John, last night, I gave a speech on the House Floor to share what I saw on January 6th at the Capitol.
The GOP has made it clear that they don’t want people to hear stories like mine, that they prefer we all just move forward and brush over the fact that white supremacists attacked our nation’s capital.
Everybody’s experiences are different, and everybody’s experiences must be validated. Everybody’s experiences.
I remember sitting up in the gallery, listening to floor speeches, knowing that there was supposed to be a protest. I walked out to see what was happening outside, and I first saw the tip top of flags, and then I saw more of the flags, and then I saw signs, and then as they came closer, I could read their signs. Then I realized how close they were to our building.
So I hopped on the nearest elevator and headed back to my office. When I walked in, I saw on the television that people had already breached the doors, and I thought to myself, “Is this actually happening?” I remember sitting in the office with my team feeling like, “I’m back.”
I’ve been to hundreds of protests in my life. I’ve co-organized, co-led, and organized protests alongside the amazing Ferguson frontline. I’ve seen amazing people put their lives and livelihoods on the line in the defense of Black lives, to send a message that our lives matter. I felt like this was one of the days out there on the streets when the white supremacists would show up and start shooting at us.
This was one of the days when the police would ambush us from behind, from behind trees, and from behind buildings, and all of a sudden now we were on the ground being brutalized — it felt like one of those days. And I just remember taking a second thinking, if they touch these doors and come anywhere near my staff, I will not back down.
My thought process was: we banging till the end. I’m not letting them take out my people, and you’re not taking me out. We’ve come too far.
On January 6th, I thought about January 3rd, and how we all raised our right hands up and took an oath. We swore that we will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.
Well it was attacked by a domestic enemy called white supremacy, and I will not rest until every single person who incited this attack is held accountable and expelled from office. That’s why I made H.Res. 25 my very first piece of legislation in Congress.
How can we trust that Republican leaders will address the suffering that white supremacy causes on a day-to-day basis in the shadows if they can’t even address the white supremacy that happens right in front of them in the People’s House?
In St. Louis, the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately hospitalizing and killing Black and brown people. I’ve lived that. We have people dying from gun violence, a crisis that stems from decades of economic disinvestment and an over-reliance on policing. I’ve cried those tears, and so many of my colleagues don't know what that’s like.
There’s a lot of work ahead of us to dismantle the forces of white supremacy and systemic racism in our country. If you’re with me in this fight, make a donation today to help my team grow our movement for justice, push for accountability, and stand up against white supremacy in our government.
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Keep fighting,
Cori Bush