The Resurgence of Civil Rights Protests in Nashville.

Justin Jones and Justin J. Pearson, two young Black Democrats in Tennessee, were expelled and then reinstated to their seats in the Tennessee House after leading a gun control protest on the House floor. Their activism and confrontational style of protest have shaken up the Republican-dominated body and intensified a debate on race and representation. Both tie their activism to their Christian faith and are a generational break from the current political norm, modeling themselves after civil rights leaders of the past. Their actions have brought intense focus to Tennessee politics and merged a sprawling conversation on gun violence, race, and democracy into one potent political package.