First term Tennessee state representative Justin Pearson says he was trying to honor his ancestors for helping him rise to elected office when he wore his dashiki on the floor of the House chamber during his swearing-in ceremony Feb. 9.
The freshman lawmaker says he was surprised to hear another member, Rep. David Hawk, criticize him for his attire. Pearson says his colleague scolded him for not adhering to tradition where male lawmakers wear suits and ties on the House floor.
In his floor speech, according to the House speaker’s office, Hawk referred to the late Rep. Lois DeBerry, who as speaker pro tempore established a precedent of men wearing a coat and tie in the chamber.
CNN has reached out to Hawk for comment.
“There’s nothing in the rules about attire at all,” Pearson told CNN, adding that he typically wears his dashiki for special occasions.
After the swearing-in, Pearson took to Twitter to denounce his colleague’s criticism, saying, “…a white supremacist has attacked my wearing of my Dashiki.” Pearson added he understands not conforming to the “status quo ought to make some people uncomfortable.”
In response to Pearson, the Tennessee House GOP tweeted that if Pearson doesn’t like decorum rules that were approved in a bipartisan manner, he should “explore a different career opportunity.” The tweet adds that reminding members to follow the approved decorum rules is “far from a racist attack.” Read more
