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WASHINGTON - Today, Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) gave a testimonial in the United States Capitol marking one year since the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Below are the remarks as prepared for delivery. 

“Madam Speaker, my dear, dear colleagues, and the American family - good afternoon. Let me begin, Madam Speaker, by thanking you for the opportunity for all of us to gather today and for this occasion to properly contextualize, for history, the events of January 6, 2021.

“For me, January 6 will forever be known as a day of remembrance, reflection, and recommitment. I remember waking up that morning, tense but excited to participate and witness the certification of Delaware’s first American President. It was the culmination of a hard-fought campaign in the midst of a historic pandemic. I had no idea that the safest, most secure election of our lifetime would, on that day, turn into a violent insurrection.

“January 6th, for me, will forever be a day to remember how ‘the light’ - acts of courage small and large - defeated darkness. Heroes – staffers, custodians, police. I will remember those who quite literally gave their lives to defend this institution.

“A day of reflection. I reflect on that day, being trapped in the House gallery, ultimately praying for all our safety and peace in our nation. I also reflect on just how close we came to losing our democracy.

“Those of us trapped in the gallery - we lived it. Ducking; crawling over, under railings; hands knees, the sounds, the smells. We had a front-row seat to what lies, hate, or plain old misinformation conjures. We went from victim to witness, and today we are messengers. 

“We reflect on the fact that January 6 was about so much more than an effort to break into this building - it was an effort to break down our institutions.

“I must admit that over this year, there have been times when I felt justice wasn’t swift enough. I felt sad, mad, and bewildered that some minimized and continue to minimize our peril. But we don’t give up – because, in the words of William Cullen Bryant quoted by Martin Luther King Jr., ‘Truth crushed to earth shall rise.’

“So on this day, let us recommit to our democracy and each other. On the day I was sworn into Congress as the first African American and woman from Delaware, I carried my scarf, which bears the Returns of Qualified Voters and Reconstruction Oath of my great-great-great-grandfather. When he received that card, granting him the right to vote after being freed from enslavement, he could not write his name, so he signed with an ‘X.’ 

“I carried that scarf on the day of the insurrection. It is my proof of what we’ve been through before and my inspiration to work towards that more perfect union. I have continued to hope even when I feel hopeless – my ancestors wouldn’t have it any other way because Scripture tells us that, ‘weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning.’

“And while I remember a great deal about that day - what I remember most is walking back into the House chamber that morning to complete our work. That morning when democracy prevailed.

“Remember. Reflect. Recommit.” 

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