I was watching the Senate proceedings (was it really only last week) as they were beginning the process of certifying the votes of the Electoral College. I was unaware the President, who on Dec. 19 had promised that the “Big protest in D.C. on January 6 will be wild,” had just delivered on his promise with an hour-long speech denying the results of the election being certified at that very moment. His speech ended when he said to those gathered that they were going to walk to the Capitol and give Republicans “the kind of pride and boldness that they need to take back our country.”

I didn’t see that. I saw the confusion on Senators’ faces as they started clearing the chamber and went “on recess.” I then turned to the House feed as the same script played out, only a few minutes afterword – confusion, concern and chaos. I then watched in horror, heartbroken at the footage of an insurrection that I never dreamed would occur in the country that I love.

As I have digested and doom-scrolled through the reports over days past, one picture, taken by photographer Saul Loeb, has haunted me. It is the picture of the man carrying the Confederate flag. This ignorant invader was likely unaware of the two portraits in front of the symbol he carried of the Confederate rebellion: Charles Sumner, the Massachusetts Senator who was beaten unconscious with a cane on the floor of the Senate a few days after giving an anti-slavery speech. The other image was of John C. Calhoun, the seventh vice president and a defender of slavery many credit with leading the march to the U.S. Civil War. Loeb’s photograph reminds me of the reality of America’s past.

We are not and have never been perfect. Our shared heritage is one of slaveholders, insurrection, riots and lynching. But it is also Senators who give speeches decrying the evils of slavery even though their safety is imperiled. It is once-enslaved heroes bravely leading their brothers and sisters to freedom again and again despite untold danger. It is women and enslaved men saving artifacts from invaders the first time our Capitol was invaded.

Last week, all of that heritage again bore fruit. We have evolved into groups of selfie-snapping insurrectionists invading the Capitol on the same day we learn that Georgia has elected its first Black Senator and first Jewish Senator. Lies and hatred blossomed into violent insurrection and death. But commitment to democratic ideals and our republic blossomed into quick-thinking young staffers carrying precious electoral votes to safety and elected leaders working through the night in a Capitol building strewn with broken glass, feces, and even blood to certify the Electoral College vote. What had before last week been viewed as largely ceremonial suddenly became significant.

The mission of InterFaith Works, recently reviewed by our Board of Directors, speaks directly to the work we know is vital to democratic systems. Education. Service. Bridge Building. Dialogue. Affirming the dignity of all people. Never ignoring racism. I keep thinking of how frequently people ask why we organized and led dialogues to end racism for so long. Last week is why. As reported by The Nation, after the invasion of the Capitol was largely over, one woman was crying, her voice shaking as she told a small group, “This is not America. They’re shooting at us. They’re supposed to shoot BLM, but they’re shooting the patriots.”

Our nation is fortunate to grow in soil enriched by ideals such as liberty and equal justice under the law. But the garden must be tended, and ideas such as racism must be continually rooted out to protect our fragile yet resilient democracy. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. challenged us to “rise up and live out the true meaning” of the creed that declares to the world that it is self-evident that all are created equal.

I am honored to serve with all of you as we do this important work that is more than decrying the false ideas that threaten this democratic republic. We actively confront them and help our sisters and brothers learn to be better. We can only rise up together. America’s future depends on it.

To read InterFaith Works' opinion piece related to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6 and published by Syracuse.com, click here.