"Urgent Call to Action: African-American Advocates Stand Against HB 793/SB 836 – A Modern-Day Jim Crow Law Impacting Undocumented Students in Public Education"

As influential African-American leaders, advocates, and faith-driven individuals, we strongly denounce HB 793/SB 836. Proposed by Majority Leader William Lamberth and Senator Bo Watson, this legislation unjustly restricts undocumented children's access to public education, contravening Plyler v. Doe (1982). Echoing past racial segregation, it disproportionately impacts Latino immigrant families and jeopardizes citizenship rights for documented children in mixed-status households, fostering anxiety and hindering school enrollment. We call upon all Tennesseans to oppose this detrimental bill and urge Governor Bill Lee to veto it if it reaches his desk.