Tami Sawyer facts for kids

Tami Sawyer (born April 27, 1982) is an American politician and a leader in civil rights. She was elected in August 2018 to serve as a Shelby County Commissioner for District 7. She lives in Memphis, Tennessee. She is a member of the Democratic Party.

As a Commissioner, she led the Education and Legislative committees. She also chaired the Shelby County Commission Black Caucus. In 2024, Sawyer ran for election as the Shelby County General Sessions Court Clerk.

Sawyer has shared her ideas on social justice and public policy with many news groups. These include Al Jazeera, CNN, Essence, Forbes, HuffPost, MSNBC, NPR, and Time. In 2020, a documentary called We Can't Wait was made about her 2019 campaign for mayor of Memphis. This film won an award at the Indie Memphis Film Festival. Sawyer also appears in the award-winning 2022 documentary, Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America.

Sawyer is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and the Links, Inc. These are social organizations for Black women.

Early Life and Education

Tami Sawyer was born in Evanston, Illinois, on April 27, 1982. Her parents are Gladys and Andrew Sawyer, Jr. She has an older brother named Michael. When she was 8 years old, her family moved to South Holland, Illinois. At age 12, her parents moved the family back to her mother's home state, Tennessee.

The Sawyer family lived in Mason, Tennessee. Tami attended St. Mary's Episcopal School for both middle school and high school. After finishing high school in 2000, Sawyer went to Hampton University. She later graduated from the University of Memphis in 2004. She earned a degree in Political Science. Sawyer then studied at Howard University School of Law for two years. As of 2020, Sawyer was studying at the University of Memphis again. She was working towards a master's degree in rhetorical communications.

Tami Sawyer's Career Journey

From 2008 to 2014, Sawyer worked as an analyst for the United States Navy. She helped with programs that supported diversity. During this time, she also competed on the Food Network's show Cupcake Wars. She even owned a small cupcake business called Tami Cakes.

After living in Washington, DC for ten years, she returned to Memphis. There, she led a team that handled teacher licensing for Shelby County Schools.

In 2015, Sawyer started working for Teach For America Memphis. She was the managing director for Diversity and Community Partnerships for five years. After Teach for America, Sawyer held leadership roles with Black Voters Matter and Our Black Party.

Sawyer is also on the board of Common Cause. She is a co-chair for the Memphis NAACP Legal Defense Fund.

Activism and Community Work

Tami Sawyer became involved in social justice and political activism in 2013. This was after the trial of George Zimmerman for the killing of Trayvon Martin. In 2014, she organized her first protest. It was held at the National Civil Rights Museum. This protest happened after a grand jury decided not to try Darren Wilson for the killing of Michael Brown. Sawyer became known as a leader for the Black Lives Matter movement in Memphis.

In December 2015, Sawyer organized a vigil. This was after a prosecutor decided not to charge police officers who shot and killed Tamir Rice. The vigil took place in Health Sciences Park. It was in front of the statue of Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. Two years later, the City of Memphis removed both the Forrest statue and a statue of Jefferson Davis. This happened after pressure from the #TakeEmDown901 movement, which Sawyer started and led.

After being elected to office in 2018, Sawyer continued her activism. She took part in and helped organize the 2020 George Floyd protests in Memphis. In 2021, Sawyer was arrested outside the White House. She was protesting with other activists to end the filibuster and protect voting rights.

Political Campaigns

Tami Sawyer has run for several political offices:

• 2016 Tennessee State Representative, District 90
  • Sawyer lost the Democratic Primary to John DeBerry, Jr.
• 2018 Shelby County Commissioner, District 7
  • Sawyer won the Democratic Primary.
  • She then defeated Republican Sam Goff in the general election.
• 2019 Memphis Mayor
  • Sawyer ran against the current mayor, Jim Strickland. She finished third out of 11 candidates.

Sawyer's term as Commissioner ended on August 31, 2022. She decided not to run for re-election. Instead, she planned to start a Ph.D. program in public policy.

Awards and Recognition

Tami Sawyer has received several awards and recognitions:

• Ebony Power 100 List 2018
• Memphis Business Journal Top 40 under 40 Class of 2018
• The Tennessean's 18 Tennesseans to Watch in 2018
• Reckon South's 2022 Reckon List
• Women of Achievement Heroism Award 2018