Editor’s note: This story is from a speech by Justin J. Pearson who is running for U.S. Congress, District 9, Tennessee. See his speech below:
“And if it’s us versus the billionaire class who are profiting off of our pain, if it’s us versus the billionaires, the people versus the billionaires, my bets are on people power every single time.” — Justin J. Pearson.
This November, we’re going to show Tennessee and show Texas and show the South and show the Nation that the blood that was shed on the Edmund Pettus Bridge was not in vain. That our fight and our future is worth sacrificing for, is worth knocking doors for, is worth making phone calls for, and it’s worth winning for.
I’m not new to this fight against the tyranny of government. When a mass shooting happened in Tennessee, I protested against the inaction, the National Rifle Association and the gun lobby. And the same state legislature who racially redistricted our community expelled me out of office. But you know what? We fought back. And I was reinstated, then reelected with 94% of the vote.
They thought they would make us quit and they were wrong.
And when oil companies and gas executives sought to build a two billion dollar crude oil pipeline through our Memphis community, we organized and we stopped them. We took on Goliath and we won.
And for the last two years, I fought on the front lines alongside my constituents and neighbors in Westwood and Boxtown against Elon Musk and the largest data center in the world, which sits just three miles away from our front door.
He’s illegally polluting our air with dangerous nitrogen oxides and formaldehyde. He’s ignoring the Clean Air Act. Elon Musk, the newest trillionaire, thinks he can kill our people and damage our land. He thinks his money and his power can make us quit.
And y’all, he thought wrong. Our fight two years ago and the fights happening now for clean air, clean water and clean soil will not and must not stop.
From small towns and rural communities to city centers, our fight is restoring a flame of hope that is dwindled for many people who have lost trust that things can get better. We cannot afford to waver now.
And if it’s us versus the billionaire class who are profiting off of our pain, if it’s us versus the billionaires, the people versus the billionaires, my bets are on people power every single time.
For more information on Justin’s campaign, see his Facebook and Instagram pages and watch this video.
Photos below are from Justin Pearson’s Senate Campaign on Facebook:
