Tennessee State Representatives Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), Justin Jones (D-Nashville), and Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) are scheduled to speak at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday.
Jones, Pearson, and Johnson made national headlines last year after the trio commandeered the Tennessee House Floor to demand gun control three days after the March 27 shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville.
The vibe in Chicago for the #DemConvention is real y’all. Excitement abounds! pic.twitter.com/E70n2wFLbf
— Rep. Gloria Johnson (@VoteGloriaJ) August 19, 2024
Both Jones and Pearson were expelled from the Tennessee General Assembly after the incident but were soon reinstated by their districts’ respective city councils.
The three Democrats will reportedly share the stage in the evening portion of the convention on its final day to advocate for gun control laws, as Thursday’s theme at the convention is “For Our Future.”
After Jones, Pearson, and Johnson’s stunt in the Tennessee House last year, both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris flocked to the Democrats’ defense.
Harris, at the time, wrote on social media, “Six people, including three children, were killed last week in a school shooting in Nashville. How did Republican lawmakers in Tennessee respond? By expelling their colleagues who stood with Tennesseans and said enough is enough. This is undemocratic and dangerous.”
Biden followed suit, saying in a separate post, “After a tragic mass shooting in Tennessee, state Republican lawmakers called votes to expel three Democratic legislators who stood in solidarity with students and families. The expulsion of lawmakers who engaged in peaceful protest is shocking, undemocratic, and unprecedented.”
The three Democrats were also invited to visit the White House where they met with both Biden and Harris and discussed “banning assault weapons and standing up for democratic values.”
Harris also visited Tennessee shortly after the shooting and protests in the Tennessee House to stand in solidarity with the three Democrats.
During an appearance on CNN from the convention on Monday, Jones praised Harris for supporting a “fight for common sense gun laws.”
“I think we’re lifting up a very critical issue that is very connected to my generation which is the issue of gun violence. Last year we were expelled for fighting for common sense gun laws, and the next day Vice President Kamala Harris came to Tennessee and stood in solidarity with us calling for a fight for our democracy, a fight for common sense gun laws that protect kids not guns. That’s why I’m here,” Jones said.
– – –
Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson” by Fisk University.
