Latest news with #AronMaberry
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
State lawmakers manipulate language to gaslight Tennesseans on diversity
State Rep. Aron Maberry, a Clarksville Republican, sponsored a pair of bills aiming to "dismantle DEI." (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) Language is fluid; it shifts, contorts, and adjusts as culture progresses. Largely due to social media, the fluidity of language has increased exponentially over the last decade. One word that exploded into the public lexicon around 2016 was the term 'gaslighting.' The meaning of the word is quite broad and can apply to interpersonal relationships, work dynamics, and, most notably, politics. Ironically, gaslighting is most effective when it uses the fluidity of language to manipulate a message. When boiled down to its most primal definition, gaslighting is the exploitation of thoughts and emotions by twisting language and truth to fit a desired mindset. To use gaslighting to its fullest potential, one must be well-versed in language, be willing to overlook any nuance, and boil a topic down to the one idea that will elicit the most emotional response in someone else. During the last several legislative sessions, Republican lawmakers in Tennessee have conducted a masterclass in how to gaslight Tennesseeans. The most recent pieces of egregious legislation by the GOP supermajority are bills designed to strip away diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives related to departmental appointments and hiring practices. As with most recent controversial legislation by the GOP, there was a lawmaker ready and willing to break down the gaslighting process. Logic and nuance would tell anyone that 61 years of 'equality' doesn't amount to much when you weigh that amount of time against 300 years of abuse, murder, slavery and marginalization simply based on one's skin color, sexuality or gender. Rep. Aron Maberry, a first term Clarksville Republican, was the House sponsor for HB0622 and HB0923 – both designed to 'dismantle DEI.' The first step for any gaslighting expert is to find a word to target. It doesn't matter what the true definition of that word is as long as that word has attained a certain connotation. In this case, the word Maberry chose was equity — the meat of the DEI sandwich. 'The big problem in DEI is equity. We all know diversity, we all love including people. Equity is not equality, and it's not about treating people fairly or ensuring equal opportunity … equity in the context of DEI is essentially that everybody gets the same outcome,' Maberry said. Maberry paints a bullseye on the word equity and fires. This isn't a difficult shot for him because the connotation of the word had already been established in corners of right-wing conversations five years ago. Now, the word is blasphemous in the world of most conservatives. The true meaning of equity has been lost and replaced by a mutated form of the word, one that is often equated with socialism and promises an equal outcome for everyone, when the actual definition of equity does everything except guarantee an equal outcome for everyone. Equity provides gateways and resources to opportunities that have been historically out of reach for many women and people of color. Maberry and Senate sponsor Jack Johnson, a Franklin Republican, sought to further explain the reasoning behind their bills by entering into phase two of the gaslighting process: ignore all nuances of a given topic. Maberry and Johnson saidthat their bills focus on merit, qualifications, skill and competency in employment decisions, and diversity will 'happen naturally through fair hiring practices.' Yes, in a world devoid of history and nuance, 'fair' hiring practices would occur naturally. What Johnson and Maberry fail to take into account is that systemic racism is still very much alive today, 61 years after the Civil Rights Act of 1964. DEI initiatives were put in place to catalyze the pursuit of more diverse personnel in business and government by intentionally recruiting people who would typically fall outside a company or department's purview. DEI is about making sure we all understand that we don't live in a post-racial society simply because certain hiring practices are illegal. Subconscious and systemic prejudice will always find a way to circumvent the law, even unintentionally. Logic and nuance would tell anyone that 61 years of 'equality' doesn't amount to much when you weigh that amount of time against 300 years of abuse, murder, slavery and marginalization simply based on one's skin color, sexuality or gender. Our society is still in the formative stages of course correction from these atrocities, and the systemic rivers of opportunity that have benefited white men for centuries haven't dried up yet. Removing the dam of DEI initiatives simply allows those rivers to flow faster. For their final act, Maberry and Johnson needed something to stoke the flames of emotion; something to indisputably turn the tables on inclusive initiatives. If DEI were about making room for all people to have equal access and opportunity, then the last card to play in the gaslighting hand is to flip the script completely. Maberry and Johnson initially tread lightly into this final act by disarming their skeptics with the admission that diversity could be beneficial before sealing the entire process with the claim that DEI initiatives weren't just misguided but were actually a form of discrimination themselves. Nothing angers people of privilege more than believing they are the ones being discriminated against. Tennesseans can agree to disagree on issues of policy and legislation, but we should collectively be offended when our supermajority lies to our faces and tells us it's the truth, as members have with anti-DEI laws designed to penalize minorities. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ethics Commission dismisses complaint against Republican rep.; threatens complainants with penalties
An ethics complaint against Clarksville Republican Rep. Aron Maberry was dismissed by the Tennessee Ethics Commission on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Photo: John Partipilo) The Tennessee Ethics Commission on Tuesday unanimously threw out a complaint against a Montgomery County Republican representative and admonished those who filed it after determining that the commission lacked authority to consider the case. The complaint, filed April 3 by a group of current and former educators in Montgomery County, said Clarksville Republican Rep. Aron Maberry's actions as a state representative violated his oath as a sitting Clarksville Montgomery County School Board member. The complaint cites Maberry's vote in favor of House Bill 793 — which would allow school districts and charter schools to refuse to enroll students without permanent legal documentation — as a breach of his 'duty to provide equal education opportunities and to refrain from using his position for partisan gain.' The measure itself is on hold over concerns that its contradiction of the U.S. Supreme Court's 1982 Plyler v. Doe ruling guaranteeing all children access to public education could result in Tennessee schools losing federal funding. In an expedited hearing Tuesday morning, Commission Chair Tammy White said she was 'extremely disturbed' that the press obtained copies of the complaint before it was filed with the commission. She also warned the complainants that filing 'unsubstantiated complaints' could result in civil penalties against them. 'This body was not created to be used as a political pawn for headlines,' White said. 'There should be serious repercussions for those who act in such a manner as this. And while I do applaud everyone's political involvement and passion, matters like today should and can be resolved at the local ballot box.' Tuesday's special-called hearing, which would typically be confidential, was open to the public at Maberry's request. The committee's next regularly scheduled meeting is in August, which the commission deemed too far in the future to allow a complaint of this nature to go undecided. Bill Young, the commission's executive director, characterized the complaints as 'policy disagreements' and said staff determined that the commission did not have jurisdiction to decide qualifications for office or compliance with the ethics codes of local bodies. The constitutionality of policy is litigated in court, he said. The Tennessee constitution does not prohibit individuals from serving as both a state representative and a school board member. Commission Secretary Duane Gilbert said the complaint was a 'colossal waste of time, the state's resources and employees.' The commission considered calling for a show-cause hearing to determine whether the complainants should be penalized for filing the complaint, but ultimately decided against it. White and Commission member Stacey Floyd-Thomas said they did not want this complaint to set a precedent for others. 'Any further action in this manner would necessitate a show-cause hearing' where the complainants would be asked to show why their actions should not be considered reckless disregard, Floyd-Thomas said. Joy Rice, a member of the group that filed the complaint, said she was 'shocked' at the commission's response. 'I didn't realize I would have to bring an attorney with me to an ethics complaint,' she said. 'I think … it's a bullying tactic to make sure that nobody else complains.' Rice said the complaint was not based on Maberry serving in two seats, but rather that 'what he's doing in one seat affects the other one.' 'He took an oath for the Code of Ethics in the school board capacity to represent all children, and then he went to the state and immediately … attempted to pass legislation that went in direct violation of that,' Rice said. Karen Reynolds, who also signed the complaint, said she was encouraged by a school board member to file the ethics complaint with the state because the school board lacks a formal ethics complaint policy. 'That's a lot of bullying up there, considering that basically they said they didn't have jurisdiction,' Reynolds said. 'We knew we would hit that wall, but I guess we didn't expect — basically they tried to silence us by saying, get a lawyer or shut up.' Maberry, who was also present at the hearing, said he was grateful for the commission's decision on what he says is a 'partisan attack' against him led by someone who he believes is 'trying to stay politically relevant in the community.' Reynolds, a Democrat, ran for the District 22 Tennessee Senate seat in 2024 but lost to Republican Bill Powers. 'Education and protecting CMCSS was the core reason that I ran for state senate, so I'm still going to stand up and do what I think is right for our schools and our children and our community,' Reynolds said. Reynolds and Rice said their group will consider other paths available to them to pursue the complaint. Maberry said every decision he's made on the school board is 'to better our public schools,' and his constituents at the state level voted him into office knowing that he intended to keep his school board seat. He does not plan to resign from the school board. 'I believe the message was sent clearly to Tennessee that if you're going to come after somebody that's duly elected and make up complaints against them, that you yourself need to make sure that it's an actual complaint, because you could be breaking state law,' he said.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tennessee Republicans push to ban diversity, equity, inclusion policies
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies are meant to foster a workplace where all individuals feel valued and respected, but Tennessee Republicans call it discriminatory and are pushing a bill to ban the practice in the state. 'The Dismantle DEI Act,' sponsored by Rep. Aron Maberry (R-Clarksville) and Senate Majority Leader Jack Johnson (R-Franklin), would ban the state and local governments and public colleges and universities from basing hiring decisions on any metrics that consider an applicant's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability, or hiring a particular candidate to achieve any goals to increase diversity, equity, or inclusion in the workplace, according to the bill's language. 📧 Have breaking news come to you: → Republicans argue DEI policies prioritize diversity over merit and lead to discriminatory practices that cause qualified people to miss out on opportunities they deserve. 'If discrimination in the past was wrong, and I agree, it was; it is, then discrimination today is wrong,' Rep. Maberry said. 'Diversity is a wonderful thing, but diversity, for diversity's sake alone, and making diversity the number one priority over merit and over running an effective and efficient government, I think is wrong,' Leader Johnson said. The bill follows President Trump's lead in ending DEI policies. In the first week of his second term, President Trump signed an executive order terminating DEI preferencing in the federal government, calling it 'illegal and immoral.' He argued the move was about protecting civil rights and merit-based opportunity. However, Tennessee Democrats argue it's the opposite. They called the 'Dismantle DEI Act' an attempt to turn back time. 'Stop acting like you don't know what this is all about and deal with the reality of it. You are trying to put Black folks back in a box, and I'm saying we're not going,' Rep. Yusuf Hakeem (D-Chattanooga) said. 'We're taking out things that prohibit the government from discriminating against people. We're removing that from the law. That's not anti-DEI. That's anti-civil rights,' Sen. Jeff Yarbro (D-Nashville) said. According to a 2023 PEW Research Center survey that polled employed adults, 56% of participants responded DEI was a good thing in the workplace. However, a Harvard Business Review study found DEI practices undermine diversity in the workplace. ⏩ The bill is set to be debated on the Senate floor Monday afternoon. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Montgomery County group files ethics complaint against Republican representative
State Rep. Aron Maberry, a Clarksville Republican, has been accused of ethics violations by a group of his constituents. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout) A Montgomery County group filed a formal complaint with the Tennessee Ethics Commission against state Rep. Aron Maberry, saying he has a conflict of interest as a state House and local school board member. The group says Maberry, a Clarksville Republican, should resign from the Clarksville Montgomery County School Board, mainly because of his votes in support of state legislation that could discriminate against immigrant students. The complaint, which was filed April 3, bases its argument on Maberry's vote for House Bill 793, which allows school districts and charter schools to refuse to enroll students without permanent legal documentation, contradicting a 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that guarantees all children access to public education. 'By supporting this bill, Mr. Maberry has violated the School Board Code of Ethics, specifically his duty to provide equal education opportunities and to refrain from using his position for partisan gain,' the complaint says. The group, which includes current and former educators, Catherine Garrigan, Joy Rice, Karen Reynolds, Katherine Lawson and Jeri Hiley-Britain, says in the filing the bill could violate federal laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color or national origin and risks losing $1.1 billion in federal education funding for Tennessee. The filing alleges several ethics violations against the first-term representative of House District 68, including failure to uphold student rights and represent the entire school community, allowing partisan influence to affect his votes, undermining diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as failure to prioritize student needs. Maberry, who voted Monday in favor of the bill restricting immigrant student enrollment, issued a statement saying, 'This complaint is without merit and clearly politically motivated. It's a desperate stunt by woke local leftists who reject the conservative values our community holds dear and that I proudly represent at the Capitol. They are obsessed with overturning the will of the people; all of their previous attempts have failed. I have been fully transparent about my service on the school board and my intention to serve out the remainder of my term. I have full confidence in the Ethics Commission and trust the facts will lead to an appropriate course of action.' Monday's meeting of the House Government Operations Committee was interrupted by ministers who recited the Lord's Prayer in protest of the bill, which passed 8-7. The issue has roiled the legislature all year, leading opponents to rally against multiple Senate and House committee votes. The Senate version of the bill sponsored by Sen. Bo Watson of Hixson, chairman of the finance committee, would require school districts to check the immigration status of students and charge them tuition to enroll. The House bill sponsored by House Majority Leader William Lamberth of Portland would give districts the option to check immigration status. Lawmakers have said they want to pass the measure to challenge Plyler v. Doe at the Supreme Court level, the 43-year-old ruling that requires school districts to serve all students. 8003 Complaint Form Submitted – Ethics Complaints Against School Board Member and State Representative Aron SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
USA Today
12-02-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Proposed bill by Clarksville Rep. Maberry would nix DEI in local government, colleges
A bill to prohibit Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has been introduced to the Tennessee General Assembly by Rep. Aron Maberry, R-Clarksville. On Feb. 2, freshman legislator Maberry, District 68, introduced the "Dismantle DEI Act," or House Bill 0622, into the state legislature that would prohibit Tennessee's local governments and higher education public institutions from using DEI-influenced hiring metrics.
