The environmental activist organizing opposition to the plan by Elon Musk and xAI to build the world’s largest supercomputer in Memphis, Tennessee is KeShawn Pearson, the brother of State Representative Justin Pearson (D-Memphis), who recently drew national attention after lunging at a colleague on the floor of the State House.
KeShawn and Justin Pearson were both present at a protest against the facility held on Wednesday outside the Shelby County Health Department, reported News Channel 3. Though the outlet noted their presence, and that KeShawn Pearson is the president of Memphis Community Against Pollution, it did not report that the men are brothers.
The neglect to mention their familial relationship came just days after “Democracy Now” interviewed the Pearsons simultaneously, with host Amy Goodman referring to them as brothers.
KeShawn Pearson (pictured above) claimed in the interview that Musk’s planned Memphis facility, and his company’s request to operate its own gas turbines, is a “human rights violation” due to the building site’s purported proximity to minority neighborhoods.
“We need justice in the process. We need redress and repair. We don’t need continual pollution,” said KeShawn Pearson. “We should not continue to bear the burden of the negative health impacts of this facility and its rapid pace and movement, a phrase and a term coined by Leah Thomas, environmental intersectionalism.”
Justin Pearson, who previously pledged to oppose xAI in Memphis, later argued that Musk and his company are “buying and paying for access to pollute, harm, and hurt our community,” and condemned local Democratic leaders, including Memphis Mayor Paul Young and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, for failing to push back on the xAI facility. The company has pledged to request no state or local tax incentives as part of the project.
“Mayor Young’s idea that he’s going to give us tax money in place of our health and our lives is completely asinine, and it’s an insult to the people in this community,” said the lawmaker. He added Harris, “has said nothing about this project since it started, and he was all praise and all happy-go-lucky about it.”
Justin Pearson’s involvement in his brother’s efforts to stymie Musk’s xAI plans for Memphis come shortly after video of the lawmaker lunging at State Representative Andrew Farmer (R-Sevierville) in the State House received more than 1 million views on the social media platform X, which Musk purchased in 2022.
JUST IN: TN State Rep Justin Pearson, who was previously paraded around by the media in 2023, lunges toward a Republican during a debate on gun control.
Pearson was blaming guns for his brother's su*cide earlier this month when the incident unfolded.
Republican state Rep.… pic.twitter.com/Tb5wE6x3ku
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 27, 2025
The incident happened after Justin Pearson (pictured here in 2023) suggested lawmakers were abdicating their duties to Tennessee by declining to advance his gun control legislation, which spurred Farmer to remark on the Democrat’s attendance during this legislative session. Justin Pearson missed much of the session following the suicide of another brother.
Justin Pearson was ultimately restrained by his colleagues and removed from the floor during the incident, and has since suggested Farmer’s words were to blame for his outburst.
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
