Justin J. Pearson

Justin Jamal Pearson (born January 7, 1995; ) is an American activist and politician. He is a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives representing the 86th district, covering parts of the city of Memphis. He was elected in a January 2023 special election to succeed Barbara Cooper, who was posthumously re-elected in the November 2022 Tennessee House of Representatives election after dying in October 2022. When he was sworn into office at the age of 28, Pearson became the third youngest lawmaker serving in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

He and fellow state representative Justin Jones were expelled in April 2023, for violating decorum rules by participating in a gun control protest on the House floor. He was reappointed by a unanimous vote of the members present at the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.

Early life and education
Pearson was born in Memphis, Tennessee. His father was a preacher and his mother a teacher. When he was 11 years old, his family moved to the Washington, D.C. area while his father pursued a master's degree at Howard University. Four years later, the family returned to Memphis, where Justin was shocked by the contrast between his previous high school in Centreville, Virginia and his new school, which was conspicuously underfunded. At Mitchell High School in inner-city Memphis, Pearson became active in student government, lobbied for textbooks and Advanced Placement classes, and joined the debate team. He graduated as valedictorian of his high school class.

In 2017, Pearson graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, majoring in Government & Legal Studies with a minor in Education Studies. While at Bowdoin, he was a Mellon Mays fellow and was accepted to the summer public policy institute at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.

Environmental activism
In 2020, Pearson co-founded the environmental advocacy group Memphis Community Against Pollution (originally Memphis Community Against the Pipeline), one of two local groups that joined in a successful effort to cancel construction of the Byhalia Pipeline. A portion of the 49 mi pipeline would pass through poor black neighborhoods in south Memphis, as well as over the Memphis sand aquifer, which provides water to residents in the Memphis area.

Political career
Pearson ran in the January 24, 2023 Democratic primary for a special election to succeed Barbara Cooper in the Tennessee House of Representatives. Cooper died on October 25, 2022; in November 2022, she was posthumously re-elected with 74% of the vote. Because no Republicans or independents filed to run for the seat, the primary victor was ensured victory in the special general election. Pearson won the ten-person primary with 52.3% of the vote. The next day, he was unanimously appointed and sworn into the vacant office by the Memphis City Council as the interim representative prior to the uncontested March 24, 2023 special general election. Pearson became the second youngest lawmaker currently serving in the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Following the killing of Tyre Nichols, a black photographer assaulted by Memphis police during a January 2023 traffic stop, Pearson stated that he intended to introduce a bill to prevent police officers with criminal records from transferring across departments. He blamed inadequate police training, policies, and culture as contributing factors. Pearson said he would serve on the Criminal Justice Committee of the Tennessee House of Representatives.

Pearson was sworn in on February 9, 2023. While being sworn into the house, he wore a dashiki, a traditional West African garment. Tennessee House Republican David B. Hawk commented that dress norms for the House are a way to demonstrate respect, specifically mentioning that a tie was expected, and Tennessee House Republicans tweeted to Pearson "perhaps you should explore a different career opportunity".

Protest and expulsion
After the 2023 Covenant School shooting in Nashville that killed three nine-year-olds and three employees, Pearson joined a March 30 protest for gun control reform at the state capitol alongside Gloria Johnson and Justin Jones. Pearson, Johnson and Jones were dubbed by their supporters as "The Tennessee Three", and the Tennessee House voted on whether to expel the three members, which requires a two-thirds majority or 66 votes. Pearson was expelled by a vote of 6926; Jones, who is also black, was expelled by 7225. Johnson, who is white, was spared her ouster by just one vote, 65–30. In his final address to the House before his expulsion, Pearson compared his removal from the chamber to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. On April 7, 2023, Vice President Kamala Harris visited with the trio, echoing President Joe Biden who had called them earlier, saying, "Punishing lawmakers who joined thousands of peaceful protesters calling for action" is "shocking, undemocratic, and without precedent."

On April 12, six days after his expulsion, Pearson was reappointed to the Tennessee House following a unanimous vote by the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.