STATEMENT: Capitol Hill Attack

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contact: Sara Williams, swilliams@NCUIH.org

“We will continue to demand justice…”

Washington, D.C. (January 13, 2021) –  Today, the National Council of Urban Indian Health Chief Executive Officer Francys Crevier (Algonquin) released the following statement:

“Last week, we bore witness to a terror at the United States Capitol, an institution which has long carried the original transgressions of this country dating back to 1492. The Capitol is located on the stolen land of the Nacotchtank, Piscataway, and Pamunkey peoples and was built through the stolen labor of our Black brothers and sisters.

Despite the dark history of its creation, this preventable attack was a disgrace to the democratic institution and to the people of color who made its existence possible.

In a nation where the legacy of systemic racism lives on through statues and artwork within these buildings, Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) have shown resiliency and stood up against injustice.

For this, our communities have too often been harshly punished and senselessly murdered. The legacy of systemic racism has directly affected the health and well-being of BIPOC communities as recently evidenced by the two very different responses from law enforcement towards BIPOC individuals peacefully demanding justice and equality, versus the white domestic terrorists who attacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021. To heal this country, the U.S. must invest in true equality, justice, health, and education reform.

We condemn discrimination in all forms and we ask the U.S. government to commit to eliminating the structures of racism that embolden these terrorists: Take down the artwork celebrating the genocide of our people in the Capitol Rotunda and remove the statues of slave-owning confederates. We can only begin to heal as a nation once we take down the monuments that pay tribute to the greatest sins of this country within the home for our democracy.

Thank you to those who put their lives on the line to protect us. You are true warriors. We will continue to demand justice from a system designed to oppress our people.

“We are still here, and we are resilient.”

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