Friends,

One year ago today, we saw a violent, deadly attack on our Capitol and our democracy.

This day will be seared in my memory forever. I was at the Capitol, fearing for my life and the lives of other Members and staff, not knowing if I’d ever have the chance to tell my children I loved them again.

This was not a random event. This was the result of the outgoing president refusing to carry on our country’s sacred tradition of a peaceful transition of power. He spread dangerous falsehoods about the election process and attempted to coerce election officials, his administration, and his vice president into overturning the election results. And when that didn’t work, he incited the insurrection — an attempted coup that took several lives on that day and in the months following.

Later that day, we returned to do our jobs and the election results were certified. Democracy still won out, but our work to stop the next attempted coup is not over. As a survivor of political conflict, I have learned that this kind of violence does not simply go away.

Already we are seeing Donald Trump’s far-right allies in state legislatures across the country pass law after law to undermine voting rights and our very democracy.

Last year, at least 19 states passed 34 laws that restricted voting rights — disproportionately impacting people of color, seniors, and low-income communities. And new laws are making election administration hyper partisan in at least eight states.

We cannot let these attempts to weaken our democracy win. We must pass critical voting rights legislation like the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, stop attempts in the states to limit the right to vote, and abolish systems like the Senate filibuster and the electoral college that take power away from the people.

I will fight every single day to strengthen our democracy and stop the very real threat of the next attempted coup. Thank you for standing with me.

In solidarity,

Ilhan Omar

If you would like to read Congresswoman Omar's full reflection on the events of January 6th, you can find the piece, published on January 21, 2021, here.