Congress Must Provide Accountability for Insurrectionist Attack on Democracy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Dena L. Craig, [email protected]

WASHINGTON — Maya Wiley, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement ahead of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol hearing on the continued threats to our democracy:

“The deadly attack on January 6 was a violent and direct attempt to overthrow the 2020 election. Driven by lies that painted Black and Brown people as the villains, it was an attack on the historic turnout of Black and Brown voters. The voters showed up to exercise their most sacred right of citizenship despite the subtle and blatant barriers to the ballot. Let’s be clear. Organized white supremacists intentionally stoked and participated in mob violence that we all watched unfold on our TV screens. Their hatred of people of color of all faiths, of Jewish people, is rooted in the ‘Great Replacement’ lie that we have seen permeate the halls of Congress, the right-wing media, and an 18-year-old gunman who went to Buffalo to murder Black people. This attempted coup was not just an attack on the Capitol. It was an attack on our democracy and all that we hold dear.

“Those who try to take away our freedom to vote, divide us by race and religion, and who envision a country with an autocratic white authoritarian overlord, is a clear and present threat to our democracy. We support the bipartisan committee’s thorough investigation and hard work to hold accountable all who are responsible. We will continue to work to save democracy, bridge our differences, and support the rights and freedoms of everyone in this beautiful, grieving, and important country.”

The Leadership Conference and 56 organizations had previously issued this statement on the anniversary of the January 6 insurrection.

The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights is a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 230 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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