From Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Rosa Parks to Congressman John Lewis, many Black leaders have chosen peaceful ways to improve America. This is in stark contrast to the insurrectionists that overtook the Capitol at the behest of former President Donald Trump who intended to disrupt American democracy. As his second impeachment trial begins in the Senate today, Trump must be held accountable for his sedition.

On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, lawmakers were in the Capitol Building to certify then President - elect Biden's triumph regarding the Electoral College. Then, hundreds of white nationalists, some of whom called themselves “Proud Boys," broke into that building to violently confront House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and then Vice President Mike Pence.  Americans of all colors watched video from the incident that played on television news heard the voices of the insurrectionists asking "Where's Nancy?  Where's Pence?" Other mob members could be seen carrying Confederate flags, Trump flags, and the American flags.

Before the break-in at the Capitol Building, Trump and his lawyer Rudy Giuliani held a rally to encourage his riotous followers to overturn the election. They were told that the election had been stolen from Trump. He urged his base to stop this transfer of power. 

"We're gonna walk down, and I'll be there with you.  Because you'll never take back our country with weakness.  You have to show strength,” Trump said. Instead of accompanying the usurpers, he returned to the White House to watch the events on television. 

Thankfully, Capitol Police officers were able to hide frightened legislators in various offices. Eugene Goodman, an African American Capitol Police Officer was seen on video also guiding the mob away from the legislators hide. The Senate has put forth legislation to award him the Congressional Gold Medal.

Sadly, five people still died during the riots. While, the exact number of rioters who overtook the Capitol is unknown, but published news reports say that more that 230 people have been criminally charged for their role in the insurrection.  I can only wonder if Black Lives Matter protestors had acted in the same fashion, how many more arrests would there have been?

I remember the peaceful Million Man March on October 16, 1995 which was led by Minister Louis Farrakhan. In a conversation with my brother, Russell, who took his two sons to the March. He revealed that they were intimidated by the presence of armored tanks, police officers who wore SWAT gear and who were heavily armed. My brother stated that many attendees were very offended by the death threats they faced during their peaceful gathering on that day. Yet, no violence occurred on the part of peaceful protestors.

From Black Panther Fred Hampton’s killing by police in his Chicago home in 1969 to police officer’s Daniel Pantaleo illegal chokehold that killed Eric Garner in Staten Island in 2014 to police officer’s Derek Chauvin’s knee on George Floyd's neck that killed him in Minneapolis last year; Reverend Derek Tyson has argued that the average African American citizen has historically been subjected to violent terror that the pro-Trump mob demonstrated on January 6.

Yet, this terror did not win after the Capitol Riots. Once the insurrectionists were cleared from the building, Speaker Pelosi went back to the business of the day and named Biden the winner of the Electoral College. He was later sworn in as President of the United States on January 20 along with Vice President Kamala Harris. The first African American and first woman to hold that office.

During the inaugural ceremony that day, Youth National Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman referenced the riot in her poem, "The Hill We Climb.”  

 “We’ve seen a force,” she said, “that would shatter our nation rather than share it, would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy. But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated.”

The facts are clear, former president Donald Trump meant to destroy the fabric of our democracy on January 6 through the violent actions of his supporters. The Senate must send a clear message and find him guilty during this second impeachment trial. Americans cannot afford to see such violence only receive a slap on the wrist. Let us go forth with ideals of excellence and compassion to improve our lives and the destiny of this diverse nation.