One year ago today, violent right-wing extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol building in an attempted insurrection that former President Donald Trump incited. In their false belief of defending democracy, the mob very nearly destroyed our democracy, as they brutalized capitol police officers and desecrated our nations’ historic Capitol building in their effort to stop the certification of the 2020 election results.
January 6th, 2021 may be the most obvious crime brought on by the Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen, but ever since January 6th, a slow-moving coup has continued based on belief in the same lie. Fears of a rigged election have resulted in the passage of some of the most restrictive voter laws in history; first and foremost, SB1 right here in Texas.
There is no difference between a rioter who would overturn an election by force and a legislator who would take away the voting rights of minorities and working-class people. They are two sides of the same coin because both undermine our democracy pushing the United States closer to the brink of authoritarian rule.
Now more than ever, we must continue to stand up and fight back against the Big Lie in all its forms. We must protect the voting rights of Latinos across Texas from attack by insurrectionists of all types. This anniversary must serve as an opportunity to urge Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act and ensure that we still have a democracy to pass onto our children and grandchildren.