, Amber Huett-Garcia

Metro Nashville School Board Zach Young

Civil Rights Leader Walter Bailey, Jr.

What was the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember?

The first historical event that I remember was the Challenger explosion.

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Video submitted to BallotpediaReleased April 14, 2020

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Jerri Green and I am One Tough Mother. After graduating from law school at Georgetown, I served as a public defender. Currently I serve as the Director of Community Engagement for the Community Legal Center in Memphis, Tennessee, giving voice to those who other wise would have none. I am the mother of three wonderful children. I am a life-long Memphian. I am a three-time gun violence survivor, having lost people dear to me to this horrible epidemic that has gripped our nation. I am not a politician. I am an advocate and an educator. My goal is to bring back common sense and compassion to the Tennessee State House.

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?

As a mother of three children, I believe we must restore common sense and compassion to our government to improve our community.I believe in science and evidence-based solutions. I am pro-public education, against voucher, and for supporting healthcare for our most vulnerable populations.I strongly support gun-sense legislation. Gun violence is an epidemic and scourge in this country.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about education, gun violence, and healthcare. Tennessee's public schools are failing, and rather than provide the resources necessary to improve their outcomes, the Republican governor and legislature has backed public vouchers for private schools. I oppose this plan (and currently it has been declared unconstitutional by a trial court). Additionally, Tennessee has refused federal funding designated for Medicaid and TennCare, instead taking block grants and redirecting the funds for other projects. This has led to severe cuts in Medicaid rolls and the most vulnerable in our state are not receiving the health care they need. It has also led to the highest number of rural hospital closures in the country. I believe access to quality health care is a right every citizen should have. Additionally, gun-sense legislation is a priority for me. I oppose permit-less carry and arming teachers. I support universal background checks, red flag laws, closing the boyfriend loophole, and banning the sale of assault rifles. Finally, we need leaders who believe in science based decision-making. We are facing a public health crisis of unknown duration. We cannot be cavalier in how we address the health and safety of our constituents.

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

I have always looked up to strong women in the legal field who worked for positive change and weren't afraid to speak up against injustices, like Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Sally Yates. (I even dressed up as Sandra Day O'Connor in second grade for Halloween.)

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

Compassion, integrity, intelligence, common sense. These traits are more and more absent from our leaders and from political discourse. It is my goal to bring them back to the Tennessee State House.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am exactly who I say I am: One Tough Mother. I have spent my adult life being a voice for the voiceless. I am not afraid to take on tough challenges or hold an unpopular opinion if it is the right course of action. I am compassionate and caring.

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

First and foremost to listen to my constituents and bring their concerns to Nashville. I represent the people of District 83. I do not represent myself, special interest groups, the governor, the President, the national party, or anyone else. The issues that matter to my district are the issues that matter to me. I also believe it is incumbent on me as an elected representative to act with decency and dignity.

What legacy would you like to leave?

A better world for my three children.

What is your favorite book? Why?

To Kill a Mocking Bird, by Harper Lee. It is as relevant as ever, and it is why I became a public defender.

Every state besides Nebraska has two legislative chambers. What do you consider the most important differences between the legislative chambers in your state?

The most important differences between the two chambers of the Tennessee General Assembly are their size and duration of service. There are 99 members of the state House of Representatives, and 33 members of the state Senate. House Representatives serve two year terms and Senators serve four year terms. Legislation may originate in either house and a constitutional majority is required in both houses to pass. The major difference, then, is that the Senate has far fewer people to persuade than does the House, given them more power over a longer period of time.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Not necessarily. However, I do believe it is important for state legislators actually to understand the law, how it operates both within our state and federal constitutional legal system, and how it impacts our constituents. So much of politics and government today is polarized bluster and rhetoric. Tennessee in particular has been taken over by legislators who have no concept of hat is and what is not constitutional, leading to wasted taxpayer dollars. As stated previously, one of my primary goals is to bring common sense and compassion to the State House. This includes approaching the law in a way that makes sense and is legal, not just what sounds good in a news clip or riles up a fringe base. As an attorney and a professional advocate, I believe I already possess the skills necessary to accomplish what is necessary in Nashville on behalf of my district.

What do you perceive to be your state’s greatest challenges over the next decade?

Legislatively, Tennessee is run by a Republican supermajority. This must change if there is to be any sort of representative governance and change will come slowly. District 83, which leans moderate to liberal, is one which is not being served adequately by its current Republican representatives. For the legislature to mirror the demographics of the state in any meaningful way, it must not be a one-party state. Once there is more balance, some of the gerrymandering can be undone and representative governance can be restored.

I also believe healthcare to be one of Tennessee's biggest challenges. Tennessee has seen one of the highest rates of rural hospital closures in the country. The Republican governor and legislature has refused federal funding for Medicaid and TennCare, denying our poorest citizens access to quality healthcare. This is primarily a rural and poor state. If we don't fix our health system, and don't provide access to health care, we are failing at the most basic human level.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and the state legislature?

The chief executive of the state's job is to lead everyone, not just marshal his cronies. Legislators are elected by diverse groups of people who want and need different things. It is the job of the legislature to draft and enact the laws that reflect those wants and needs, and the role of the executive to ensure application of the law.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Absolutely. There is power in numbers. Currently, Republicans are a super-majority in Tennessee. There is no expectation that Tennessee will flip blue overnight. However, if Democrats start flipping some districts, alliances with moderate Republicans become essential to blocking an ultra-conservative legislative agenda.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

Right now that is not in contemplation!

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

I sat in a room with a dozen mothers and fathers who have lost their children to gun violence. Their heartache and unending pain as we cried together for hours, reliving how their children died needlessly will never leave me. As a person who has had gun violence impact my life three times I understand all to well why we need legislation that protects are communities better.