Frost to rally against ‘attacks on democracy’ with Tennessee state Rep. Jones

Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) will rally outside the Capitol on Wednesday with Tennessee state Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville), one of the lawmakers at the center of Tennessee furor for protesting gun control on the House floor. 

Jones, who was ousted from the state legislature earlier this month but reinstated just days later, will join Frost and local youth leaders in a discussion on “attacks on democracy.”

“We’re talking about how we are young and we are fed up,” Jones said in an Instagram video with Frost. “We are fighting for democracy; fighting against authoritarianism and fascism.”

“We’re going to be here at the People’s House with other young electeds saying that it’s our time to lift up the voice of our generation to bring urgency and moral clarity to these issues that we face,” he added.

Jones and his fellow state Reps. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) and Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville) visited the White House on Monday to discuss gun control with President Biden. 

Like Jones, Pearson was expelled by the GOP-controlled state legislature for joining the protest on the House floor. Johnson, a white woman who joined the two young Black lawmakers, held on to her seat.

The expulsion sparked outrage around the nation. Many, including the lawmakers who have become known as the “Tennessee Three,” pointed to the racial undertones of the expulsions. The three have since earned the praise of Biden, and Vice President Harris traveled to Tennessee after their expulsion in a show of support.

Frost, who made history with his election by becoming the first member of Congress from Generation Z and the first Afro-Cuban member, has been an ardent supporter of gun reform.

He has called his generation “the mass shooting generation,” and has previously said it feels like he has “been through more mass shooting drills than fire drills.” The first piece of legislation he introduced focused on creating an office in the U.S. Department of Justice to coordinate response to gun violence.

“We’re demanding a brighter future, we’re in this fight together, and we’re not backing down,” Frost wrote on Instagram.