The Politics of Remembering and Forgetting January 6, 2021

There has been no shortage of debate in recent years concerning how we remember and commemorate our collective past in public spaces. Monuments honoring Confederate leaders have been removed across the country and new ones have been dedicated in their place that are deemed more representative of our collective values.

As we all know, these debates can be incredibly divisive because they tell us something important about what we choose to remember and what those stories tell us about who we take ourselves to be as citizens of the United States.

How we utilize our public spaces also tells us something important about power and influence, including who wields it. That power manifests itself in terms of the specific form of the commemorative object and sometimes whether an event is commemorated or remembered at all.

I can’t help but think about these fundamental questions of historical or public memory in reference to a small plaque commemorating the various agencies that defended the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. This story hasn’t received much press coverage, but it makes for a very useful case study on the difference between history and memory.

In 2022, Congress authorized the placement of a plaque for the west front of the Capitol complex by March 2023. However, Republicans, who now control Congress, have yet to follow through nor have they given any indication of when or even if this will take place.

It’s not difficult to discern why they have delayed or perhaps even hope to undercut the project entirely, given the politics of the moment. It’s an important point given how politics often shapes what and how we choose to commemorate of our collective past, but in this case what stands out is how so little of what happened that day is even referenced on this plaque.

I can't help but make a few connections to Civil War memory.

First and foremost, there is no indication of what happened on January 6, 2021. Like many "reconciliationist"-themed Civil War monuments and plaques, no cause or reason is provided to help a visitor better understand what happened that day and why. Why did the Capitol Building need to be defended at all? What was the cause?

The text and imagery of the plaque goes out of its way to ignore these central issues. Notice that the image of the Capitol Building itself is depicted apart from the surrounding landscape and devoid of any people. A visitor looking at this plaque decades in the future may wonder what the scene on January 6, 2021 looked like.

No individuals are referenced, especially the members of the Capitol Police force that lost their lives or were injured as a result. This same visitor may wonder who the Capitol Police and other agencies were defending that day or who the mob was targeting.

(Source: Washington Post)

(Source: Good Morning America)

"Their Heroism Will Not Be Forgotten"

The memory of the “heroism” of the men and women who defended the Capitol Building will most certainly be jeopardized if President-elect Trump goes ahead and pardons rioters who were convicted for their actions that day.

For a long time our memory of the Civil War was based on recognizing the bravery and heroism of the men on both sides without acknowledging the respective causes for which they fought. Is this how we want to remember and commemorate the actions of the mob and the police that day? Were they all just fighting for their respective causes?

It's worth pointing out that the Congressional committee that oversees the placement and dedication of this plaque is not far removed from the violence that was witnessed that horrible day. We are talking about the very people who were the targets of the mob. Member of Congress were the central actors in this story and even they are unable or unwilling to face what happened that day in the form of a simple plaque that highlights just how fragile our democracy is and what it took to secure it.

There is a temporary exhibit in the visitor center of the Capitol Building. The case includes a Congressional Gold Medal given to police responders as well as a photograph of Congress certifying the presidential election and a copy of the Congressional Record. Not surprisingly, the display leaves out crucial information about what occurred that day.

It is unclear how the events of January 6, 2021 will figure into the history of the Capitol Building moving forward. Will visitors be told about what happened through tours, interpretive signage, permanent displays, and additional information in the book store? It’s too early to tell.

Any answer to this question will depend largely on whether Americans are willing to take a close and honest look at our darkest moments for the sake of our collective future. I am not optimistic.

I will leave you with this final thought.

The last-minute decision by the president-elect to move the inauguration ceremony indoors has forced the Capitol Police and other agencies to scramble to secure the inside of the Capitol Building. The very same people who were targeted at the behest of President Trump four years ago are now working feverishly to ensure that he is safe and out of harm’s way.

What these men and women did on January 6, 2021 deserves to be remembered and commemorated by every American.