(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Tennessee Lawmakers Wearing Racism on Their Sleeve [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-04-12 Hang 'em High Had the Republican members of the Tennessee House not been so anxious to wear their racism on their sleeves like GOP Congresspeople wear AR-15 pins on their lapels, the Tennessee Three would be two unemployed black dudes and a white lady. The three loudly and disruptively tried to force debate on the indiscriminate use of guns, especially assault rifles that routinely kill our children. By now, most of America knows the three were brought up for expulsion from the Tennessee State House for breaking a house rule. There seems to be some hypocrisy with how Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton selectively applies the rules, allowing amended bills without public notice, denying Democratic input, and eschewing the rule to hold roll call votes. Sexton’s residence, possibly not in the district he represents, has now been questioned. I spent some time in Tennessee and made friends in Memphis and Nashville. When I mentioned the name of Justin Pearson about six months ago—when I found out he was running in a special election, it was usually followed by “ Justin, ehh” and a few finger snaps closing with ‘Oh yeah, he is running to work with that white lady from Knox County.’ In a Republican stronghold like Tennessee, the Tennessee Three were nondescript rabble-rousers. Now protesters are using signs and memes with a play on words of the civil rights chants—No Justin(s), No Peace. Instead of being just the two Justin(s) and the white lady, Justin Jones, who was reinstated on an interim basis Tuesday, Justin Pearson, awaiting a reinstatement vote in Memphis on April 12, and Gloria Johnson, who survived expulsion, have become folk heroes. As a black man, I cringed every time a GOP politician or eyes wide-shut tv personality got behind a microphone or on the stump and debased the word—woke, to either own the (Black) libs or further confuse the conservatives. When faced with the real thing, the GOP had spent so much time reimagining and misusing the word woke to the point of making it unrecognizable; they relied on the old practice of marginalization. WOKE is not about grooming, banning books, Disney, or drag queens. The Tennessee legislature demonstrated the need to be woke. Messers, Jones, and Pearson got a seat at the end of the political table but were refused a meal. Keeping on the lookout for the racism you know is out there is all Woke is about. Gloria Johnson said it clearly when asked why she survived punishment, “I am a 60-year-old white woman,” she said. The first half of her statement was wildly reported, but the tail end of her assertion held even more truth, “and they are two young Black men.” Being black in America, unfortunately, comes with a sense of imposed dread. Some parents decide on baby names that sound ambiguous—ethnically—with the thought one’s son or daughter’s resume should not end up in a waste bin: being followed in upscale stores where it is assumed you cannot afford to shop is an assault on one’s person. Tennessee rep. Dennis Powers has a bill in committee to bring back the firing squads, but that was not enough for his colleague. Tennessee state rep. Paul Sherrell suggested hanging in the state where the Klan was founded. “Could I put an amendment on that that would include hanging on a tree also?” he asked. With statements like that, being woke for black Americans is the same ol’ same ol’... Continue to Vote for Change. [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/4/12/2163450/-Tennessee-Lawmakers-Wearing-Racism-on-Their-Sleeve Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/