One year after an attack on our democracy
One year ago today we witnessed firsthand an attack on our country: an insurrection by political extremists at the U.S. Capitol.
I was in Washington D.C., blocks from the Capitol building, which I can see from my office. I watched on television along with the rest of the country as throngs of violent protesters, intent on stopping the certification of the 2020 presidential election, defaced our government and threatened the very core of our democracy. I knew that it was a pivotal moment for America and our fundamental promise of free and fair elections.
We’re one year out from that treacherous day, and Congress has yet to pass meaningful reforms to secure the right to vote and protect the integrity of our elections. Meanwhile, states and counties are passing their own laws meant to disenfranchise voters and undermine those who are responsible for counting votes and running fair elections. If we care about our democracy and our way of life, we can’t sit idly by.
I’m a civics teacher who has the honor of serving as the president of the American Federation of Teachers. As I reflect on what the anniversary of the insurrection means, I’m grounded in those two things. At Clara Barton High School in Brooklyn, N.Y., I taught about the values underlying our democracy. The people are supposed to decide who governs them: Eligible Americans get to vote, their votes are tallied, and win or lose, we respect the outcome of the election. One of the many great things about America is that, despite our differences, we believe in peaceful protest, peaceful transfer of power, and the right to vote. And my students, who fiercely debated these fundamentals, learned that debate can be fierce but still respectful, based on ideas and facts, not bullying or misinformation.
But Donald Trump and his enablers went into overdrive when the 2020 election was called for Joe Biden, determined to undermine these precepts of our democracy. They are trying to choose who can vote because they don’t like how the majority of people voted. They are trying to make it harder for those they think will vote by restricting access to voting. They actively tried to throw out legitimate votes, mostly votes of people of color, because they didn’t like how they voted. They’re trying to redraw districts so that they choose the voters, the voters don’t choose them. And now they’re bullying and threatening election officials across the country — because of supposed voter fraud that didn’t happen.
Trump’s claim that the election was stolen — his “big lie” — is a fabrication. There is no evidence to support that claim; in fact, the evidence refutes it. It’s been rejected by the courts. It’s been disproven by independent experts. His supporters’ plan is to repeat the lie so often that people start believing it.
That’s the lie that laid the groundwork for the insurrection. Thousands of people believed Trump and stormed the Capitol in an act of domestic terrorism that caused millions of dollars in damages, led to several deaths, including of Capitol police, and hurt our nation. And that is the lie that fuels potential future violence against our democracy and the people who tend to it.
As Congress continues to investigate the attack on the Capitol, I want to be clear that our commitment to democracy is as strong as ever. That’s why we’re fighting for key pieces of legislation that will help make America better. We need the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act to ensure the right to vote is protected for all Americans. Arcane Senate rules like the filibuster must not stand in the way of securing these fundamental rights. We need the Protecting Our Democracy Act to secure our nation from future abuses of power like Trump’s. We need the Protecting Our Right to Organize Act, the Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act and the Build Back Better Act to help workers across the country recover from this pandemic. And we need to support the full investigation being done by the bipartisan Jan. 6 committee.
There are people across the country wondering what they can do right now to help protect our democracy. Here are a few places to get started:
First, write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Tell them that the Senate needs to pass voting rights legislation now. Our tool will help you do that.
Third, call your senators and tell them it’s time for the Senate to work on behalf of the American people. Tell them they cannot let a handful of politicians hide behind obscure Senate bureaucracy to block votes to protect our elections and our fundamental freedoms. It’s time to fix the Senate and protect our right to vote. Call now: 202–224–3121.
Finally, make sure you read up on fascism and how democracies fall. For the last few years I’ve recommended Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny. It’s a great starting point for people who want to learn more and be able to discuss what’s happening in this country.
I hope we all take time to reflect on the events of last Jan. 6 — the day our democracy almost died — and recommit ourselves to fighting the misinformation and lies that make this a perilous time for our way of life.
