A Democratic state lawmaker in Tennessee on Thursday called for Memphis to secede over a new Republican-friendly House map, which was later signed into law by Gov. Bill Lee (R).
The map Lee approved carves up the state’s only majority-Black district and threatens the lone Democrat in Tennessee’s nine-member delegation. It was quickly passed by the state’s House and Senate on Thursday.
“Let Memphis secede from the state of Tennessee,” state Rep. Antonio Parkinson (D) said, according to reporting from The Tennessean. “Let my people go. I’m dead-a– serious. If you’re constantly beating on us, let us out.”
Parkinson, who represents part of Shelby County, which includes Memphis, told the Memphis-based outlet WMC-TV that the redistricting was “no longer simply about maps.”
“This is about whether Memphis, a majority-Black economic engine for this state, is expected to continue contributing billions in tax revenue, culture, labor and commerce while being systematically stripped of political power,” he added.
