Students of Professor Otis Sanford's Mass Media, Diversity and Society classes were treated to a surprise visit from Rep. Steve Cohen on Friday.
Cohen addressed students about his life and career, from volunteering for the Kennedy campaign to getting yelled at by Bill Clinton for saying something rude about Hillary.
Cohen is a graduate of the University of Memphis, having earned his law degree from Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law in 1973. He currently serves as one of Tennessee's nine representatives and is one of only two democrats, alongside Rep. Jim Cooper. He was a member of the Tennessee Senate for 24 years before being elected to the House in 2006.
While a member of the Tennessee Senate, he repealed the ban on lotteries in the Tennessee Constitution. The Tennessee Lottery has since raised over $2 billion for a variety of programs and scholarships. As a member of the House of Representatives, Cohen is responsible for the 9th District, encompassing the cities of Memphis and Collierville.
Cohen is one of the House's most progressive congressmen, supporting abortion rights, environmental conservation and other liberal causes. He also supports President Barack Obama, and in his talk on Friday, he compared Obama to former President John F. Kennedy, saying that both "broke barriers."
While talking to journalism students on Friday, Cohen stressed just how proud he is to be representing the 9th District.
"I am very fortunate to be in Congress," he said. "There is only one representative in the 9th District, making it very important."
Cohen also made mention of his efforts to help his constituents, including authoring H.R. 321, or the Equal Employment for All Act, which seeks to prevent employers from performing credit checks on job applicants.
Cohen claims that such credit checks disproportionately affect minorities and women. The 9th District is 60 percent black.
"Our district is a diverse district," Cohen said. "It has a lot of needs. We have a lot of social issues that are important."
Cohen also talked about efforts to strengthen gun control laws in the wake of the Sandy Hook tragedy. As a member of the Tennessee Senate, Cohen helped pass the Handgun Permit Reform Bill in 1994, which allows concealed carry of licensed handguns - so long as individuals understand firearms safety.
Despite this, Cohen supports stronger laws regarding assault weapons.
"I don't think you need high-capacity magazines or assault weapons," he said.
He also spoke out against the National Rifle Association's attempts at steering the debate over gun control in different directions, as well as the NRA's apparent ties to the Republican Party.
"The NRA is in the DNA of the GOP," he said.
Rep. Cohen's visit is due to the efforts of professor Otis Sanford, holder of the Hardin Chair of Excellence in Journalism.
