Contact:
Eric Christopher Webb, DDiv., CPLC
Director of Communications
/Editor of The Sphinx
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
Cell: 443-635-5911
April 7, 2023
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. on the Expulsion of Two African American Tennessee State Representatives
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. denounces the expulsion yesterday of two African American lawmakers from the Tennessee State House of Representatives for engaging in a peaceful protest at the state capitol and leading a chant from the House floor after a deadly school shooting in Nashville.
The resolution, which expelled Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, failed to oust another lawmaker, Rep. Gloria Johnson, who is white, for her identical participation in the protest.
The Right-wing claims that these representatives violated house rules on conduct and decorum flies in direct opposition to constitutional free speech and these duly elected lawmakers’ responsibilities to advocate for their constituents.
Regrettably, these undemocratic and unprecedented expulsions are an effort to silence an overdue discourse on a deadly issue that plagues our country and endangers the lives of our children and citizens.
Let us not forget that three teachers and three children lost their lives in this deadly tragedy. We should not want those who represent us to be passive and silent after these incidents.
We encourage all who believe in justice to do anything they can to help ensure these men are restored to their rightful place to represent their communities.
About Alpha Phi Alpha
The Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., headquartered in Baltimore, MD, was founded on December 4, 1906, at Cornell University in Ithaca, NY. The Fraternity has long stood at the forefront of the African-American community’s fight for civil rights through Alpha men such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Thurgood Marshall, Paul Robeson, Andrew Young, Edward Brooke and Cornel West. The fraternity, through its more than 720 college and alumni chapters and general-organization members, serves communities in the United States, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Caribbean. Visit and follow on Twitter @apa1906network.