[UPDATE 2] Statement About the Attack on the U.S. Capitol

Pro-Trump protestors turned insurrectionists stormed the Capitol, but we’re not deterred.

A Trump supporter carries a Confederate flag through the U.S. Capitol’s second floor on Wednesday, January 6, 2021. Photo by Mike Theiler, Reuters.

So what happened the week of January 4, 2021? Georgians cast their #voteforequity and won. The celebration was short-lived. The next day, after a rally on the National Mall, a pro-Trump mob turned insurrectionists stormed the U.S. Capitol building as Congress met to certify the election of President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris. More than five people have died.

While I would love to say that this is the first time in history such violence found its way to the heart of the country, I cannot. This was the history of white supremacy (and privilege) becoming present yet again in America. White supremacy superseded the sanctity of our democracy. Those who called this summer’s peaceful Black Lives Matter protests anti-American were ironically called patriots while trashing the seat of our democracy.

But the shameful acts of extremists did not stop the count to certify the presidential election, which was completed that same night. Arrests were made and more are coming. Georgia has its first Black and Jewish senators. And we’re back to work advancing racial equity and shared prosperity for all in metropolitan Atlanta and the American South. There are reasons to celebrate.

In these early days of 2021, we’re reminded that equity is love in action. It is the strongest weapon we have against hate. The Partnership for Southern Equity condemns the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol by anti-democratic “thugs” and celebrates the move of democracy throughout Georgia. As we have for the past 10 years, we will continue to advance racial equity so that everyone has a voice and a say in their life’s determinants and outcomes. We, and others like us, will not be deterred.

Stay safe and rest assured that as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, the arc of history bends towards justice.

Onward towards equity,
Nathaniel Q. Smith, Jr.
Founder and Chief Equity Officer
Partnership for Southern Equity