EHE Grand Rounds: The Fight for Environmental Justice and Democracy
Department & Center Events
Justin J. Pearson District 86 State Representative - Tennessee General Assembly
The Fight for Environmental Justice and Democracy
Justin J. Pearson, District 86 State Representative - Tennessee General Assembly
Friday, March 9 at 12 P.M.
HYBRID: The Glass Pavilion, Homewood Campus & Via Zoom
ZOOM REGISTRATION REQUIRED.
Justin J. Pearson represents District 86 as a member of the Tennessee House of Representatives. District 86 is a sprawling area along the Mississippi River, spanning from south Memphis through downtown and north to Millington, TN. A community organizer and servant leader recognized for prioritizing the needs of the people, Pearson was elected to office January 24, 2023, at the age of 28, becoming the second youngest lawmaker serving in the Tennessee House of Representatives.
Pearson, graduated from Mitchell High School as valedictorian and attended Bowdoin College in Maine where he graduated in 2017 with degrees in both Government & Legal Studies and Education Studies. He later served as Special Assistant to the CEO at Year Up, a national workforce development non-profit in Boston, MA, that focuses on social, racial, and economic justice. During the pandemic, Pearson returned home to Memphis where he co-founded Memphis Community Against the Pipeline (MCAP), now known as Memphis Community Against Pollution. MCAP, through 2 Pearson’s leadership and the efforts of a coalition of residents and community organizations from across Memphis, successfully defeated a multi-billion dollar crude oil pipeline project that would have poisoned Memphis’s drinking water and stolen land from South Memphis residents.
Pearson’s advocacy and leadership inspired The Sierra Club to recognize him as the 2023 National Changemaker of the Year and The Root to declare him as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans in 2022. Pearson is a devout Christian and tireless champion for justice. He is engaged to his partner in life and the struggle for justice, Oceana R. Gilliam of Los Angeles, California.