Protect Kids Not Guns - Tennessee 3
April 11, 2023
Since our 22 year old daughter Heavenly lives in LA, ( California is No. 1 in the country for gun law strength) thankfully, but we worry about the senseless gun violence & mass shootings in the USA & think it is high time we protect kids, not guns nationally! We support Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, & Gloria Johnson who are now called the "Tennessee three" and have brought more & important attention to this gun control issue that over 70% of Americans support ( including gun owners) but GOP & the NRA dirty money keeps killing our kids. There have been 146 mass shootings so far in 2023,& Guns are the leading cause of death for US children and teens, since surpassing car accidents in 2020. Red states are the worst and the murder rate in Trump-voting states has exceeded Biden-voting states every year this century and GOP gerrymandering adds to the problem as those are the politicians taking the huge donations from the NRA. I am grateful for the work that grassroots people like Moms Demand Action and March For Our Lives and Everytown etc. & hope we can all support them and work together.
We marched together during the Women's March & would be doing it now except we are continents apart so this is my little way of supporting this important cause. I want us all to live in a country that loves it's children more than it loves guns. We were delighted that amazing, inspiring, articulate young leaders like Brother Jones and Justin Pearson are helping to open the eyes of the world and galvanize the young vote and GenZ that has a real sixties revolution vibe to it.
"It’s long past time that we require safe storage of firearms. Require background checks for all gun sales. Eliminate gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability. We can and must do these things now." Biden
I knew nothing about Tennessee politics when this "Tennessee Three" news broke of an illegal, unprecedented act of retaliation and overt racism and almost fell over when I saw this tweet video that went viral because Justin Pearson looked and sounded like he was the reincarnation of Martin Luther King with the power of the sixties leaders and was/is amazingly articulate and so moving ,inspiring (especially for one only 28) and all done under such pressure and spontaneously. Just take a listen and one knows immediately that a star and a leader is born!
Tennessee State Rep. Justin Pearson speaks after vote to expel him from the House over participating in gun protests: “Our lives are at stake. And we're going to fight for our lives, just like they're fighting for the NRA." #TenneseeThree
pic.twitter.com/yHgcqj7KJa
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) April 7, 2023
I think these three will continue to make history and change the world. Both Justin Jones and Justin Pearson are absolutely stunning leaders who are so needed now and have long, important careers ahead of them. Both have been activists since boyhood and have already accomplished much. One is the son of a preacher and the other is in Divinity graduate school. So they seem to have passion, Spirit, hard work, charisma and brilliance on their side. Gloria in her sixties was a teacher for many years, has wise mom energy and is a survivor of a school shooting!
I am really excited that these three are getting lots of press so their power is expanding as their wisdom and voices are so needed today. They met with the president virtually and with the Vice president who made one of the best speeches of her career with them, have been on Good Morning America, Meet the press, CNN, Maddow and many more places. It is a long road to justice, but this kind of inspiration and "good trouble" has excited so many of us around the world. It is so exciting to see the crowds gather and support them.
One of the things that also blew my mind and I think everyone should see is Justin did a sermon on Easter Sunday. I watched it from Cyprus and sobbed it was so moving and genius. Here is a small peek of it:
Wow. I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again. Justin Pearson is one of the best orators we have as Democrats. He’s so good & powerful & I know this is only the beginning for him. Take a moment and watch this. We need more of Justin Pearson. pic.twitter.com/h2IfS8rdZh
— Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) April 9, 2023
Like so much of this, it was all an "accident" and part of what inspired me so much was this was a planned Easter event some time ago to combine a white church and a black church ( Justin's dad is a preacher). Then the expelling happened, so Justin was asked to speak and it could not have been more perfect as far as timing. It was truly beautiful also because the white church and the black church experience God, singing and church in VERY different ways, but set such an example for us all on how we are all connected to Grace even if we do it differently as individuals and cultures. For me it was the perfect Easter service and Pearson's sermon "Resurrection is a Promised Prophecy to a Persecuted People" was just what I needed to hear. You can hear the full service from youtube ( or go to his sermon at the 1:05.00 mark).
Another mind blowing "accident" with these two Justin's (who seem to have dropped out of the sixties just as the world needed them so much), is Justin accidentally ran into Joan Baez at the airport who came up to him and thanked him for what he is doing. ( This was around the same time on Sunday that the other Justin was preaching). They sang "we shall overcome" together!!
I mean the symbolism here is really something, isn’t it? Justin Jones @brotherjones_ singing with icon Joan Baez after being expelled from the Tennessee legislature for standing up to #EndGunViolence
Y’all remember how we lost Martin Luther King, Jr, yes?#NoJustinsNoPeace pic.twitter.com/aV7cvZaKPK
— ͏Postcards4USA (@postcards4USA) April 10, 2023
Deja vu!
Happy Spring! I hope this gives you the hope and inspiration that it gave me!! We shall all over come indeed when young and old, black and white and everyone of us believes and works together to change our world to a better and more equal and healthy place for all.
Since our 22 year old daughter Heavenly lives in LA, ( California is No. 1 in the country for gun law strength) thankfully, but we worry about the senseless gun violence & mass shootings in the USA & think it is high time we protect kids, not guns nationally! We support Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, & Gloria Johnson who are now called the "Tennessee three" and have brought more & important attention to this gun control issue that over 70% of Americans support ( including gun owners) but GOP & the NRA dirty money keeps killing our kids. There have been 146 mass shootings so far in 2023,& Guns are the leading cause of death for US children and teens, since surpassing car accidents in 2020. Red states are the worst and the murder rate in Trump-voting states has exceeded Biden-voting states every year this century and GOP gerrymandering adds to the problem as those are the politicians taking the huge donations from the NRA. I am grateful for the work that grassroots people like Moms Demand Action and March For Our Lives and Everytown etc. & hope we can all support them and work together.
We marched together during the Women's March & would be doing it now except we are continents apart so this is my little way of supporting this important cause. I want us all to live in a country that loves it's children more than it loves guns. We were delighted that amazing, inspiring, articulate young leaders like Brother Jones and Justin Pearson are helping to open the eyes of the world and galvanize the young vote and GenZ that has a real sixties revolution vibe to it.
"It’s long past time that we require safe storage of firearms. Require background checks for all gun sales. Eliminate gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability. We can and must do these things now." Biden
I knew nothing about Tennessee politics when this "Tennessee Three" news broke of an illegal, unprecedented act of retaliation and overt racism and almost fell over when I saw this tweet video that went viral because Justin Pearson looked and sounded like he was the reincarnation of Martin Luther King with the power of the sixties leaders and was/is amazingly articulate and so moving ,inspiring (especially for one only 28) and all done under such pressure and spontaneously. Just take a listen and one knows immediately that a star and a leader is born!
Tennessee State Rep. Justin Pearson speaks after vote to expel him from the House over participating in gun protests: “Our lives are at stake. And we're going to fight for our lives, just like they're fighting for the NRA." #TenneseeThree
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) April 7, 2023
pic.twitter.com/yHgcqj7KJa
I think these three will continue to make history and change the world. Both Justin Jones and Justin Pearson are absolutely stunning leaders who are so needed now and have long, important careers ahead of them. Both have been activists since boyhood and have already accomplished much. One is the son of a preacher and the other is in Divinity graduate school. So they seem to have passion, Spirit, hard work, charisma and brilliance on their side. Gloria in her sixties was a teacher for many years, has wise mom energy and is a survivor of a school shooting!
I am really excited that these three are getting lots of press so their power is expanding as their wisdom and voices are so needed today. They met with the president virtually and with the Vice president who made one of the best speeches of her career with them, have been on Good Morning America, Meet the press, CNN, Maddow and many more places. It is a long road to justice, but this kind of inspiration and "good trouble" has excited so many of us around the world. It is so exciting to see the crowds gather and support them.
One of the things that also blew my mind and I think everyone should see is Justin did a sermon on Easter Sunday. I watched it from Cyprus and sobbed it was so moving and genius. Here is a small peek of it:
Wow. I’ve said it before & I’ll say it again. Justin Pearson is one of the best orators we have as Democrats. He’s so good & powerful & I know this is only the beginning for him. Take a moment and watch this. We need more of Justin Pearson. pic.twitter.com/h2IfS8rdZh
— Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) April 9, 2023
Like so much of this, it was all an "accident" and part of what inspired me so much was this was a planned Easter event some time ago to combine a white church and a black church ( Justin's dad is a preacher). Then the expelling happened, so Justin was asked to speak and it could not have been more perfect as far as timing. It was truly beautiful also because the white church and the black church experience God, singing and church in VERY different ways, but set such an example for us all on how we are all connected to Grace even if we do it differently as individuals and cultures. For me it was the perfect Easter service and Pearson's sermon "Resurrection is a Promised Prophecy to a Persecuted People" was just what I needed to hear. You can hear the full service from youtube ( or go to his sermon at the 1:05.00 mark).
Another mind blowing "accident" with these two Justin's (who seem to have dropped out of the sixties just as the world needed them so much), is Justin accidentally ran into Joan Baez at the airport who came up to him and thanked him for what he is doing. ( This was around the same time on Sunday that the other Justin was preaching). They sang "we shall overcome" together!!
I mean the symbolism here is really something, isn’t it? Justin Jones @brotherjones_ singing with icon Joan Baez after being expelled from the Tennessee legislature for standing up to #EndGunViolence
— ͏Postcards4USA (@postcards4USA) April 10, 2023
Y’all remember how we lost Martin Luther King, Jr, yes?#NoJustinsNoPeace pic.twitter.com/aV7cvZaKPK
Deja vu!
Happy Spring! I hope this gives you the hope and inspiration that it gave me!! We shall all over come indeed when young and old, black and white and everyone of us believes and works together to change our world to a better and more equal and healthy place for all.
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