The two Black Democrats who were ousted from the Tennessee state House said Sunday that their presence there was a source of tension from the start — even before their protests on the chamber floor in the wake of a deadly mass shooting.
The GOP-controlled state House voted last week to expel Justin Jones, who represented the Nashville area, and Justin Pearson, whose districted included Memphis, over those protests, arguing that they broke the rules of the chamber. A vote to boot Rep. Gloria Johnson, a white Democrat who also participated in the protests, fell short. Jones and Pearson, who were took office in November and January, respectively, are community organizers and social justice advocates, and Jones has described himself as an activist.
Asked by NBC News’ Chuck Todd whether that history of activism made them a target, Jones said: “I think our presence as young Black voices for our constituencies, people who will not bow down, those who will not be conformed, that’s what put a target on us the day we walked in the Tennessee General Assembly.”
“I mean, this is the first time in Tennessee history we had a completely partisan expulsion by predominantly white caucus — all but one member of their caucus is white out of 75 members — and we are the two youngest Black lawmakers in Tennessee,” he continued.
“And so what we saw was a system of political hubris. This was not just an attack on us, it was an attempt to silence our districts.”
In the joint interview, Jones and Pearson both said that they will do everything in their power to get back into office to represent their communities again.
“We will continue to fight for our constituents,” Jones said.
“This attack against us is hurting all people in our state,” he said. “Even though it is disproportionately affecting Black and brown communities, this is hurting poor white people. Their attack on democracy hurts all of us.”
A majority of the members of the Nashville Metropolitan Council have told NBC News that they plan to vote to reinstate Jones to the Legislature. The council are expected to hold a special meeting Monday to discuss an interim replacement for his seat.
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Pearson is from Memphis and represents parts of the city. Shelby County Commission Chair Mickell Lowery told The Washington Post that the commission will vote on a resolution to reinstate him this week.
Republicans’ move to oust two Black Democrats and not the white lawmaker who protested alongside has raised accusations that race played a role.
Johnson has said she believes she survived the vote because she’s a “60-year-old white woman and they are two young Black men.”
Republican state Rep. Bryan Richey, who voted to expel Jones but not Pearson or Johnson, pushed back on the allegation, telling CNN on Friday that their ousting “had nothing to do with race.”
“Had nothing to do with the color of their skin,” he said. “I respect all three of them.”
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
