{"age":37,"biography":"Contessa Humphrey is a Democratic candidate running for the Memphis-Shelby County School Board District 6 seat in Shelby County, Tennessee [7]. She is seeking to fill the position currently held by incumbent Keith Williams, who is not running for re-election [8]. The race involves selecting a Democratic nominee in a primary election on May 5, 2026, with the winner facing independent candidate Frederick Dewayne Tappan in the general election on August 6, 2026 [7].\n\nHumphrey is one of five Democrats vying for the nomination in District 6, a district covering approximately 28 schools and 12,000 students in Southwest Memphis, including Whitehaven High School and Havenview Middle School [8]. The district has a student population that is more than 95% Black, with nearly 70% of students considered economically disadvantaged [8]. Students in the district test slightly below the districtwide averages on state reading and math proficiency tests [8].\n\nWhile other candidates in the race have detailed their backgrounds\u2014such as Marinda A-Williams, a former teacher and state party official, or Juliette Eskridge, a 20-year MSCS teacher\u2014Humphrey did not respond to Chalkbeat\u2019s candidate survey [8]. Her full name is listed as Contessa Glorianna Humphrey in the initial candidate list provided by the Shelby County Election Commission [10]. She participated in a candidate video series hosted by the Greater Memphis Chamber to present her priorities and vision for public education to voters [12].\n\n## Sources\n- [1] [Tennessee gubernatorial election, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Tennessee_gubernatorial_election,_2026)\n- [2] [Tennessee elections, 2026 - Ballotpedia](https://ballotpedia.org/Tennessee_elections,_2026)\n- [3] [Candidate Lists | Tennessee Secretary of State](https://sos.tn.gov/elections/2026-candidate-lists)\n- [4] [Elections Calendar | Tennessee Secretary of State](https://sos.tn.gov/elections/calendar)\n- [5] [2026 Tennessee gubernatorial election - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Tennessee_gubernatorial_election)\n- [7] [Voter guide: Here are the Democratic Memphis school board candidates running in District 6 - Memphis Local, Sports, Business & Food News | Daily Memphian](https://dailymemphian.com/article/61985)\n- [8] [Memphis school board election 2026: Who are the Democratic candidates in District 6?](https://www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/2026/04/14/voter-guide-memphis-shelby-county-schools-board-election-district-6/)\n- [10] [Meet the Memphis school board candidates on your 2026 ballot](https://www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/2026/02/23/memphis-2026-partisan-primary-draws-no-republican-candidates/)\n- [11] [Voter Guide 2026 | Everything you need to know about primary elections in Shelby County | localmemphis.com](https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/politics/elections/voter-guide-2026-primary-elections-in-shelby-county/522-614cfd53-f537-47a3-94d8-9adaf052f47e)\n- [12] [Meet the Candidates: Memphis-Shelby County School Board District 6 - Greater Memphis Chamber](https://memphischamber.com/blog/general/meet-the-candidates-school-board-district-6/)","birthdate":"Wed, 05 Oct 1988 00:00:00 GMT","campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board_district_6","county":"shelby","county_count":1,"electiondate":"Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT","pgr":"general","state":"TN","title":"County School Board District 6"}],"cf_filings":[{"county":"shelby","displayname":"Humphrey, Contessa","documents":[{"datesubmitted":"04/07/26","documentid":"96B62A08-48CE-4E0C-A7D5-B7500A8D00E5","documentname":"Humphrey, Contessa - CFD 1st Quarter 2026.pdf","documentnameid":["96B62A08-48CE-4E0C-A7D5-B7500A8D00E5","Humphrey, Contessa - CFD 1st Quarter 2026.pdf"],"documenttype":"2026 CFD","electionname":null},{"datesubmitted":"02/19/26","documentid":"DA77D6EF-CBFA-442F-9323-B96E0A0D040E","documentname":"Humphrey, Contessa - Appointment of Treasurer 2026.pdf","documentnameid":["DA77D6EF-CBFA-442F-9323-B96E0A0D040E","Humphrey, Contessa - Appointment of Treasurer 2026.pdf"],"documenttype":"Appointment of Treasurer","electionname":null}],"filertype":"Candidate","officename":"County School Bd., Dist. 6","source_customer_id":"EE6EBC62-7B7C-432F-869E-4DE111271E07","source_filer_id":"2823E836-CEEF-4113-A68F-CA0E64F67CE6","source_system":"easyvote","state":"TN","status":"Active"}],"firstname":"Contessa","fullname":"Contessa Humphrey","lastname":"Humphrey","office_history":[{"campaigns":[{"contest":"county_school_board_district_6","contest_title":"County School Board District 6","county":"shelby","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-05-05","office_county":"shelby","office_key":"county_school_board_division_6","office_title":"County School Board Division 6","party":"D","pgr":"general","state":"TN"}],"county":"shelby","cycles":[{"general":{"contest":"county_school_board_district_6","contest_title":"County School Board District 6","county":"shelby","county_count":1,"electiondate":"2026-05-05","office_county":"shelby","office_key":"county_school_board_division_6","office_title":"County School Board Division 6","party":"D","pgr":"general","state":"TN"},"party":"D","primary":null,"term":null,"year":2026}],"office_key":"county_school_board_division_6","office_title":"County School Board Division 6","state":"TN","terms":[]}],"summary":"Contessa Humphrey is a Democratic candidate for Memphis-Shelby County School Board District 6, competing in the May 5 primary against four other Democrats.","terms":[],"token":"r6STMNe0Ou"}