Congressional Black Caucus

Floor Speech

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Ms. WILLIAMS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, in the wake of our country's 129th mass shooting, Tennessee Legislators had the opportunity to set an example of what it means to respond and act on the needs of your constituents. After an attack that killed six people--including three 9-year-old children, Tennessee Representatives had the chance to do something, anything, to keep Tennesseans safe from gun violence.

On April 6, 2023 the Tennessee Legislature set an example, but it sure wasn't the right one. Instead of actually working to keep children safe from gun violence, Republicans in the Tennessee Legislature chose to expel two Black lawmakers who chose to stand alongside families, students and teachers for gun safety reforms.

The expulsions of Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were both unwarranted and undemocratic. Representatives Jones and Pearson were simply supporting student protestors and demanded that the Republican majority in the Legislature do more to protect communities from gun violence following the Covenant School Shooting.

Now Representatives Jones and Pearson weren't the only legislators who joined the protestors, but they were the only two expelled which makes it clear that racism is at the root of these anti-democratic expulsions. It was an attempt to both silence Black leaders and undermine Black voters who sent Representatives Jones and Pearson to the State Capitol in the first place.

Let's be clear: this is not an isolated incident. State legislatures in the South have a history of silencing Black lawmakers and unfortunately my home State is one of the main offenders. In 1966, the Georgia General Assembly voted to refuse to seat a newly elected Julian Bond after he used his constitutional right to free speech in protest of the United States' war in Vietnam. Mr. Bond was ultimately seated in the legislature and went on to serve for 20 years in the Georgia General Assembly.

In 2017, I was elected to the same seat Julian Bond held in the Georgia State Senate. Nearly one year after being duly elected to serve, I was arrested inside the Georgia State Capitol while doing my job and standing with my constituents demanding that every vote be counted in November 2018.

As I watched the events unfold in Tennessee, the parallels struck me and reminded me that free speech in this country doesn't always apply to Black voices like mine.

Free speech is at the foundation of any healthy democracy and it is the very thing Republicans in Tennessee chose to shut down when they expelled Representatives Jones and Pearson. This should sound an alarm for every American because as history teaches us, actions that go unchecked only repeat themselves--again, and again, and again.

Though Representatives Jones and Pearson were rightfully reappointed to their seats, we cannot ignore the fact that what happened in Tennessee was yet another blow in the continued assault on democracy. And on top of it, the expulsions were completely out of step with the voices of the people--an overwhelming majority of Americans agree that common-sense gun safety laws are necessary to save lives.

We have a moral responsibility to reject any and all actions that threaten our democracy, particularly those targeted toward Black people and communities who have systemically been silenced for far too long.

Tonight, I stand with my Congressional Black Caucus colleagues to say `no more.' That's why I've co-sponsored Representative Sydney Kamlager- Dove's resolution condemning the expulsions of Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson from the Tennessee Legislature, and I encourage all of my colleagues who claim to stand on the side of democracy to do the same.

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