Congressional District 8 & 9 Candidate Forum RECAP

Written by: Sonya N Murphy, Esq.; 8/3/2026

On Saturday, August 1, 2026, Douglass Chapel CME Church (Stanton, TN), in

collaboration with the *NAACP, *MICAH, CME Church, League of Women Voters, and Civic TN, held an impactful Congressional Forum highlighting candidates campaigning for office within District 8 and District 9 inTennessee. Attendees heard from six candidates running within these newly redrawn districts. Candidates from District 8 included: Horace Taylor, Jordan Hinders, Pamela

Moses, and Leonard Perkins. Candidates from District 9 included Justin Pearson and

Jim Torino.

Rev. Elaura James Reid began the program by highlighting the theme, “Enlarge our

Territory”, during her powerful Theological Framing segment (1 Chronicles 4:9-10). Pastor Gussy White Mask provided the Opening Prayer. Hostess, Sonya N Murphy, a licensed Tennessee attorney and past Shelby County candidate, encouraged attendees to “activate your activism” by engaging in the political process. Whether it is registering people to vote, providing transportation to voters, volunteering for worthy causes, becoming a political candidate, interacting with elected officials, or attending forums and town hall meetings, these are all examples of activating our activism within our community. The anointed Rev. Dr. Darryl Coleman moderated the program by conducting multiple rounds of Question-and-Answer sessions for the illustrious candidates. A few questions came from audience submissions after the candidates made their introduction pitch.

After candidates completed their Q&A sessions, Brandon Jones empowered

participants to utilize Voter engagement technology, REACH App Civic TN, during his

Call-to-Action segment. NAACP President, Fitzgerald Mann, concluded with

inspirational words and took a stand in solidarity with attendees affiliated with the

movement. Pastor Jon Isom, of Douglass Chapel CME Church, provided closing

remarks and prayer leading up to the networking luncheon at the end of the program.

During the takeout luncheon, participants enjoyed additional opportunities to connect

with available candidates, and they learned more about the scope of these newly

redrawn districts.

 Use this link to view the full event: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1PfZ8Nuqih/

For more information, contact MICAH at www.micahmemphis.org.

*NAACP (National Association Advancement of Colored People)

*MICAH (Memphis Interfaith Coalition for Action and Hope)