Two Black Democratic members of the Tennessee House of Representatives who supported gun control demonstrators after three pupils and three staff members were killed at a Nashville school on March 27 were expelled in April 2023. They were Justin Pearson and Justin Jones.
However, Gloria Johnson, a 60-year-old white woman who was their colleague, kept her seat. It immediately became clear that Pearson and Jones were expelled because of the hue of their skin.
Following backlash against the Tennessee GOP for the men’s expulsions, Pearson and Jones, who stand for Districts 86 and 52, respectively, were reinstated a short while later.
“They tried to kill democracy. They tried to expel the people’s choice and the people’s vote. And they awakened a sleeping giant,” Pearson said in a speech after regaining his seat.
By his side was his fiancée, Oceana Gilliam. Here’s everything we know about her.
Who Is Justin Pearson’s Fiancée And Future Wife, Oceana Gilliam?
According to Oceana’s bio on the Center for Justice Innovation website, she is currently a senior program manager for the West Coast Initiative Team.
Much like her fiancé, she is advocating for change. “Oceana is passionate about building equitable programs to help create healthier, thriving communities. Through her work, Oceana strives to honor her mother, family, community, and ancestors,” her bio continues.
Oceana, born and raised in the Crenshaw neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles, graduated from Beloit College with a B.A. in political science and Russian and the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs with a Master of Public Policy.
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She established and ran a program in 2020 that gave South LA households over 17,000 boxes of locally grown produce and food to combat the food insecurity brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, to name just one of her many acts of change.
Although not much is known about her relationship with Pearson, it is evident that she constantly has his back.
After Pearson supported gun control protesters before expulsion, Mother Jones spoke with Oceana about her fiance’s future in the Tennessee House of Representatives. She said she expected him to get expelled based on what she’s observed during his time in the legislature.
“I haven’t seen them do anything democratic lately. I’ve seen Justin raise his hand during the welcoming and honoring parts of the session and not get called on. He’s constantly disrespected here,” she told the outlet in a video.
She continued: “It honestly hurts my heart because he worked so hard to get here.”
Upon seeing her interview with Mother Jones, Pearson retweeted it and shared some sweet words about his lady: “Thanks to my beautiful fiancée for fighting with the people and working to make justice possible in Tennessee. It’s time to do something about gun violence and to fight for our communities that are suffering. We WILL Keep fighting!”
Thanks to my beautiful fiancé for fighting with the people and working to make justice possible in Tennessee. It’s time to do something about gun violence and to fight for our communities that are suffering. We WILL Keep fighting!! https://t.co/LcGs8AT17V
— Justin J. Pearson (@Justinjpearson) April 6, 2023
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