Issues

Democracy in Tennessee is in crisis as the Republican supermajority seeks to silence dissent and cutoff debate. Instead of engaging in dialogue and honest conversation, House Republicans would rather abuse their power and throw mothers, clergy, and students out of the gallery, and ignore the cries of people begging for change. Democracy requires disruptors, and now more than ever, we need fighters to stop the rise of authoritarianism.

In a state where gun violence is the leading cause of death for children, it is morally reprehensible that our Republican supermajority has proposed laws to make it easier to attain an assault weapon and shielded gun manufacturers from liability. By placing the profits and contributions of the firearm lobby over the lives of kids, gun extremists have held our democracy at gunpoint long enough, and now is the time for real, comprehensive gun reform.

Lawmakers for too long have allowed corporate greed and environmental destruction to dominate public policy, all at the expense of the next generation’s future. Tennessee is rich in biodiversity, ranging from the Duck River, America’s most biodiverse river, to the old growth forests of the Smoky Mountains. From Antioch to the Appalachia, our fight for a greener future means building a multiracial, multiclass movement for environmental justice.