We condemn the domestic terrorist attack & attempted coup by white supremacists

The world watched in horror as rioters trampled barricades, broke the windows of the US Capitol building, and stormed the Senate floor. What we witnessed is an attack on democracy, brought on by a president who refused to accept that millions turned out to elect Joe Biden and fueled by corporations, who have bankrolled the Republican party. Corporations like Delta Airlines, Microsoft, AT&T, Capital One, and Comcast have handed over $16 million to the Republicans.

We cannot ignore the role of social media platforms for this insurgency. Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and other platforms have spread toxic disinformation, promoting conspiracy theories, giving hateful fringe groups a megaphone for recruitment, and sowing unfounded doubt in our election systems — eroding the connective tissue that holds society together in the process.

What we witnessed is not just an example of white privilege — that thousands of white people could storm the capitol building with little repercussions while BIPOC are unsafe even in their own beds at night — it is an example of white supremacy in the United States. We want a Democracy that serves everyone, not just a selected few.

We condemn the domestic terrorist attack and violent attempted coup by white supremacists. We know that Democracy will prevail despite the events that unfolded at the Capitol building. But it’s up to us to make sure that every person, corporation, and social media platform that played a role in the attempted coup is held accountable. The trust in our bedrock institutions — and each other — depend on it.

-SumOfUs Executive Director, Emma Ruby-Sachs