ADVERTISEMENT
Seema Singh announces candidacy for Tennessee House
Singh made history as the first South Asian American elected to any public office in East Tennessee
.jpg)
Indian American Democrat Seema Singh / Knoxville City Council
Seema Singh, an Indian American and member of the Knoxville city council, has declared her candidacy for the state House of Representatives in Tennessee. She announced a bid for Republican Rep. Gloria Johnson's seat, who announced that she will be running for the U.S. Senate.
Singh was elected to the city council in 2017, making history as the first South Asian American to hold public office in East Tennessee. She was re-elected for an additional four-year term in 2021.
She has been an outspoken advocate for affordable housing initiatives and community policing throughout her time on the council. The Knoxville Utilities Board (KUB) fee freeze and the KUB community advisory board were two of her first major accomplishments in office.
Speaking of her Senate bid, Singh told Knox News Sentinel, "I feel like I will be there (as a) bookmark for sanity. I will try to bring up the points of view that I think are important and push ahead for a lot of people who are not being represented or listened to."
Currently, Singh serves on the boards of the Knoxville Family Justice Center’s Coordinated Community Response Team, the Knox County Domestic Assault Death Review Team, the YMCA of East Tennessee, and the Metropolitan Drug Center. In addition to her work on the City Council, she also leads the Municipal Golf Committee.
Additionally, Singh is the executive director of Healing the Home, a nonprofit organization that works with families to heal the abuse and suffering caused by generational domestic and intimate partner violence.
Born in the Indian city of Varanasi, Singh immigrated to the U.S. when her father was employed as a professor at the University of Tennessee in the mid-1970s. At the age of 13, she became a naturalized American citizen and attended West Hills Elementary, Bearden Middle School, and Bearden High School.
She received her bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Tennessee in 1996, with a focus on clinical, counselling, and applied psychology.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
E Paper
Video
.png)
Comments
Start the conversation
Become a member of New India Abroad to start commenting.
Sign Up Now
Already have an account? Login