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All our children, home for virtual instruction, watched on television on Wednesday as violent, anti-democratic white supremacists were allowed to storm and briefly occupy the U.S. Capitol--just as they watched this summer as activists for racial justice were met with tear gas, shot with rubber bullets, and arrested. This week's events in Washington, D.C. are clear examples of the existential threat and trauma of white supremacy to our children, our country, and the world.
I find hope in the providential coincidence that these events unfolded on the same day that my friend, the Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock, pastor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Ebenezer Baptist Church, became the first Black senator elected from Georgia and only the 11th Black senator in our nation's history. Catapulted by impeccable character, years of preparation, and the work of faithful community organizers to build political power, his victory inspires hope for progress in the face of racialized resistance. And in the same moment, this week's violence reminds us of the immense mountain we must climb to overcome the hatred and racism that permeates our society and political reality.
To build a world where marginalized and traumatized children flourish, leaders must prioritize their well-being. Today, this means countering and condemning the actions of the people engaged in violence at the Capitol and the president who incited it. All those who played a part in fomenting the rioting must be held to account. Then, we must swiftly confirm the results of the most recent election, execute a peaceful transfer of power, and allow the new administration to begin to move us forward from the atrocities of these past four years.
Our children are watching. On Wednesday, they saw America seething from blunt force. They were traumatized and robbed of their innocent belief in the "idea of America." But they will remember who called for help, who rushed in to aid, and who stood up to build power for their future at this moment when our very democracy was at stake.
Read my full statement here: [link removed]
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