Reflections on January 6th from the Ground
I went to DC to capture the moment as a Black photographer after seeing many photographers, especially Black, weren't going. For the brief time I was in DC, I witnessed first hand the chaos and violence white nationalists committed against the United States and the people of DC.
After a few days of reflection I wanted to make four different points that I think should be discussed more.
WE MUST NAME FASCISM, EXPLICITLY
The United States is ripe for a fascist takeover as anyone who studies the rise right wing populism can tell you. A disenchanted working class (often made the image even though white nationalism unifies class lines) , fears of globalism (anti-China, anti Mexico), adoration of authoritorianism (BlueLivesMatter), and xenophobia are all signs. Germany showed us in the 1920s. Other Eastern European countries followed suit.
The mob violence on Wednesday was just a preview of fascist terror and any politician unable to name it as such is complicit at worst, or inept at best. We must not allow the right wing to control and frame the narrative. These right wing fanatics will call themselves pro-life, pro-freedom, and pro-America when they’re really pro-money, pro-greed, and pro-domination. They will attack women, children, and anyone they deem vulnerable in their bloodthirsty quest for power and dominion. They are fascists and we must be explicit in naming them as such.
CONSERVATIVES ARE DIRECTLY RESPONSIBLE
The Republican Party is directly responsible for the attack on the United States Capitol. Several sitting members of government at all levels need to be tried for sedition and conspiracy including - but not limited to - Rudy Guliani, Ted Cruz, and Josh Hawley.
In Maryland, we have Andy Harris, in Congress, and Dan Cox in the General Assembly who've stoked the fires and continue to support the blatant lie that has endangered the lives of DC residents, fellow government members, and more. The GOP is a party of hypocrites who lack any sort of accountability and they don't need any more power.
Democrats don't need to rush to try to reach across the aisle, though I suspect they will do so sooner than later. Instead of working to absolve the GOP of their crimes, empower the working class through passing sweeping reform like M4A and $2K stimulus checks. The morally bankrupt GOP has stolen enough from the people.
BLACK FOLKS, THIS IS OUR FIGHT TOO
There’s this notion that what happened yesterday doesn’t concern Black people and the unfortunate truth is that it should most certainly concern Black people. While we don’t need to defend the Capitol building, we should be educating ourselves on the threat of conservatism, fascism, and how these structures erode our own communities.
Right wing interests invade our own communities through the hypercapitalist obsession with Black wealth, Black Wall Street, Black police, and bastardized representation politics. Society is not built by individualism alone, but collectivism and cooperation. Black conservtives will peddle prosperity gospel under the guise of individualism and "hard work" - meanwhile Black labor is under attack through the gut of union jobs, the gig economy, and the devaluing of labor through the wage gap.
Yesterday's hysterics were fueled by conspiracy as much as it was fueled by hate. We must not let xenophobia and false prophents dominate our community. We don't need to sucuumb to the same forces that make white people fascists. If white conservatives have eroded their folks to this level of madness, what do you think Black conservatives will do to us?
WE can do better.
The right wing has been winning culture war for generations. Reaganism and austerity politics has ruled the US for some time now, but we cand and must turn directions. It starts with all of us individually, working for the collective. Antifacism is our friend. Collectivism is our friend. Mutual aid is our friend. Now is the time to work together for each other to build a better planet for the next generation.