NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Black lawmakers in Tennessee want Republicans in the state to come to the table to talk with them after the expulsion of two Black representatives on Thursday.
The Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators spoke outside the Tennessee Capitol on Friday. Rep. Sam McKenzie (D-Knoxville), Chairman of the Tennessee Black Caucus, called the situation an injustice.
"The world saw the optics. I don't have to say a word about the fact that our two young African American brothers were unfairly prosecuted with information... evidence introduced inappropriately, but they handled themselves like true champions," he said.
Three members of the House were up for expulsion after being accused of disrupting a session last week while pushing for gun law reform on the floor. The members included Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville), Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) and Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville).
The 'Tennessee Three' said the reason they demonstrated on the floor last week was that their voices on the issue of gun violence and reform were being silenced or ignored in the wake of The Covenant School shooting in Nashville.
Johnson, who is white, was the only member not to be ousted after a handful of Republicans joined Democrats to vote against her expulsion, saving her by a single vote. However, 72 House Republicans voted to expel Jones, and 69 voted to expel Pearson.
After the vote, Johnson suggested the reason she was not expelled was that she is white.
"I made it through, and these two young men did not make it through. I think you're right... we know," Johnson said. "But here's the difference. I think we might have these two young men back very soon."
Even though they were expelled Thursday, Memphis and Nashville leaders could vote to temporarily reinstate Jones and Pearson until special elections are held. The two are expected to run again to regain their seats.
Members of the Black Caucus spoke about longstanding problems they've faced trying to work with predominantly white lawmakers at the Capitol through the years, saying there is a lack of accountability and cooperation in Tennessee's highest halls.
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"Welcome to Tennessee, where there's a pattern of racism that has permeated these halls that we walked through that were supposed to make laws for everyone here in Tennessee," Rep. Vincent Dixie (D-Nashville) said. "The world is watching. And what are we going to do now? Is it gonna be business as usual? 'Well, it happened to two Black men. Oh, well. Let's move on.' Or are we going to actually do something about it?"
Members of the caucus said the expulsion vote looked like a "Jim Crow-era trial."
"We saw two Black men fighting for their careers, fighting for their reputations, fighting for their political lives," Caucus Vice Chair Jesse Chism said. "The scene was so disheartening, specifically as we were walking Representative Jones out of the chamber. Many of us were fighting back tears. And when we went back into the chamber, many of our tears broke. And it was a shame to see some of the smirks, some of the smiles that some of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle had as they saw our tears."
Late Thursday night, the Tennessee House GOP issued a statement about the expulsions, saying it was "the only path forward."
"If elected to come back and serve their constituents in the Tennessee House of Representatives, we hope they will act as the thousands who have come before them - with respect for our institution, their fellow colleagues, and the seat that they hold. We look forward to continuing to defend the voices of all Tennesseans," the Tennessee House GOP said.
Senate Minority Leader Raumesh Akbari said the actions of the Tennessee legislature should not be taken lightly.
"We all saw what happened yesterday. Two extremely intelligent, eloquent, community-centered, Black men were removed from the House of Representatives," she said. "For five seconds of disruption before the speaker called for recess -- these members were expelled."
Akbari said she saw no courage or willingness to compromise from her Republican colleagues, saying some confided to her in private that "this is not what we should be doing."
"Yet they did," she said. "I urge my colleagues to look past their own feelings and think about the institution and what it means to expel members. And when they are reappointed... I urge them to not pull any sort of shenanigans and let these young men be seated. Because at the end of the day, this is not our house, this is the people's house. We are elected by the people to do the people's will. And when you stop people who have been elected by the people from doing their will, that is when democracy dies."
In the end, caucus leadership said they want Republican lawmakers to listen and work across the aisle with them, particularly on gun law reforms.
"I call on the governor, I call on the state senate to get involved, to reach out to their Republicans in the House and say, 'Let's do what's right. Let's do something different,'" McKenzie said. " If we do not, the governor has to step up and say if it's going to call for a special session. After this regular session is over, let's come back and do what's right. Let's not let this die."
The national NAACP organization also said that they would continue to stand with the lawmakers who were expelled, and said they were prepared to take legal action to ensure lawmakers' actions "are addressed in a court of law."