Friends and Colleagues:
Today marks the one-year anniversary of the insurrection at our nation’s Capital. Like many of you, I struggle with knowing just how to feel and how to approach this day. The events of January 6, 2021 brought unnecessary loss of life and challenged our democratic processes in a way I honestly never imagined possible. In many ways, it felt like a personal attack—an assault on our way of life and the social contract that binds us together. Like many of you, I had close friends and family in the Capital that day and I worried for their safety. It was a day fraught with emotion.
As I struggle to pen something that accurately captures the gravity of the day and the array of emotions we are all experiencing, I find myself returning to a favorite quote: “what defines us is how well we rise after we fall.”
The insurrection at our Capital is but one moment in our history. What transpired in the hours and days following that event should be the true legacy of this assault. It is not the challenge to our peaceful transfer of power we should focus on, but rather how legislators came together hours after the assault to complete their democratic duties. We should not enshrine the stories of those who stormed the halls with ill-intent that January day, but rather those of heroes like Officers Brian Sicknick, Eugene Goodman and all those who stood strong to protect our democracy.
How we continue to rise is of vital importance.
On January 6, 2021, we witnessed a very visible, public challenge to our democratic system. However, our democracy also faces less visible, insidious threats the likes of which we haven’t seen in generations. As social workers, we are called to lean in, lead and help strengthen our systems while ensuring that the voices of marginalized communities are heard. There is no shortage of tactics we can embrace to address these threats, however, protecting American’s right to vote is one of the most critical.
In 2021, 52 restrictive voting laws were passed in states across our nation—laws that fall hardest on communities that already struggle to exercise their right to vote. These new laws limit accessibility to the vote, curtail alternative and extended voting processes, and undermine local election officials’ ability to mind elections.
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act—which passed the House of Representatives in August and is currently pending in the U.S. Senate— would restore and strengthen parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, portions of which were struck down by two United States Supreme Court decisions. Another pending bill, The Freedom to Vote Act, would solidify comprehensive voter protections, including a minimum of 15 days for early voting, mail-in ballots, and making Election Day a national holiday. The bill would also create standards for voter identification and establish protections for election officials against intimidation and partisan interference.
Passing these two pieces of legislation is crucial to ensuring that every American has the opportunity to exercise their right to vote and sends a clear message that we will rise, time and again, to protect our democracy.
On this first anniversary of the capital insurrection, let the legacy of this attack on our democratic institutions be not one of fear and anxiety for our collective future, but rather one of collective action to rise to protect and strengthen our systems of democracy. We are social workers and we are Americans—our darkest days do not define us, but rather, empower us. Rise to this occasion: stand up, speak out, and be the champions of democracy called for by these times.
