Gloria Johnson and James Thomas
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- Mississippi Democrats will hold a town hall at the Ole Miss Student Union on Wednesday to counter the Turning Point USA event featuring Vice President J.D. Vance.
The Young Democrats of Ole Miss, supported by the Mississippi Democratic Party, announced Tuesday that they will be hosting what they are calling a “Mississippi Rise Up Town Hall” on Wednesday, October 29, at the Gertrude C. Ford Ole Miss Student Union.
The Democrat gathering will be held at the same time as thousands are slated to be on campus at The Pavilion for the Turning Point USA tour event featuring Vice President J.D. Vance and Erika Kirk, widow of the organization’s founder, Charlie Kirk.
READ MORE: Turning Point USA tour featuring Vice President J.D. Vance, Erika Kirk comes to Ole Miss
Charlie Kirk was assassinated last month while speaking on the campus of Utah Valley University. The organization named Erika Kirk its CEO soon after her husband’s death and the decision was made to keep the tour date in Mississippi as was planned prior to Charlie Kirk’s death.
The Declaration of Independence Center for the Study of American Freedom at Ole Miss is assisting with the Turning Point USA event.
Organizers of the Democrat “counter-event” pointed to the university having “a long, complicated history, full of troublesome lapses in moral clarity.” They said the Turning Point USA event “brings just one more speaker whose legacy will not endure the test of time,” adding that they look to “demonstrate that the University of Mississippi and its students are not beholden to any singular ideology.”
The Mississippi Democratic Party said the “counter-event” will feature Tennessee State Representative Gloria Johnson and University of Mississippi Professor of Sociology Dr. James Thomas.
State Rep. Johnson is known for being one of the “Tennessee Three” whose protests in the state House drew national attention after a school deadly shooting in Nashville. The protests aimed at Republicans in the House as well as her campaign for U.S. Senate against Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn earned her a speaking spot at the Democratic National Convention in 2024. Johnson went on to lose the Senate race to Blackburn by nearly 30 points.
Professor Thomas has often been a controversial figure at Ole Miss. He is best known for his combative statements regarding treatment of U.S. Senators and supporters of President Donald Trump, calling them “modern day Hitlerjugend” on X. In 2018, he tweeted about interrupting U.S. Senators’ meals as a result of the Senate’s hearings to confirm U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, saying, “They don’t deserve your civility.” Thomas also faced questions from the State Auditor over a 2020 “#ScholarStrike” aimed at calling attention to racism and injustice in policing amidst the protests and riots that summer. The Auditor’s demand for Thomas’ alleged “work stoppage” was challenged in a civil suit, with Thomas claiming defamation and false statements by Auditor Shad White.
The Mississippi Democratic Party said their “counter-event” town hall will provide students and community members an opportunity to engage with elected officials, community organizers, and fellow citizens on the issues that matter most to Mississippians.
Partners with the Democratic Party include UM Environmental Coalition, UM Forward, Southern Progressives Alliance, Community Alliance Network, Lafayette County Democratic Party, and United Campus Workers.
Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman and State Rep. Cheikh Taylor said the party is incredibly proud of these student leaders who are standing up and making their voices heard.
“In Mississippi and across America, we believe in the fundamental right to free speech for all, and that includes the right of these students to organize, to speak, and to present alternative viewpoints,” Taylor said. “Democracy thrives when young people engage thoughtfully with the political process, ask tough questions, and demand accountability from their leaders. These students are doing exactly that, and we stand firmly beside them.”
