Justin Pearson refuses to remain silent, despite the best attempts by the Tennessee House of Representatives to censor him. “The message to all the people of Nashville who voted to kick us out: You can’t kick out hope,” Pearson said after he was reinstated in the House. “Justice cannot be expelled. You can’t expel our voice. And you sure can’t kick our fight.
Pearson’s parents knew he was destined for a future in activism and politics.
Justin Pearson was born on January 7, 1995 to Reverend Jason Pearson and Kimberly Owens-Pearson. He grew up with three older brothers and one younger brother in Memphis, Tennessee.
Jason and Kimberly were teenagers when they welcomed their first child. Both had divorced parents, so few expected their union to last. Yet despite the struggle, the couple persevered and raised five children.
“People used to say that I would end up on welfare, doing this, doing that,” Kimberly told the defender of the tri states. “And the thing, the truth of the matter, is that you can never limit God.”
Jason first saw Pearson’s future as an activist and politician when he ran for president in the first grade. He said Pearson’s speech brought teachers to tears. “I had to go to be there to hear the speech and support him,” Jason said. “That was the day I knew, ‘we’ve got something.’ There was something inside of him.”
At home, Pearson ministered to his brothers and cousins. “He had a home church and his brothers, his cousins, had to sit and listen to him preach. So he’s been preparing for this moment almost his entire life,” Jason added.
As a sophomore in high school, Pearson protested at a school board meeting that he and other students were not receiving textbooks. It turned out that the school had withheld the books in storage because he feared that some students might misplace them. The school board punished the principal and ordered the distribution of the books.
Pearson’s parents weren’t surprised to see him leading a protest over gun reform legislation. However, they were stunned and angered by the vast majority’s decision to oust Pearson. kimberly said WREG Memphis:
“The audacity to come up and say you want him silenced because you don’t like him standing up for everyone for gun control. That’s stupid. Those of us who walk with voices have to say something”.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn