The second of two black Democrats kicked out of the Republican-led Tennessee House, he followed his colleague back to work at the Capitol on Thursday, a week after their eviction for participating in a gun control protest thrust them into the national spotlight.

State Representative Justin Pearson of Memphis was sworn in outside the Statehouse on Thursday. The day before, Shelby County Commissioners voted unanimously to reinstate him.

Yes, indeed, Happy Resurrection Day, Pearson said as he signed the paperwork for his return.

There will be a new building of this building, with a foundation built on love, Pearson said in a fiery speech outside the Capitol after being sworn in. With doors open to everyone in the state of Tennessee. Not just rich people, but everyone. Not just straight people, but everyone. Not just Republicans, but everyone.

After delivering his speech to supporters and reporters outside the Capitol, Pearson walked into the House chamber as the bill debate was in progress. He clenched his fists and mumbled quietly, This is our house. Those in the gallery clenched their fists back and muttered Our House as Pearson circled the floor.

Before Pearson returned to the chamber, lawmakers cheered and applauded as the police officers who responded to the deadly March 27 mass shooting at a Nashville elementary school, shooting the event that sparked the gun control protest, were honored in the chamber. Democratic state Representative Bob Freeman praised the officers’ bravery, but also stressed to his fellow lawmakers that inaction is not an option for responding to the tragedy.

Tennessee’s House evicts two of three Democrats involved in gun control protests

Republicans banned Pearson and State Representative Justin Jones last week for their roles in the House floor protest over the shooting, which killed three children and three adults.

In his speech outside the Capitol, Pearson read the names of the dead and referenced another mass shooting Monday at a bank in Louisville, Ky., that killed five people and injured eight others.

Our law enforcement officers, who are lauded by many people, are forced to go to war while simply going to work, Pearson said. Children are told to go to fortresses, instead of going to school and apprenticeships. We were told to go to church, with the status quos thoughts and prayers, when we should be afraid of someone entering with an assault weapon.

When Pearson returned to the House floor, lawmakers were debating legislation addressing the teaching of divisive concepts “related to race, sex, and sex on college campuses. After a brief spirited debate involving Pearson and Jones, Republicans used procedural rules to immediately halt discussion and force Members to vote on the bill The move irked Democrats, who immediately pointed out that cutting off debate and silencing dissenters was the reason the so-called Tennessee Three broke house rules after being cut from previous debates.

Editorial: Abhorrent attack by Tennessee Republicans on speech and freedom

It took the Nashville Metropolitan Council just a few minutes on Monday to get Jones back in office. He was quickly restored to his house chair that day.

The nominations are interim, though both Jones and Pearson plan to run in special elections for the seats later this year.

The Houses vote to remove Pearson and Jones, but retain white state Rep. Gloria Johnson made accusations of racism. Johnson survived by one vote. The Republican leadership denied that race was a factor, noting that Johnson’s role in the protest was not accompanied by some of the steps Jones and Pearson took, including speaking into a megaphone.

Exile is a move the chamber has used only a handful of times since the Civil War. Most state legislatures have the power to expel members, but it is generally reserved as punishment for lawmakers accused of serious misconduct, not as a weapon against political opponents.

Last Thursday’s evictions made Tennessee a new front in the battle for the future of American democracy. In the space of a few days, the two raised thousands of campaign dollars and the Tennessee Democratic Party received another jolt of support from across the US.

Political tensions rose as Pearson, Johnson and Jones, from the House floor, joined hundreds of protesters packing the Capitol to call for gun control measures to be passed.

As protesters filled the galleries, lawmakers approached the front of the House chamber with a megaphone and joined in a chant. The scene took place days after the shooting at Covenant School, a private Christian school. Their participation from the front of the room violated house rules because the three did not have permission from the speaker of the house.

In Tennessee, Republican lawmakers supported the idea of ​​strengthening safety in schools, but have largely rejected calls for tighter gun controls with just weeks left in the legislative session.

The shooting and aftermath has prompted some, including the Republican government. Bill Lee, to support some of the changes.

Lee has since called on the General Assembly to pass legislation to prevent dangerous people from acquiring guns. It is unclear how successful he will be in gaining support from legislators within his party at the end of the legislature.

Lee, meanwhile, has avoided commenting on the legislator’s evictions, saying the controversy is a House matter.