In March, the expulsion of two young Black lawmakers from the Tennessee General Assembly sent ripples of shock and anger across the country. State Reps. Justin J. Pearson (D-Memphis) and Justin Jones (D-Nashville) made history. Together with Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), the lawmakers have fondly become known as the “Tennessee Three.” In the wake of the Covenant School shooting, all three were threatened with expulsion due to joining the peaceful protesters, many of them teenagers, at the state Capitol advocating for stronger gun reform.
Pearson and Jones were ultimately expelled by House Republicans, leading many Americans to take to social media to express their outrage. Even President Biden tweeted: “Earlier, I spoke to Reps Jones, Pearson, and Johnson to thank them for their leadership and courage in the face of a blatant disregard of our nation’s democratic values. Our country needs to take action on gun violence — to do that we need more voices like theirs speaking out.” Vice President Kamala Harris flew to Nashville for a quickly assembled rally on the campus of Fisk University. “A democracy says you do not silence the people, you do not stifle the people, you do not turn off their microphones when they are speaking,” said Vice President Harris. “These leaders had to get a bullhorn to be heard.”
The decision to expel the two lawmakers was based on allegations of misconduct, but many Americans saw it as a racially motivated move, considering that Johnson — a white woman — faced the same allegations but narrowly avoided expulsion. According to state Rep. Antonio Parkinson (D-Memphis), Democrats attempted negotiation with Republicans to avoid expulsion, but it happened anyway — and it put Tennessee in the national spotlight in the worst kind of way. Since the turn of the 20th century, only two other members of the Tennessee House of Representatives have been expelled — both of them after sexual misconduct or criminal violations. This time, two young Black men were removed for essentially getting in the trenches with their constituents and pleading for gun reform.
Thankfully, both Pearson and Jones have been sent back to the state House to continue representing their districts. Both are still determined to fight for their constituents. Jones has pledged to remain focused on gun reform — “because that’s what these young people are begging us to do,” he told CNN.
But the negative impact of the situation remains.
Nearly every media outlet you can think of has reported on these events. Much of the coverage repeats the same thoughts — that Tennessee legislators were wrong in their actions, and that they abused their power. Worse, many people nationwide feel the expulsion of the two young Black lawmakers was a racially motivated move.
A USA Today/Ipsos poll finds: “Three-fourths of those surveyed, including more than 6 in 10 Republicans, say legislators have the right to peacefully protest at statehouses.” Fifty-one percent of those polled “call the expulsions an anti-democratic abuse of power.”
If any good has come out of this horrible situation, it’s that many are now seeing truths that might have otherwise remained in the shadows. While some progress has been made in recent years, much work still needs to be done to ensure that all Americans are treated justly. It is also encouraging to see an outpouring of support for the Tennessee Three from Americans of all races — and even both parties — who recognize that justice and equality are essential if we are to have any kind of functioning democracy.
It is up to all of us to continue to push for positive change, both in our government and in our society as a whole. Gun reform is of course a sensitive issue. There are many sensitive issues, but they still must be addressed. In the case of Tennesseans calling for gun reform in the wake of the mass shooting at the Covenant School? It was appropriate for the students, parents and teachers to put themselves out there in protest. And it was no doubt a moment when the Tennessee Three felt an overwhelming sense of commitment and desire to support their grieving constituents. In the end, the people should have the final say. That’s what a democracy is supposed to be.
The last thing we should be doing is working against those who are working on behalf of the people. They’re simply working for democracy.
Bill Freeman
Bill Freeman is the owner of FW Publishing, the publishing company that produces the Nashville Scene, Nfocus, the Nashville Post and The News.
