[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. JACKSON LEE: I come today to be able to join my colleagues and to again ask for the question of justice and democracy and freedom, and to be able to salute these three. To say that in their name, from Tennessee, now from Alabama where teenagers were murdered, can we not do our work on the floor of the House: from abandoning assault weapons, from passing a sensible storage bill, the Emily Vaughan storage bill, to getting rid of ghost guns, to making red flag laws permanent and not voluntary--because of what happened in Louisville, mental health concerns, and a number of other places. Can we not do this?  {time}  2015  I simply close with respect to the late Representative John Lewis. I simply close and pay tribute to him, for it was before your tenure, Mr. Speaker, that we did take to the floor of the House to sit with his leadership in the pain of another shooting of children way back during Parkland. We couldn't take it anymore. I wonder if this is not the moment when we can find common ground. I am going to look for my friends on both sides of the aisle to see whether we can find common ground on some form of gun safety legislation. Then I will say to those Tennessee Three what John Lewis said: Never give in, never give out, and never give up. I pay tribute to them and all others who have never given up, never given out, and never given in God bless all of you, and God bless the United States of America. Mr. Speaker, last week, we witnessed acts reminiscent of the extraordinary punitive action against lawmakers that can be traced back in Tennessee's deeply rooted racist history. In fact, the third time since the Civil War era that the Tennessee House has expelled a lawmaker from its ranks and threatens to further inflame the partisan rancor within a bitterly divided state. The silencing of the voices of two Black members for peacefully protesting gun violence is not only racist and anti-democratic, but also morally bankrupt, and out of step with the overwhelming majority of Americans who believe that we need common sense gun control reforms to save lives. The expulsions of Tennessee State Representative Justin Jones and Representative Justin Pearson--two Black duly elected members representing minority districts--makes clear that racism is alive and well in Tennessee, and in America. If we want to progressively advance as a democracy, we must recognize and acknowledge these ugly truths and work towards eradicating racism when and where it rears its ugly head. These expulsions showcase is a harsh and racist retaliation against Representatives Jones and Pearson because they rightfully supported peaceful student protestors and demanded that the Republican majority in the legislature do more to protect communities against gun violence in the aftermath of the Covenant School shooting. I ask, why have we come this far to achieve progress for our democracy to go backwards? What occurred in the Tennessee Legislature and to our fellow lawmakers was a blow to our democracy. We must be cognizant of that. This should concern every American because the hallmark of a vibrant and healthy democracy is the very thing the Republicans in the Tennessee Legislature shut down: Freedom of Speech. It is hard to ignore the racial dynamic that played out. Its clear race is involved when two Black members were expelled and not the white member for the same alleged offense. Tennessee Speaker Sexton comparing children, parents, teachers and their representatives--who only want children to be safe from gun violence in the classroom--to insurrectionists shows how morally- bankrupt Republicans are in our country. There is absolutely no comparison between that peaceful protest, and the violence in the U.S. Capitol on January 6th. I stand today to acknowledge, support, and engage as much as possible to make sure reinstatement is upheld, equal democracy is demonstrated across all levels of government no matter the party affiliation, and we move forward as a democracy. We must be weary, however, that this extraordinary abuse of power in Tennessee is an ominous sign of what is currently taking place and what may still lie ahead in other state legislatures. These anti-democracy efforts are spreading in red states around the country, including: the Texas State TEA's move to take control of Houston schools, removing the elected school board and superintendent; and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's abuse of power in removing a prosecutor for political reasons. In Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis abused his power by removing an elected prosecutor because he didn't like his policy positions. A federal judge said DeSantis acted unconstitutionally, but the judge said he did not have the power to reinstate the prosecutor. DeSantis is now considering removing a second prosecutor. And in my home state of Texas, the state Government Education Agency will soon take oversight of the Houston school system away from the elected school board and superintendent. The takeover, an ACLU Texas attorney explains, ``is not about public education but about political control of an almost entirely Black and brown student body in one of the country's most diverse cities.'' Like our ancestors and civil rights legends, we must stand up and push back against these growing, dangerous attacks on our freedoms and democracy.