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The nation reacts to the Tennessee legislature’s expulsion of 2 Black lawmakers

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Blaise GaineyWPLN News
Former Rep. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, gives his closing statement, surrounded by Black lawmakers, ahead of the vote to expel him from the Tennessee House.
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History has its eyes on Tennessee. And so do powerful people — near and far.

Vice President Kamala Harris is heading to Nashville on Friday to meet with the so-called Tennessee Three: state Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, and former Reps. Justin J. Pearson, D-Memphis, and Justin Jones, D-Nashville. The latter two were expelled from the statehouse Thursday following the trio’s gun control protest on the House floor a week before.

More: Tennessee House Republicans expel 2 young Black Democrats for gun protests after Covenant School shooting

The lawmakers say they had to take unconventional action when they weren’t allowed to speak on gun reform in the chamber following the Covenant School shooting in Nashville on March 27. Three 9-year-old students and three staffers were killed in attack. The shooter also died during a gunfire exchange with police.

Jones and Pearson, who are Black, were the youngest representatives in the Tennessee House of Representatives. Johnson, who is white, survived the attempt to expel her by one vote.

Ahead of the vote, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre opened Thursday’s press briefing condemning the motions to expel the lawmakers.  

“The fact that this vote is happening is shocking, undemocratic and without precedent,” she said. “Across Tennessee and across America, our kids are paying the price for the actions of Republican lawmakers who refuse to take action on stronger gun laws.”

Jean-Pierre said that President Biden would continue to call on Congress to pass gun reform measures, including a ban on assault-style weapons and strengthened background checks.  

Later in the day, Biden released his own statement — which reads, in part, “State Republican lawmakers called votes today to expel three Democratic legislators who stood in solidarity with students and families and helped lift their voices.”

“Rather than debating the merits of the issue,” Biden’s statement continues, “these Republican lawmakers have chosen to punish, silence, and expel duly-elected representatives of the people of Tennessee.”

Former President Barack Obama took to Twitter with a similar point on “silencing.”

Former secretary of state and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton responded by sharing out a link to donate to Jones and Pearson’s reelection campaigns.

Former Vice President Al Gore, a longtime Tennessean, focused more on the representation issue:

 

On the Republican side, former Maryland Lt. Gov. and Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele reprimanded members of his own party.

Steele, who was the first Black person elected to statewide office in Maryland, pointed out that the one white lawmaker was spared in the vote to expel. “So tell me how to process that because I know what it feels like,” Steele said.

National organizations share their support for the trio

A second protest for gun control took place at the Tennessee State Capitol Monday, led by March for Our Lives, an organization created in the aftermath of the Parkland school shooting in 2018. After the vote to expel, the nonprofit tweeted in solidarity.

Meanwhile, on Instagram, a post from the NAACP featuring Jones and Pearson quickly made the rounds.

The ACLU of Tennessee put out a statement, including thoughts from its executive director Kathy Sinback.

“Not only is this targeted expulsion of two Black legislators without due process an extreme measure that undermines democracy, it raises questions about the disparate treatment of Black representatives, while continuing the shameful legacy of disenfranchising and silencing the voices of marginalized communities and the Black lawmakers they elect,” she said, in part.

Celebrities take a stance

Margo Price, who did not contribute the now-infamous megaphone to the Tennessee Three despite rumors, has been a vocal advocate for the trio.

The Grammy-nominated country artist was part of the citywide vigil for the Covenant School shooting victims a week before and has increasingly posted about ending gun violence on her social media platforms since.

Rachel Iacovone WPLN News

Margo Price performs at Nashville’s candlelight vigil for the Covenant School shooting victims on Wednesday, March 29.

Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr., tweeted that the vote was “a blatant attack on democracy.”

“So this attack on democracy is also a racist attack, as the third lawmaker, Rep. Gloria Johnson, is white,” she added in a secondary tweet. “A disastrously amoral day for Tennessee House Republicans in a state reeling from a school shooting.”

Local decision makers sound off

While posts on the national stage expressed outrage and support for the Tennessee Three, locals with actionable power quickly began sharing their plans to reverse the legislature’s decision.

Councilmember Bob Mendes tweeted out the email detailing the specially called Metro Council meeting this coming Monday with a statement that he will be voting to reappoint Jones.

Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda tweeted her intention to do the same before a Metro Council meeting was even called.

Councilmember and mayoral candidate Freddie O’Connell pledged his vote within minutes of the vote to expel Jones.

And the following day, Councilmember Zulfat Suara confirmed her vote in favor of reappointing Jones.

Rachel Iacovone, Director of Multiplatform Publishing

Rachel Iacovone (YAH-kuh-VOAN-ee) is WPLN's Director of Multiplatform Publishing, which is a long way of saying she leads all the ways the news reaches you (this website, social media, This Is Nashville and more). She began her public radio career covering politics in Florida during the 2016 presidential race. In 2019, Rachel came to Nashville as a local Morning Edition, and later All Things Considered, host before her passion for data deep dives, visualizations, photography and social media storytelling pulled her off air and put her online fully.

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