Posted by By Veda Keon, Staff Writer
On Thursday, April 6, two Justins from Tennessee grabbed mass media attention on a topic America is all too familiar with: gun violence. Tennessee representatives, Justin J. Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis, were removed after disrupting statehouse proceedings with the demand for stricter gun laws. Days later, both representatives were reinstated to the House through a unanimous vote.
The tale of the two Justins grabbed media attention because, despite the initial appearance of the story, Justin J. Jones and Justin Pearson were removed for more than just causing havoc in the state house. Their story intertwines with the lasting, tumultuous conversations about gun violence, race and politics and weave the topics together into one, unfortunately convenient event to report on.
Both lawmakers are young democrats of color operating within a legislation filled with older, White Republican coworkers. Based on this alone, the two are distinctively different, a divide that is heightened by their pushing for stricter gun laws. Tennessee, as a state, is ranked 14th in commonality of gun ownership, with 46.9% of adults reporting having guns in their home in 2023. To set them further apart, the two brought a new form of protest to their state house: loud confrontation. Instead of the usual quiet forms of change, such as passing bills, that politicians have become accustomed to, the Justins marched into the statehouse leading a chant of “power to the people” after the 2023 Nashville school shooting. Included in this chant was Gloria Johnson, a white representative, who, unlike the Justins, was not expelled for her actions.
Pictured left: A graphic of gun ownership by state. Tennessee is ranked 14th in gun per capita, coinciding with its position as 11th in the country for commonality of firearm deaths. Tennessee’s elevated likelihood for gun-related death has resulted in fear for safety, resulting in a desire for firearm-restricting legislation.
Pearson and Jones, on the other hand, have received backlash from both Republican and Democratic coworkers alike. One Republican representative involved in their expulsion, Andrew Farmer, criticized the two for “having a temper tantrum” and not following normal proceeding protocols. Joe Towns Jr. and Karen Camper, Democratic representatives of color, also criticized the two young lawmakers for their protest and ordered them off the floor in an apparently agitated exchange.
There’s no argument that the expulsion of the Justins was connected to their differences from the rest of Tennessee’s representatives, the majority of which are White Republicans. Tennessee is not exempt from the systematic racism Black people face, especially at the hands of the older, White generations. Pearson and Jones’ case is further worsened, in the eyes of their coworkers, that the style of protest they utilized evokes the image of civil rights protests in the 60’s. This circumstance of the Justins being expelled brings into question the effectiveness of the government. If the majority of the House could so easily cast out ideas, like the Justins’, that they didn’t agree with, how could everyone be fairly represented in the government? Opposing ideas are a keystone of American democracy since they prevent an echo chamber of ideas that results in representation of only a portion of the American people.
This vote to oust Pearson and Jones directly undermines the will of the people. Setting aside the speculated prejudice behind the vote, these two representatives were the people chosen by the people. Those who ousted them directly overruled these people and chose their own comfort over the will of Tennessee’s public. Those elected into any political office are there to look out over the will of all people, not just the party that elected them, and members of political office should not be able to oust another member simply because their ideals do not align with their party’s own.
The Justins garnered national attention because, while fighting for gun control in a nation plagued with gun violence, they highlighted the prejudices and ineffectiveness of the American government. Justin J. Jones and Justin Pearson, in their effort to open the floor of political institutions and encourage discourse of sensitive topics, are ushering in a new era of politics in the United States.
The Maroon 