[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 63 (Monday, April 17, 2023)] [House] [Pages H1744-H1751] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Date: 2023-04-17
Chamber: HOUSE
Ms. KAMLAGER-DOVE: I thank the gentlewoman from Florida and the gentleman from Illinois for managing this very important Special Order hour. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the blatantly antidemocratic and, frankly, racist expulsion of Tennessee Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson. In response to the Covenant School shooting that claimed the lives of three innocent children and three staff members, Representatives Jones, Pearson, and Johnson protested on the floor of the Tennessee House. They were calling for long-overdue commonsense gun reform that would help save the lives of children and keep our communities from becoming war zones. They engaged in good trouble, similar to what Congressman John Lewis did when he sat on this very floor to demand action to end gun violence. What the ``Tennessee Three'' did was righteous, yet instead of joining the calls to keep our communities safe, extremist Republicans retaliated by expelling Representatives Jones and Pearson, two young Black male lawmakers. Actions of civil disobedience by Black men and women have been the impetus of change in our Nation, from boycotts to peaceful protests to sit-ins. I know we like to romanticize the civil rights movement, but let's be clear: Itwas not long ago that dogs were sicced on young people for wanting the right to vote, and their disobedience was in nonviolently persisting. Representatives Jones and Pearson's only ``disobedience'' was in being vocal and unapologetic about gun violence in this Nation and about being Black. Unfortunately, throughout our history, Black people fighting for a stronger democracy and a more perfect Union have been silenced and shut down by white supremacy. When asked to make a choice between democracy and white supremacy, those in the Tennessee Legislature chose white supremacy, ignorantly presuming that this could happen without any attention, but they were wrong. There is a long history of attacks against Black legislators going back to the Reconstruction era or even the case against civil rights advocate Julian Bond and Congressman Adam Clayton Powell. Tennessee Republicans managed to expel two duly elected Black legislators, but the vote against Representative Johnson, a White woman, failed. We cannot ignore the racial undertones of this incident and the efforts to temporarily disenfranchise Black voters and muzzle Black voices. Was it the color of these young men's skin, their age, their hair? As a Black legislator, I know what it feels like to have to explain my very presence in these spaces. Sadly, my story is not unique. It is the story of individuals in Black and Brown communities everywhere. That is why I introduced a resolution to immediately condemn the actions of the Tennessee Legislature and to recognize this as an attack on the very heart of our democracy. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) for joining the resolution with me. He is a true advocate for the people of Tennessee. In addition, I am proud to work with my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus who reached out to Representatives Jones and Pearson and assured them that they have our support. My colleagues stand by me today as we demand more from a country founded on the principles of liberty and justice for all because it is clear that we live in a nation where liberty and justice are only granted for some. I am glad that both Representatives Jones and Pearson have been reinstated as interim representatives so that they can continue to serve their constituents. Their municipal governments saw the importance of getting them back to work. They have it right. The Tennessee House had it wrong. The fact that it took national outrage and the shaming of the legislature of Tennessee is absurd.  I will continue to work with my CBC colleagues to call out attacks on our democracy in Black communities across the country as we work to advance racial equity and address the needs of Black Americans because these young men were fighting to end gun violence. As you have heard, guns are the leading cause of death for children and teens, and Black men are 10 times more likely to be killed by gun violence. They were speaking truth to reality, and they were silenced. I don't know why the truth is so scary, but that is why I am so proud to be part of the CBC, to make sure that we are reminding people of the truth every single day.