Justin J. Pearson

Justin J. Pearson was born in Memphis, Tennessee.[3] His father was a preacher and his mother a teacher.[4] 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.[4] Four years later, they returned to Memphis, where he was shocked at the contrast between his previous high school in Centreville, Virginia and his new school, which was underfunded.[4] At Mitchell High School in inner-city Memphis, Pearson became active in student government, lobbied for textbooks and AP classes, and joined the debate team.[4] He graduated as valedictorian of his high school class.[1]

In 2017, Pearson graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine,[1] majoring in Government & Legal Studies with a minor in Education Studies.[4] While at Bowdoin, he was a Mellon Mays fellow, and he was accepted to the summer public policy institute at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs.[4]

Pearson founded the advocacy group Memphis Community Against Pollution (formerly known as Memphis Community Against the Pipeline), which successfully fought to cancel the Byhalia Pipeline.[1] The pipeline was planned to run for 49 miles, including over the Memphis sand aquifer, which is used to provide water to residents in the Memphis area. The pipeline also was planned to run through poor Black neighborhoods in south Memphis.[5]

Barbara Cooper, who served in the Tennessee House of Representatives from 1996 died on October 25, 2022. She posthumously was re-elected, necessitating a special election to fill the seat. Pearson ran in the Democratic primary for the seat, held on January 24, 2023. He won the primary with 52.35% of the vote. No Republicans or independents filed for the seat, his victory in the Democratic primary ensured his election.[6]

Because no general election was necessary, the Shelby County commission voted unanimously on January 25, 2023 to appoint him as interim state representative for the seat, so he could begin serving immediately.[7] Pearson was sworn-in on February 9, 2023, becoming the second youngest lawmaker to serve the Tennessee House of Representatives at the age of 28.[8][2]

Following the death of Tyre Nichols, 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.[9] Pearson said he will serve on the Criminal Justice Committee of the Tennessee House of Representatives.[2]

While being sworn into the house, he wore a dashiki,[10] a traditional West African garment worn in the late twentieth century by African-American activists.[11] He was criticized on the floor by representative David B. Hawk[12] and the Tennessee House Republicans tweeted that Pearson "should explore a different career opportunity" and referenced non-existent dress rules for the house in criticism of his attire. Pearson criticized the responses as being racist.[13]

After the March 2023 mass shooting at The Covenant School in Nashville, Pearson joined a protest for gun control reform at the state capitol alongside Gloria Johnson and Justin Jones. He was removed from his committees as a result.[14] The Tennessee House voted on whether to expel him and two other representatives whose protest disrupted hearings.[15] HR 63, the resolution to remove Pearson, was sponsored by Andrew Farmer. Pearson was expelled by a vote of 69–26.[16]

• Justin J. Pearson at Ballotpedia
• Official website