What happened on January 6thin our Capitol was a riot, a violent public disorder. This is in contrast to the protests (organized public demonstrations) which have occurred previously in D.C. Did you know that the first group to picket the White House were the women of the National Woman’s Party, who picketed for almost two years for women’s suffrage? They were called the Silent Sentinels because their protest was silent, although their treatment by the federal government was brutal.
Moving forward 100 years, we have an even starker contrast to the January 6thriot with the mostly peaceful protests for Black Lives Matter that occurred this past summer in D.C. There is no doubt that there were some protesters who verged on riotous. But, the moment that remains in my mind is the June 1stforceful clearing of peaceful protesters by the U.S. Park Police and National Guard so the President could have a photo opportunity in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church.
The common thread between Silent Sentinels and Black Lives Matter is they are two groups that have been routinely oppressed – women and people of color. In contrast is the group that violated the Capitol:majority white men, many wearing or carrying Confederacy paraphernalia! Why was there seemingly no concern overtheserioters approaching the Capitol versus the BLM protesters in June? This isn’t implicit bias. This is explicit bias that was visible to the whole world!
The truly sad part about the breech of our Capitol on January 6this that the action was based on lies – lies that were perpetuated over and over again by leaders in our government. Lies have consequences. Listen to this NPR story on the “Big Lie” by Melissa Block interviewing historians regarding this term’s origin in Nazi Germany (https://tinyurl.com/NPR-The-Big-Lie).
Actions have consequences. I sincerely hope that the rioters, ALL of them, who were involved on January 6th, directly and indirectly, face consequences for their actions. Their actions were more than just a physical assault of the Capitol, they were a direct assault on American democracy. The voters spoke in the Presidential election. No one, including a sitting President, has the right to subvert an election!
Empowering Voters. Defending Democracy.
-- Monica Elliott
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