Justin Pearson

We have an opportunity to meet this moment

We have an opportunity to meet this moment by answering the call for justice, fairness, and hope for every person in Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District. We must have a leader who will work and fight for our district and our democracy! From Shelby County to Tipton County, Memphis to Cordova to Covington and everywhere in between – it’s about all of us working together to create the future we deserve. Together, we know the solutions to the problems we face. Below are just a handful. If there is an issue that you want to see listed, reach out to us at info@votejustinj.com.

End Poverty & the Affordability Crisis with Economic Opportunity

Every one can not be guaranteed the same outcomes but every one deserves the same access to opportunities. Without good-paying jobs and wages, we will never eradicate poverty in District 9. Our District is beautiful and also has some of the highest levels of poverty in the nation. 22.2% of people live below the poverty line and 33% of our children live below the poverty line. That has been worsening for the last two decades. I’m not a millionaire or independently wealthy. I grew up in poverty watching my parents struggle to lift me and my four brothers out of it. I know and have lived the struggles being faced by my constituents in District 9. It’s time to do something.

Environmental and Climate Justice

Our district has some of the worst polluters in the country. Our district has become a dumping ground for polluting corporations and greedy CEOs—like Elon Musk and xAI—who see our community as the “path of least resistance” to line their pockets with billions more in profits while we are left with more hospital visits and funerals. Every person deserves clean air, clean water, and clean soil. It is a human right to be able to breathe, drink clean water, and plant in clean soil. That right is being taken from us by corporations. I’ve helped lead the fight against many of those companies and we’ve had successes. I promise to continue to do that as well for you in Congress.

Ending the Gun Violence Epidemic

Gun violence is the leading cause of death for children in Tennessee and in District 9. I’m proud to have written the most legislation in the 113th General Assembly to address the gun violence epidemic. This issue is personal to me. I have lost my beloved brother, cousin, classmates, and mentor due to gun violence. I was expelled from the Tennessee General Assembly as one of the “Tennessee Three” after peacefully protesting to end the gun violence epidemic demanding that my Republican colleagues do something after the largest mass shooting in Tennessee’s history. I will be an advocate in Congress to fight for laws that protect us nationwide. If you or a loved one is struggling with thoughts of self-harm, please call 988

Affordable Housing

Everybody has a right to shelter. Yet, in Memphis and District 9, over 1,000 residents are unhoused. Those who can afford housing are facing sky-rocketing rents and are being priced out of communities where they have lived for years by greedy developers and real estate corporations. Rent is too high. Younger people, families, and older people on fixed incomes are being hurt the most. This is a moral crisis. My faith reminds me in Matthew 25 that we have moral and legislative responsibility to ensure housing and food justice for all.

Healthcare for All

Healthcare is a human right, but in Tennessee, our state refuses to expand Medicaid while at the same time Trump and Republicans are gutting Medicare and Medicaid to give billionaires tax breaks. No one should fear a hospital bill putting them into poverty. We need Medicare for All because no family deserves to lose a loved one because of fear of the costs burdening their loved ones so much that they would rather not be alive. Medicare for All would mean no premiums, deductions, or copays for coverage including, vision, dental, ortho, reproductive health, mental healthcare, as well as community-based long-term support services to ensure the crucial services our disabled community relies on are prioritized, not forgotten.

Supporting Our Veterans

Veterans in District 9 have been deprived of over $600M in benefits and compensation and nothing has been done at the federal level to address this disparity. It’s unconscionable and unacceptable which is why I have been helping to connect veterans to advocate for more resources to care for those who have served our nation faithfully. No veterans should be suffering in District 9 or around the country after serving this nation. My Grandaddy Curtis served in the 101st Airborne in Vietnam and earned two Purple Hearts but was denied benefits for decades. That’s wrong.

Protecting Immigrant Communities

We are witnessing Donald Trump exploit an already unjust and inhumane immigration system with an assault on our fundamental values, terrorizing immigrant communities with masked agents and taking over our cities like a tyrant. Republicans use immigrants to divide our communities against each other, while corporations exploit them for cheap labor. The solution to both is building a pathway to citizenship so we can stand together for better wages, jobs, and rights for all of us and defeat those seeking to divide us. District 9 welcomes immigrants from all over the world. My faith compels me to serve all people, especially the immigrant “for you shall love [immigrants] as yourself, for you were once strangers in Egypt.

Educational Equity & Funding Our Schools

Our public education is under attack by right-wing extremists who want to erase our histories from our student’s textbooks, ban books, defund public schools, and line the pockets of private school corporations and CEOs instead of our teachers and schools. Education is the most important investment we can make in our young people. We need to make sure every child has the tools to be successful in college or in careers by bringing back trades into school, as well as ensuring every school has the equipment and tools to educate children. It is past time for a national law guaranteeing increasing public school teachers’ salaries annually so they aren’t applying for SNAP while working 50+ hours a week. My Dr. Mommy has been a public-school teacher for 23 years. I know teachers need more and deserve more for their students and families.

LGBTQIA+ RIGHTS

LGBTQIA2S+ Rights are human rights. Radical Republicans and extremists are blaming queer people and immigrants for everything that is going wrong in our country instead of looking at their own moral and policy failures that are crippling us. I do not support oppressing anybody. God created everybody as a beloved person. We need to stand united to protect the rights of all vulnerable communities because an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. Tennessee passes more anti-queer and hate-filled legislation than any other state. They have typically had a queer Republican present these laws for passage which is double-sad. I am not standing for oppressing anybody. We’re in this fight together.

Foreign Policy

How does Congress easily could come up with billions for bombs and private military contractors but not billions to solve chronic problems in our District 9? The budget for the entire State of Tennessee is $60 billion. The Pentagon will spend 14 times that this year alone. It’s time to end the era of bottomless defense budgets that line the pockets of CEOs while fueling war and destruction abroad. Our taxpayer dollars should not be funding war; they should be funding a better future for our families in District 9.