NASHVILLE, TN — State Sen. Charlane Oliver says she will not be intimidated after receiving a letter from Lt. Gov. Randy McNally outlining disciplinary actions related to her protest against Tennessee’s congressional redistricting maps.
In a statement released Thursday, Oliver characterized the measures as retaliation for speaking out against what she described as racially discriminatory maps.
“Yesterday afternoon, I received a letter from Lt. Governor Randy McNally outlining punitive measures against me for standing up — quite literally — for the people of Tennessee,” Oliver said.
Oliver argued that Tennessee Republicans “made the unprecedented decision to break state law and rig congressional maps to silence Black voters in Memphis.”
Calling the redistricting effort “the most brazen attack on Black political representation this nation has seen since Jim Crow,” Oliver said she believed opposition was necessary.
“That abuse of power demands resistance,” she said. “I knew there would be consequences for standing up for what is right but there was never a question about which side of history I would stand on.”
Oliver said the disciplinary actions would not deter her from advocating for her constituents.
“Let me be clear: I will not be silenced. I will not be intimidated,” Oliver said.
She added, “And I will never apologize for fighting for the Tennesseans who sent me to the Senate chamber.”
Referring to her actions on May 7, Oliver rejected suggestions that she violated Senate decorum.
“The actions I took on May 7th were not a violation of decorum,” Oliver said. “They were a direct response to a majority party that has systematically stripped Black communities of fair representation through gerrymandered, racially discriminatory redistricting maps.”
She added, “When the rules of the chamber are used to protect the powerful and silence the marginalized, standing on that desk is the least I can do.”
Oliver also invoked the words of late civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis, quoting his call to create “good trouble, necessary trouble” when confronting injustice.
“If there was ever a moment that demanded taking the ultimate stand, it is when Black voting rights — the rights that secure all other rights — are under attack,” Oliver said.
According to Oliver, the penalties include the reassignment of her committee seat, restrictions on her per diem and the loss of travel reimbursements.
“Reassigning my committee seat, restricting my per diem, and cutting off my travel reimbursements will not change the facts: the redistricting of our congressional districts was wrong, it was calculated, it was vindictive, and it will have consequences for every Tennessean who believes in a government that truly represents the people,” she said.
Oliver said she remains focused on her constituents and her broader goals for the state.
“History has always been made by those willing to disrupt the comfort of the status quo in pursuit of justice,” she said. “I remain committed to my constituents and building a Tennessee that works for everyone — not just those with unchecked power.”
She concluded her statement with a message directed at her critics.
“This fight is far from over,” Oliver said. “Next time, spell my name right.”
