Race is called as rioters storm the U.S. Capitol building
WASHINGTON – LaShawn Warren, executive vice president of government affairs at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement after the results in the U.S. Senate runoff elections in Georgia were announced:
“This is a historic moment for Georgia and the nation. The election of Rev. Raphael Warnock, the first Black senator from the state, and Jon Ossoff, the youngest senator in decades, represents a critical turning point for our country. Congress now has a mandate to swiftly enact sweeping democracy reform, transform our justice system, strengthen voting rights, address economic inequality, and ensure civil and human rights are protected for everyone, especially for communities of color disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.
“We are inspired by the resiliency of Georgia voters who proved they would not be silenced by shameful ploys to erect discriminatory barriers to the ballot. Aided by our All Voting is Local campaign and numerous partners on the ground, Georgians showed that nothing could stop them from changing the direction of our country.
“We will continue to fight to achieve an America as good as its ideals. We will not be deterred in our efforts to protect our democracy by the violent, insurrectionist acts we witnessed in horror today at the U.S. Capitol; they have no place in our country. Trump continues to spread lies about the election and incite violence among those acting in his name, including white supremacists. This abhorrent behavior is un-American and we strongly condemn the shameful attempt by rioters to subvert the will of voters.”
The Leadership Conference previously outlined priorities for the Biden-Harris administration and 117th Congress, available here.