Expelled Tennessee lawmaker Pearson sworn-in
The second of two Black Democrats expelled from the Republican-led Tennessee House has been reinstated. State Rep. Justin Pearson was sworn in outside the state Capitol on Thursday, a week after he and state Rep. Justin Jones were banished for a gun control protest on the floor of the House. Their expulsion propelled them into the national spotlight. The protest followed a Nashville school shooting that claimed the lives of three children and three adults. On Monday, the Nashville Metropolitan Council restored Jones to office. He was reinstated to his House seat the same day. The positions are interim. Both plan to run in special elections for their seats.
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Extreme views adopted by some local, state and federal political leaders who try to limit what history can be taught in schools and seek to undermine how Black officials perform their jobs are among the top threats to democracy for Black Americans, the National Urban League says.
