MCCR Statement on the Insurrection at the Capitol
Updated:
As Americans, what we witnessed yesterday in the nation’s capital should shake us to our cores. However, if history is our guide, it may, but just for a moment. Make no mistake – yesterday’s protest and subsequent insurrection was as much a part of the American fabric as Apple Pie and Chevrolets. It is time we bring to closure the delusional refrain, “this is not who we are”. The ugliness acted out yesterday has been a real part of who we have been as a nation, and who we continue to be. At the core of yesterday’s seditious behavior was hate, and that hate was reflective of the unaddressed pain of so many caused by their inability to accept progress and change. The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights condemns yesterday’s assault on our democracy, as well as the underlying culture of hate, racism, and bigotry that sparked it.
For too long this nation has been fed a steady diet of hateful rhetoric, a rejection of calls for unity and inclusion, veiled whispers of group victimization, and implied approval for “acts of patriotism” which have been nothing more than acts of hate. The realities of January 6, 2021, were not an aberration; they were inevitable.
As the independent enforcement agency of Maryland's anti-discrimination laws in the areas of employment, housing and public accommodations, the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights is committed to seeking accountability from institutions and systems to demonstrate respect for the rule of law, and for the people they are here to serve. The Maryland Commission on Civil Rights has for over ninety years promoted civil rights for all Marylanders while cautioning that hate, discrimination, intimidation and violence won’t simply go away. We have to be intentional in working to promote equity, opportunity and inclusion for all Marylanders.
Alvin O. Gillard, Executive Director
Gary C. Norman, J.D., L.L.M., Commission Chairperson