P3TN

  Photo courtesy of P3 Tennessee. Photograph by Cassie Gant

Driving through the rolling hills of Giles County toward Wolf Gap nature preserve, I couldn’t help but notice the unusual security presence. State troopers patrolled roads miles from the event while the sheriff’s department established a weapons checkpoint at the entrance. The moment felt much bigger than a community conversation with State Representative Justin J. Pearson.

A sleepy Tuesday evening in Pulaski, TN hosted more than a 150 people who came to ask questions and listen to a Black man from Memphis discuss his vision for our community.

On the drive home a question lingered in my mind, in a town like Pulaski, with its deeply complicated history and distance from Memphis in both geography and culture, why did so many people come to hear what a young Black legislator from Memphis had to say?

Walking into the room before the event, rows of empty chairs faced a speaker’s table at the front. Volunteers greeted attendees while guests helped themselves to pizza and neighborly conversation. The energy in the room quickly grew as people continued to arrive.

Families brought their young children. Working people stopped in after their shifts. Farmers left the fields. Retirees claimed seats near the front. White folks, Black folks, young and old gathered for a conversation with a man seeking to represent them in Tennessee’s newly created Ninth Congressional District.

The energy was contagious. Conversation filled every corner of the room. One could move from group to group hearing frustration and concerns about their healthcare, education, jobs, family, and the future of Pulaski itself. It was evident, people had not come to merely listen to Rep. Pearson. They wanted him to listen.

The time came and Representative Pearson took the stage. He brought an energy the crowd seemed drawn to, many leaning forward to catch his next words. He spoke about the four pillars of his campaign: healthcare for all, ending government corruption, the impact of data centers on communities and the environment, and affordability.

Yet what struck me was not his political rhetoric, but he listened more than he spoke.

Attendees were encouraged to ask questions about the issues they lived with daily. Many spoke about concerns aligned with the pillars of Pearson’s campaign, while others simply wanted to be heard. Rep. Pearson would invite a person forward to ask their question, hand them the microphone, and give them his full attention. No matter if the person was nervous, frustrated, or angry about the state of Tennessee politics, he listened with a patience that felt increasingly rare from elected officials.

As the evening unfolded, the answer to my question became clearer. Why had so many people come to hear what a young Black legislator from Memphis had to say? Perhaps it was because he proved he would listen to them.

During the evening Pearson remarked, “I see the divine in people.” Regardless of one’s politics, that sentiment seemed to resonate throughout the room. For one evening, more than 150 people gathered not simply to hear a politician speak, but to participate in a conversation. In a time marked by division and cynicism, there remains a deep hunger for leaders who see the humanity in the people they hope to represent. It is not lost on me that a young Black man from Memphis captivated an audience from Pulaski, Tennessee. Ours is a community with a troublesome history, one that has too often been defined by its darkest chapters. Yet history does not solely define us. We are also defined by the future we choose to build together. On a sleepy Tuesday evening, Pulaski took another step toward that future.

Article by Tyler Sanders
https://substack.com/@tylersanders3