Tennessee Republicans Accused of Racism After Expelling Two Black Lawmakers

Tennessee Republicans are being accused of racism after expelling two Black Democrats from the state House over breaching decorum while participating in a gun control protest.

Representatives Justin Jones and Justin Pearson were both expelled from serving in the heavily GOP-controlled chamber on Thursday, one week after they spoke out of turn to support a youth-led protest for gun control, which was held in the wake of the recent deadly shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville.

An effort to expel Democratic Representative Gloria Johnson, who is white, failed by one vote. While Johnson was not holding a bullhorn on the House floor like Jones, there appears to be little or no other difference between the trio of Democrats and their breach of protocol.

Johnson told reporters that her being spared while her Black colleagues were not "may have to do with the color of our skin." She was not alone in accusing Republicans of singling out Jones and Pearson based on race.

"What a blatant attack on democracy in Tennessee today," tweeted Bernice King, daughter of the late civil-rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. "The vote to expel @brotherjones_ is political retaliation and a reflection of a severe moral crisis in our state and national governments."

"So this attack on #democracy is also a #racist attack, as the third lawmaker, Rep. Gloria Johnson, is white," King added later. "A disastrously amoral day for Tennessee House Republicans in a state reeling from a school shooting."

"It is rare, RARE, that you will see racism so surprising that it even catches *black* folks off guard," attorney and political commentator Elie Mystal tweeted. "But, literally nobody I talked to, even as recently as a few hours ago, thought Tennessee would have the unmitigated gall to expel the two black guys and not the white woman."

"Tennessee Republicans just expelled two black men from the legislature for protesting, but allowed the white legislator who did the same to keep her seat," tweeted Olivia Julianna, director of politics and government affairs for the group Gen Z for Change. "This is outright racism. Alive and well at the TN Capitol. We stand with the Tennessee three."

"The[y] expelled the two black men and kept the the white woman!" tweeted Democratic Tennessee State Senator London Lamar. "The racism that is on display today! Wow!"

"The Tennessee & Florida Republican parties have been taken over by fascist and racist forces," Democratic Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida tweeted. "In both states, the freedom of expression and dissent is met with the removal of duly elected officials and government retaliation against private companies."

"This is fascism, full stop," tweeted Congressman Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, also a Democrat. "MAGA Republicans are no longer content with inaction on gun violence—instead of thoughts & prayers they want to silence & expel politicians who speak up to protect children. I vehemently condemn this racist, undemocratic assault on freedom of speech."

In a statement, Representative Steve Cohen, the lone Democrat to represent Tennessee in Washington, D.C., called the move to expel Jones and Pearson "an embarrassing stain on an important democratic institution."

"The targeted expulsions of Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson - two Black duly elected members representing minority districts - makes clear that racism is alive and well in Tennessee," the Congressional Black Caucus said in a statement.

"This move is not only racist and anti-democratic, it is morally-bankrupt and out of step with the overwhelming majority of Americans who believe that we need common sense gun control reforms to save lives," the statement continued.

Meanwhile, some Republican commentators weighed in on the expulsion of the Black lawmakers by defending the move.

"Remember, as horrific and disgusting as the Nashville shooting was, it had nothing to do with race," tweeted right-wing pundit Jack Posobiec. "The expelled Democrats are the ones who made it about race, and themselves, bc they are desperate to racialize literally everything that happens in America."

Conservative commentator Todd Starnes suggested that Republicans in Tennessee had taken a stance against "insurrectionists" and "racist agitators."

"God bless Tennessee Republicans who are standing up for the rule of law," Starnes tweeted. "They refused to be bullied by foul-mouthed insurrectionists. They refused to be intimidated by the professional racist agitators. Patriots, one and all. TennesseeThree."

Newsweek has reached out via email to Tennessee Republican Party political director Tyler Burns for comment.