Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
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Impassioned protests erupted on Wednesday in Nashville as Republicans in Tennessee raced to slice up their state's sole Democratic district covering the majority-Black city of Memphis.
Mother Jones’s Garrison Hayes is on the ground at the State Capitol covering the upheaval. He spoke with State Representative Justin Pearson, a Democrat, amid the din of protesters who had arrived to voice their disdain during proceedings, shouting, “Hands off Memphis!” (Check out Garrison's earlier video today, and stay tuned for more.)
Pearson emphasized the historic gravity of the move. "This isn't coincidental or accidental," he said. "They're coming for Black political power in Tennessee and Mississippi and Alabama and Louisiana. We're seeing the greatest purge of Black power since the era of Reconstruction."
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► For more, visit Mother Jones: motherjones.com
Impassioned protests erupted on Wednesday in Nashville as Republicans in Tennessee raced to slice up their state's sole Democratic district covering the majority-Black city of Memphis.
Mother Jones’s Garrison Hayes is on the ground at the State Capitol covering the upheaval. He spoke with State Representative Justin Pearson, a Democrat, amid the din of protesters who had arrived to voice their disdain during proceedings, shouting, “Hands off Memphis!” (Check out Garrison's earlier video today, and stay tuned for more.)
Pearson emphasized the historic gravity of the move. "This isn't coincidental or accidental," he said. "They're coming for Black political power in Tennessee and Mississippi and Alabama and Louisiana. We're seeing the greatest purge of Black power since the era of Reconstruction."
--
For more award-winning independent reporting, visit Mother Jones: motherjones.com
Facebook: facebook.com/motherjones
Twitter: twitter.com/motherjones
Instagram: instagram.com/motherjonesmag
