US Vice President Kamala Harris visited Nashville, Tennessee, last week to show support for two of the state’s Black Democratic lawmakers who were expelled. The expulsion by the GOP-led state legislature was due to the lawmakers’ expressing support for gun control after a recent school shooting in the state.
Harris visited Nashville Friday last week to show support to the expelled lawmakers, state Reps Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, who led statewide protests into the state’s capitol. The GOP-controlled state legislature expelled Pearson and Jones while fellow state Rep. Gloria Johnson, who is white, was spared as the resolution to expel Johnson was one vote short. Democrats in the country have used the expulsions of Jones and Pearson as a call for gun violence prevention and racial equality.
Jones, Pearson, and Johnson staged the protests following the school shooting at a school in Nashville on March 27. Three 9-year-old students and three adults were killed in the shooting.
“The issue, which gets back to these three is what we need leaders who have the courage to act at state houses and in Washington DC in the United States Congress,” Harris told a gathering at Fisk University, a historically black school. “Have the courage to act instead of the cowardice to not allow debate.”
Harris also called on young people to increase their activism on gun violence prevention, following the example of those who took part in the original protests.
“Every generation has its calling,” said Harris. “And so in particular, to all the young leaders here. This issue is going to require your leadership…we need you.”
President Joe Biden separately spoke with Jones, Pearson, and Johnson, who are popularly dubbed as the “Tennessee Three,” and invited them to the White House, praising their amplified calls to ban assault weapons and uphold democratic values. Efforts to reinstate Jones and Pearson are already underway.
On the same day, the University of Oklahoma declared that its Norman campus was safe and there was no threat found after police looked into a suspected shooting on the grounds. University officials said on posts on social media that a search was carried out and no danger was found, with authorities issuing an “all clear” notification.