Letter to Honorable Cheryl L. Johnson, Clerk for U.S. House Representatives and J. Brett Blanton, Architect of the Capitol - Norton Calls for Preservation and Display of Artifacts from U.S. Capitol Attack

Letter

Dear Madam Clerk and Mr. Blanton:

I urge you to find ways to preserve and display artifacts from the insurrectionist attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Although reasonable repairs must be made to ensure a safe and smooth return to legislative business, we cannot allow what transpired that day to be forgotten. Memorializing the damage caused by the insurrectionists in perpetuity would remind all who enter the hallowed halls of the Capitol how precious democracy is and how close we came to losing it on January 6.

Within hours of the insurrection, conspiracy theorists and political opportunists began spinning tales undermining the seriousness of the attack and trying to minimize the very real danger faced by members of Congress, staff, employees, law enforcement and others that day. We are living in an era of incredible political polarization and witnessing the fracturing of our shared American reality. Preserving artifacts from the insurrection would be a powerful way to anchor this tragedy in our history and to ensure that we, and future generations, remember and reflect on a day when our democracy teetered on the edge.

After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, there was a shared sense that we must capture the stories not only of those who we lost but also those who survived. Nearly 20 years later, we have memorials and museums that ensure we do not forget those we lost and the lessons we learned. That same value of preservation applies to the events of January 6. Articles, photographs and videos do much to capture what happened that day, but artifacts from the attack may have a deeper power despite their silence.

We must do everything in our power to ensure this story is told today and forever. I request a written response to this letter by February 26, 2021.

Sincerely,

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