RELEASE: TIRRC VOTES ENDORSES JUSTIN J. PEARSON IN TN DISTRICT 86 SPECIAL ELECTION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 15, 2023

CONTACT
Hamp Price, hamp@tirrcvotes.org

TIRRC VOTES ENDORSES JUSTIN J. PEARSON IN TN DISTRICT 86 SPECIAL ELECTION
“Simply put, we need champions like Rep. Pearson in the state legislature."

MEMPHIS– As voters head to the polls for the District 86 special election primary, pro-immigrant voting group TIRRC Votes has endorsed Rep. Justin J. Pearson.

“Representative Pearson has proven to be a steadfast advocate for the communities he serves, and his commitment to including immigrant and refugee families in his vision for a better Memphis is clear,” said Judith Clerjeune, Campaigns and Advocacy Director for TIRRC Votes. “That's why we’re making sure he gets to serve out the rest of his term in the state house after being undemocratically expelled earlier this year. Simply put, we need champions like him fighting for our communities in the state legislature.”

Prior to his election to represent District 86, Representative Pearson was an active organizer in the environmental justice space, including co-founding Memphis Community Against the Pipeline, a Black-led environmental justice organization that successfully defeated a multi-billion dollar company's crude oil pipeline project that would have poisoned Memphis’s drinking water and stolen land from the community. In April 2023, he and fellow state representative Justin Jones were expelled from the state legislature for participating in a gun control protest in the state capitol. He was reinstated to that position on April 12, 2023, and is now running in a special election to fulfill the remainder of his term.

“We need bold and unapologetic leadership to not only support immigrant and refugee communities but to combat rising authoritarianism and state overreach,” said Clerjeune. “When we make an endorsement, it's because we know that candidate will stand up for progressive values and defend our democracy. Justin J. Pearson is one of those candidates.”

TIRRC Votes endorsements are based on several factors that aim to increase voter turnout among immigrant, Black, and Brown communities, and to build progressive political power in Tennessee. TIRRC Votes considers a range of factors when determining which candidates to endorse and where to invest in voter mobilization and turnout. Founded in 2018, the organization has shown to be a powerhouse at mobilizing immigrant and refugee voters and their progressive allies to turn out in every election. Since its founding the group has seen electoral victories in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Memphis, and Nashville.

“TIRRC Votes has proven itself as one of the most powerful electoral machines in the state, capable of expanding the electorate, winning elections and closing gaps in tight races,” said Pratik Dash, Political Director at TIRRC Votes. “By focusing on community organizing and power building, TIRRC Votes is building a movement of immigrant voters and progressive allies across the state that can turn the tide in Tennessee.”

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TIRRC Votes was launched in 2018 to strengthen and expand our democracy by building power in immigrant and refugee communities and advocating for equitable and inclusive public policy. TIRRC Votes is affiliated with the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC).