[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 39 (Tuesday, March 2, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E191]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 SUPPORTING THE CBC'S LIVING HISTORY EVENT AND CONDEMNING THE CAPITOL 
                    INSURRECTION OF JANUARY 6, 2021

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. DONALD M. PAYNE, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 2, 2021

  Mr. PAYNE. Madam Speaker, I rise today to discuss Black History Month 
and the insurrection against our Capitol Building on January 6, 2021.
  Since 1926, America has celebrated Black History in some form. It 
started as a week and now it is a month to honor the achievements of 
Black Americans throughout our nation's history. Schools and 
organizations conduct seminars and events to highlight the month. It is 
a positive way to acknowledge the power of diversity in the growth of 
our country.
  But there are still those in America who disagree with diversity. 
They want to return to a time when only a small minority of Americans 
were allowed to have rights and the full protections of the U.S. 
Government. They believe that `white is right' and everything else is 
wrong. Luckily, their numbers have been decreasing across the country 
during the last few decades.
  Unfortunately, they are not going quietly. The forces of white 
supremacy were strengthened and emboldened by former President Trump. 
In the last few years, they have acted out in ways both public and 
private. They were the ones who attacked our nation's Capitol Building 
on January 6th. They were the ones who wanted to ``hang'' former Vice 
President Mike Pence. They were the ones who brought a Confederate 
flag, one of the nation's foremost symbols of hate and prejudice, into 
the Capitol Building. And they forced elected officials of both 
political parties, Republicans and Democrats, to flee for their lives 
on that fateful day.
  We know that white nationalists have become empowered to commit acts 
of hate like this one nationwide because they had support in the White 
House. In 2019, the total number of hate crimes rose to 7,312 and 
marked the fourth increase in the past five years. We know that white 
supremacy-supporting domestic terrorists pose a greater threat to our 
nation's peace and security than foreign terrorists. And we know how to 
fight and defeat white nationalism. The question is when are we going 
to defeat it for good?

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