The United States is a nation founded on the ideals of democracy but also on a system of white supremacy. January 6, 2021 saw seditionists attempt to overthrow the US government and occupy the US Capitol in Washington, DC. Insurrectionists were able to occupy the Capitol because white supremacy allows white people to move freely, rebel, and inhabit their bodies – and state spaces – in ways denied racialized people in the US.
We represent academic and professional organizations, and we condemn, unequivocally, the attempted insurrection against the US government on January 6, 2021. We affirm the results of the November 2020 US presidential election and recognize President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris.
We are here to bear witness and to record the social, cultural, and political forces that impact our lives and to say unequivocally that we support US democracy and are committed, as scholarly, intellectual, academic, and professional organizations, to condemn the white supremacy and intersectional oppression that undergirds the belief and actions of the seditionists who committed treason and attempted to overthrow the US government.
January 10, 2021
This statement is adapted from the AAAS statement, “We Support Democracy”
