Justin Pearson sworn in as newest Tennessee state representative — in a dashiki
State Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) sits at his desk on the floor of the Tennessee House of Representatives on Thursday, Feb. 9. He was sworn in earlier that morning. “I figured it would be a little bit subversive,” he said. “This dress is resistance; this Afro is resistance.” (Ian Round/The Daily Memphian)
In a General Assembly dominated by Republicans, an incident over the dress code was the first test of how freely Pearson can express his values — without antagonizing colleagues whose help he’ll need to pass legislation.
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Tennessee General Assembly Justin Pearson Barbara Cooper Subscriber Only Lois DeberryThank you for supporting local journalism.
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Ian Round
Ian Round is The Daily Memphian’s state government reporter based in Nashville. He came to Tennessee from Maryland, where he reported on local politics for Baltimore Brew. He earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Maryland in December 2019.
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