Legislative BIPOC Caucus Stands with the Tennessee Three

SALEM, Ore. - Following last week’s news that two Black lawmakers were expelled from the Tennessee House after they joined over 7,000 peaceful protestors in speaking out against gun violence, Oregon’s Legislative Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC) Caucus releases the following statement: 

“Alongside the nation, last week we watched in dismay as powerful white lawmakers in the Tennessee House unleashed their vitriol and disdain of their two young Black colleagues. We cannot deny what happened in Tennessee nor should we beat around the bush. Simply put: This was a racist act that endangered our democracy.

“While we were horrified at what happened to Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, we were not shocked. As Black, Brown, and Indigenous lawmakers, we walk through these halls with the constant reminder that this institution and the rules and norms that uphold its power were not designed with us in mind. What happened in Tennessee last week showed the country how seemingly mundane rules and procedures about decorum can be weaponized by those in power to expel voices that threatened their position.

“It is important that we situate what happened in Tennessee as part of a current wave of actions to restrict and dilute the voting power of Black, Brown, and Indigenous Americans through voter suppression and gerrymandering. The expulsion of these lawmakers stripped over 136,000 Tennesseans of their duly elected representatives. This fact becomes even more appalling when we consider that the districts represented by Jones and Pearson are population centers for Black and Brown Tennesseans, and the decision to deprive them of representation was made by an overwhelmingly white Republican supermajority. 

“The motions to expel Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson point to an alarming future in which expulsion becomes a political tool to dismiss and silence unwanted voices. We cannot forget the event that led to the expulsion of the lawmakers: a mass shooting that took the lives of six people at an elementary school in Nashville. In response, thousands of Tennesseans showed up to peacefully protest their State Assembly that has repeatedly shown that it has no interest in passing gun violence prevention and safety legislation. In an era where reproductive rights and protections for transgender and non-binary individuals are under attack, we cannot be complacent when rules of decorum are being used to silence and punish those who dare to dissent. 

“We cannot take what happened in Tennessee lightly, nor should we normalize these destructive actions. While we applaud the Nashville Metropolitan Council’s decision to reinstate Representative Justin Jones, the events of last week are a demonstration of the harm to democracy when we do not address our racist histories and allow racist institutions to persist. 

“As elected leaders, we must reaffirm our commitment to defend and strengthen our democratic institutions by expanding the right to vote and removing barriers that impede Black and Brown Oregonians from running for office and representing their constituents.”