Updated 4/07/2023 at 5:00 p.m. ET

In a move that shocked the nation on Thursday, Tennessee lawmakers voted to expel two Black state representatives from the House of Representatives. Despite being Democratically-elected, Justin J. Pearson and Justin Jones can no longer serve in the statehouse, effectively disenfranchising the tens of thousands of people who voted for them.

The firestorm in Tennessee began after the lawmakers joined a gun regulation protest at the Capitol in the wake of a horrific school shooting in Nashville. A vote over whether “The Tennessee Three” should be allowed to remain in office ended with two lawmakers expelled. However, Representative Gloria Johnson, who is white and also participated in the protest, was allowed to keep her seat. This raised obvious questions about racism.

It’s also worth noting that Pearson’s district is 31 percent Black and Jones’ district is 61 percent Black, which means that the decision disproportionately disenfranchised Black voters. The news has alarmed Democratic leaders, including Vice President Kamala Harris who has planned an emergency visit to Nashville today.

In order to unpack what this all means for Tennessee, Black voters, and the nation as a whole, The Root sat down with Ohio State University Professor Hasan Kwame Jeffries.

What Does This Mean for Black People in Tennessee?

Jeffries says that as disturbing as the decision to remove these democratically-elected lawmakers from the statehouse is, this isn’t coming entirely out of left field.

“I was shocked but not surprised,” Jeffries told The Root, who teaches race and history. “Because of the trajectory of GOP politics over the last decade and knowing the history in places like Tennessee dating back to the Reconstruction Era.”

During the Reconstruction Era, white supremacist Democrats would use similar tactics to expel Black lawmakers who’d briefly gained political power after the Civil War, Jeffries explained. Today, GOP lawmakers have typically used more subtle ways—like gerrymandering—to disenfranchise Black Americans and other marginalized groups, he says.

“It’s not like African Americans haven’t been effectively disenfranchised,” Jeffries said. “The difference is they’re taking it to the next level and saying we’re not even gonna pretend as though you have a voice, right? We’re just going to completely say you do not have one, and we do not care.”

Vice President Kamala Harris Travels to Tennessee

Harris has also taken note of the severity of what happened in Tennessee. Harris has planned an urgent visit to Nashville today to meet with the expelled lawmakers.

“Six people, including three children, were killed last week in a school shooting in Nashville,” Harris tweeted ahead of her visit. “How did Republican lawmakers in Tennessee respond? By expelling their colleagues who stood with Tennesseans and said enough is enough. This is undemocratic and dangerous.”

A White House official who spoke to USA Today said that Harris was going to support the thousands of young voters who spoke out against gun violence. She is also expected to renew calls to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.

Republicans Are Likely to Use the Tennessee Playbook

The obvious next concern is whether other Republican led-state legislatures will take note of what happened in Tennessee. According to Jeffries, we’re justified in being worried.

“I can guarantee you that we will see something similar in similar places going forward,” he said. “That is a bad precedent.”

Whether it’s anti-Democratic measures to ban women’s rights, decrease voting rights, or censor what can be taught in schools, “when one red state does it, the others will follow,” Jeffries said.

He also noted that the laws in Tennessee are not unique, and we could see this being done on a national scale. “Don’t be surprised if we see this when you have either Black legislators or progressive legislators trying to amplify their voice,” he said. “In one way or another, rules will be used to silence them.”