Tennessee State Rep. Justin Pearson gained national recognition in 2023 as part of the “Tennessee Three” who were expelled from the state House after protesting gun violence in the chamber. In the years since, Pearson has remained steadfast in his efforts to address gun violence, environmental racism, and ICE’s draconian mass deportation campaign. Last year, Pearson announced he would be launching a primary challenge against Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.). Pearson spoke with NewsOne about his Congressional campaign and how he intends to use the position to benefit his constituents. 

Pearson relates his run for Congress to his efforts in getting the Kings’ Crossing bridge built in Tennessee. “I think one of the really important things to realize about both the physical bridge that’s being built is how much energy and effort went into creating it, but also how metaphorical it is. That in a moment of so much crisis, where there’s a lot of division, we still have a responsibility of building bridges and connections to people,” Pearson explains. “And ultimately that’s why I’m running for the United States Congress.” 

Pearson notes that while the number of people he’d potentially be representing would dramatically increase in scale, the issues he’d be addressing are largely the same. He sees the position as a way to use more resources to address issues in Memphis and across Tennessee. 

Despite Tennessee’s primaries being held in August and the deadline to qualify for the primary ballot already passed, Gov. Bill Lee recently announced a special session focused on redistricting in the wake of the Supreme Court’s weakening of the Voting Rights Act. It’s still unclear how this potential redistricting effort will affect the viability of Pearson’s campaign.

With only one staffer and limited resources, Pearson has still managed to do a lot of good for his district. Take, for instance, his current fight against Elon Musk’s xAI. 

“xAI came into our community under the cover of darkness,” Pearson says in the video. “One day things were normal, and the next day Elon Musk was coming, and he was building the world’s largest supercomputer.” 

xAI’s Memphis data center has been a consistent source of controversy since its inception, and for good reason. Musk was basically allowed to build the data center by any means necessary, with several safeguards to protect the surrounding, predominantly Black communities, completely ignored. 

.“For a year, they were operating these turbines without permits,” Pearson says in the video. “We had to advocate for them to get permits, and not just get permits, but then they needed to put selective catalytic reduction technology on the turbines to reduce the emissions even further to protect the health of the community. ” 

While xAI is the latest offender, sadly, environmental racism is endemic to the United States. Pearson notes in the video that 75% of predominantly Black communities are located near mass pollution facilities, be it a data center, gas refinery, or a trash incinerator. As such, asthma and cancer rates in predominantly Black neighborhoods are significantly higher than the national average. Pearson is now focused on finding solutions to remedy the harm that has come to Memphis communities.

“I want people to breathe clean air, drink clean water, and have the ability to plant in clean soil, and there’s nothing partisan or political about that,” Pearson says in the video. 

SEE ALSO:

Rep. Justin Pearson of ‘Tennessee Three’ Launches US House Seat Primary

‘Boycott Tennessee’ Movement Grows After Black Lawmakers Expelled