A Rural Educator Responds to the Assault on the Capitol

Editors’ Note: On January 6, 2021 many of us watched as rioters, some of them armed, climbed over walls, broke windows, and burst through barriers to enter the U.S. Capitol to disrupt the review and counting of electoral votes leading to the certification of the 2020 presidential election. For over three hours, the Capitol building was occupied while Members of Congress and capitol staff took shelter. Social media and news outlets showed images of rioters in congressional offices, armed police defending the door to the Senate floor, and participants, some in clothes celebrating the Holocaust or waiving the Confederate flag, in some of our nation’s most sacred spaces. In response to these events, rural educator Jesse Longhurst created a social media post encouraging educators to promote civil discourse and trust in democratic institutions. Her statement is republished here.