The Trump administration is ordering the removal of information on slavery at multiple national parks in an effort to scrub them of “corrosive ideology.” To describe the truth about our Black experience and history as “corrosive ideology” is not only an insult but highlights the possible long-term damage that this administration can cause.
Some of the damage may be permanent and beyond repair. Our ancestors, through their sacrifices and fight for human dignity, placed a tremendous amount of trust in future generations. They trusted that the next generations represented by today’s Generation Z, Millennials, Generation X and Baby Boomers would continue the fight and protect what was gained.
There comes a time in every movement when the torch must pass. The fight to preserve the story of the Black experience while defending human dignity can no longer rest solely in the hands of the old guard.
To preserve the essence of the Black experience in a rapidly changing nation, people of color must begin electing young leaders like Tennessee state Rep. Justin Pearson, who has the fire and passion to challenge the MAGA movement on all fronts. Pearson, along with fellow Rep. Justin Jones, were members of the “Tennessee Three” who were expelled from their state House seats and later reinstated by local officials.
The young Black lawmakers were removed in 2023 for protesting on the Tennessee House floor about gun control in the wake of a deadly school shooting in Nashville. Their protest showed the type of bold and sometimes radical leadership needed to confront what is clearly becoming authoritarian rule in our nation.
Now Justin Pearson wants to go to Washington. He has announced that he is challenging the 76-year-old incumbent Rep. Steve Cohen for his Memphis-based seat in the House next year. “I believe we need a leader who is proximate, who understands the issues, who fights and who can stand up and speak up for us in this moment and in this time,” Pearson told The Hill in an interview.
Pearson enjoys early support at the outset of his campaign, including endorsements from the progressive Justice Democrats and David Hogg’s political group Leaders We Deserve. Hogg, in a statement, said he was “calling on Representative Steve Cohen to pass the torch to the Tennessee state representative,” whom he described as “a transformational leader who can inspire a new generation.”
The 30-year-old Pearson is among a growing number of younger Democrats challenging older and established incumbents in the U.S. House. Calls for generational change and making way for new younger voices within the Democratic Party have increased.
The generational primary match-up between one of the party’s young guns and the old guard is not isolated to Tennessee. In Maine, first-time candidate Graham Platner, 40, faces 77-year-old Gov. Janet Mills. In Massachusetts, Rep. Seth Moulton, 46, is seeking to oust Sen. Ed Markey, who is 79. In the nation’s capital, 88-year-old Eleanor Holmes Norton will face at least two younger foes if she runs for reelection.
In California, state Sen. Scott Wiener, 55, former aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, is geared up to challenge 85-year-old former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for her San Francisco district seat. The issue is not one of lack of respect for elders.
The issue is one of political strategy and the survival of the idea of fairness and justice for all. Baby Boomers, those between the ages of 61 to 79, are no longer the largest generation. Millennials (age 29 to 44) have taken over that title.
The next largest generation is Gen Z (age 13 to 28). Gen Z are the digital natives, the first generation in this digital age who have never had life without the internet.
Rep. Justin Pearson, when referring to his challenge against the incumbent, said he was “not going to make our campaign about age,” saying he’s voted for lawmakers much older than Cohen. But he argued the incumbent was not meeting the moment now. Cohen is not alone in that assessment.
This commentary appeared first on St. Louis American. For more information, visit www.stlamerican.com.