Last week, State Representative Justin Jones said, “The world is watching Tennessee” after yet another school shooting, the police killing of Tyre Nichols, a slew of anti-trans legislation, and drag bans. And he’s right. Young people from around the globe are tuning in and expressing their outrage over recent events. Jones, along with Representatives Justin Pearson and Gloria Johnson, chanted “No action, no peace” on the House floor alongside hundreds of students, parents, and teachers at the Tennessee State Capitol in response to the recent school shooting in Nashville. Later, Representatives Jones and Pearson were expelled from their seats, leaving over 140,000 Tennesseeans without a representative.

The expulsion of Jones and Pearson comes at a tumultuous time for people in Tennessee and points to the intersectionality of the moment. These two lawmakers represent areas of Tennessee with the most racial diversity and have been prominent voices for communities of color since they were elected into office. This means that people in Tennessee who are already marginalized now are left without a representative to voice their concerns, which goes against the democratic ideals of “for the people, by the people.” The expulsion also reveals a striking double standard within the Tennessee Senate, which Jones was quick to call out. 

While these events appear as a threat to our democratic system, it doesn’t mean that the people of Tennessee (or anywhere else) are left without a voice. Students in Nashville have staged walkouts and marches to make their voices heard and show no signs of backing down. We can make a difference with gun safety wherever we are in the country, and ousting State Representatives doesn’t change that. Jones and Pearson’s empty seats will be up for grabs in a special election, which they themselves can run for. Yes, that means the power of voting is back in play, and you should register to vote in the special election if you’re eligible.

Let’s Do This!

DoSomething

Let us know what’s on your mind! 

With everything going on in the world, we want to hear from you. Your voice matters and by sharing your POV on the important stuff, it helps us provide you with the best resources and programs to make a change.

Nobody’s voice should be silenced. That’s why we’re elevating banned books with our program Uncensored. 

Our members are combating the exclusionary practice of book bans by sharing their perspectives on banned books. Here’s what they’re saying:

DoSomething member Jeremy Y. said, “As a second year honors student at UC Davis studying computer science, I was thrilled to learn about the opportunity to read a banned book by a Black, woman, or LGBTQIA+ author. After reviewing the available resources, I decided to read Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. This book was included on DoSomething's list of top ten challenged or banned books by Black authors, and I was immediately drawn to the author's powerful writing style and the story's exploration of love and self-discovery. Reading this banned book has been a transformative experience for me, as it allowed me to better understand the perspectives of marginalized voices and to challenge the systems in place around censorship. By advocating for culturally-representative books, I hope to help others in my community gain a more comprehensive understanding of the world around them and to promote empathy and compassion for diverse experiences.”

We’re here for building cross-cultural empathy by hearing perspectives from historically underrepresented groups, and Uncensored is an awesome way to do that! Plus, you might earn a $1k scholarship when you join.

It’s that time of year again… for our quarterly #WeDidThat report! We’re celebrating your collective impact on your communities, which includes some dope stats, like 32,000 new members joining DoSomething this quarter!

Look for the helpers… After the recent Nashville school shooting, bakers came together to deliver cookie decorating kits to 200 families impacted. How’s that for sweet?

Small wins (making a big impact)… Boston legislators just expanded its tuition-free community college program to all residents, making higher education more accessible in the city than ever!

ICYMI… The Trevor Project just launched its new roundtable series, Sharing Space, which seeks to amplify the voices of LGBTQIA+ young people, AND Daniel Radcliffe, aka Harry Potter, is on it! 

Fastweb Opportunity 

This list of environmental scholarships is Earth Day focused. Find an opportunity that will help our environment and you pay for college!

CollegeXpress

Spring has sprung, and our friends at CollegeXpress are working to ensure you have access to awesome scholarship opportunities…and all you have to do is answer one simple question! Complete a free profile on CollegeXpress and answer the following to be entered to earn a $1K scholarship: What is something you're doing to help de-stress this semester?

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