The day after two young Black Tennessee state lawmakers were expelled last year by majority white male Republicans, Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Nashville on a whim to condemn the ousters in a non-scripted fiery speech.
It was a remarkable move for a sitting vice president to engage in such state-level controversy.
Reps. Justin J. Pearson, Justin Jones and Gloria Johnson were brought up on expulsion charges in the state House of Representatives after joining anti-gun violence protesters in the state Capitol building following a deadly school shooting that took the lives of three 9-year-old students and three faculty members.
Ultimately, Pearson and Jones — newly elected 20-something lawmakers at the time — were expelled. Johnson, a white woman, survived the vote to retain her seat. Pearson and Jones were later reinstated in their respective special elections.
“The vice president coming to Tennessee on April 7, 2023, was one of the most pivotal moments in our fight for justice in Tennessee in decades,” said Rep. Pearson, reflecting on Harris’ impromptu visit to Fisk University.
The vice presidential visit was a show of national solidarity for not just Pearson and Jones but also the broader multiracial coalition of anti-gun violence and pro-social justice young voters throughout the state.
He told theGrio, “It showed the issues of democracy, the abuse of autocracy and the misuse of power by our colleagues was wrong and dangerous.”
Pearson added, “She gave one of the best speeches I’ve ever heard her give.”
More than one year later, Pearson is returning the favor to Harris as he travels the country as a surrogate for her historic presidential campaign. Jones is also a surrogate for the campaign.
“She came and fought for us in Tennessee, and so I’m happy to go fight for her,” Pearson declared.
Now a national figure, Pearson has traveled to battleground states like Georgia and North Carolina,…
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