John, that's what the Republican majority ordered me to do as I protested to end gun violence on the House floor in the Tennessee Legislature and what they are saying to do now with a federal occupation deployed in our district.

I said "No" then, and I say no now.

And for that, they were furious. They declared that I "violated decorum" and expelled me and my colleague from our duly elected office. It was a sickening overreach to protect their gun lobby donors, tinged in racism, expelling two young Black lawmakers. They knew it was wrong, and that's why when The People voted us back in, they were eventually forced to reinstate us to our seats.

The message these Republicans wanted to send us was clear: If you protest to make schools, neighborhoods, and places of worship safer, we will expel you.

But, they were misguided! I didn’t yield then. I won’t yield now. I will always fight for what is morally right. We will continue to fight for the promise of hope, justice, and better days.

In fact, I'm going further than ever before: I have launched my campaign for Congress to bring real representation to the community that raised me. I'm a son of Memphis. It's time to use the power of Congress to improve the lives of working People in our communities and end the gun violence epidemic.

It's not enough to have a Member of Congress just sit and vote on bills from Washington, D.C. — we need our Members to use their power and influence to truly fight for their communities. That's what I'm going to do. So please, can I ask you to dig deep and split $9 (or any amount that is meaningful to you) between No Dem Left Behind and my Democratic campaign?

Donate $9

Donate Another Amount

In Love and Service,

Justin J. Pearson