Congressman Hank Johnson's Statement on the Second Anniversary of the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today is the second anniversary of the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol. Congressman Johnson (GA-04) posted the following statement in remembrance of that tragic day. 

As we prepare to (hopefully one day) launch the 118th Congress, I want to reflect briefly on the two-year anniversary of the insurrection of January 6th. 

I was in the room that day – in fact I was trapped in the House gallery with some of my colleagues when the white supremacist, Trump-incited insurrection was waged on the U.S. Capitol.

January 6, 2021, exposed America’s original moral dilemma — the demon of racism and white supremacy.

It’s a day that will live forever in infamy and it should be observed with the solemnity and gravity it deserves. At least seven people lost their lives in connection with the Jan. 6 attack – incited by a sitting president for the sole purpose of vainly grasping to retain power after being soundly defeated at the ballot box. 

On this the two-year remembrance, I want us all to keep in mind how precious our democracy is, how close we came to losing it and how fragile it is today. 

We must all redouble our efforts to nurture and sustain democracy – every generation has an obligation to uphold, protect and defend our rights and freedoms. 

As I sit here today and prepare for my ninth term, I continue to think of my mentor, friend and former colleague Congressman John Lewis’s moral guidance when he once said: 

“We must accept one central truth and responsibility as participants in a democracy: Freedom is not a state; it is an act. It is not some enchanted garden perched high on a distant plateau where we can finally sit down and rest. Freedom is the continuous action we all must take, and each generation must do its part to create an even more fair, more just society.”

By the way, it's not lost on me that this protracted and ongoing display of disunity over the speaker fight certainly highlights the fragility of our democracy. Jan. 6 and this discord are both symptoms of the need for us to strengthen our efforts to: "do our part to create an even more fair, more just society.”

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