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Here are the biggest Fourth of July celebrations across the country

Fourth of July celebrations across the country are returning to their normal format after the COVID-19 pandemic forced many to go virtual for the past two years.

From Grammy-winning musical performances to elaborate firework shows, America’s birthday parties are back with a bang.

Here are the largest July 4 celebrations taking place around the country.

Macy’s 46th Annual Fourth of July Fireworks – New York, N.Y.

The nation’s largest July 4 celebration, the Macy’s sponsored fireworks display draws more than 3 million visitors each year.

Launched from each of the East River barges, the two-hour fireworks spectacular launches thousands of shells to create 17 different firework patterns.

Pitbull and the cast of Moulin Rouge the Musical will be among the acts performing during the show.

You can watch the festivities live on NBC starting at 8 p.m. EST on July 4 and stream it on Peacock.

Fireworks at the National Mall – Washington, D.C

Each year, a Capitol Fourth concert and fireworks display light up the nation’s capital.

The Independence Day festivities begin with the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall between 7th and 12th Streets (11 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST) and the National Independence Day Parade along Constitution Avenue NW from 7th Street NW to 17th Street NW (11:45 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST).

For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the musical performances will return to the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on the National Mall.

Four-time Grammy-nominee Mickey Guyton will host the star-studded concert featuring performances by Darren Criss, Andy Grammer, Gloria Gaynor, the National Symphony Orchestra and more. The show will also be broadcast live starting at 8 p.m. EST on PBS.org, the PBS Facebook page and local PBS affiliate channels.

The National Park Service will launch the annual fireworks display from both sides of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, starting at 9:09 p.m. EST.

Harborfest in Boston – Boston, Ma.

Nearly 3 million visitors attend Boston’s July 4 festivities every year. Historical reenactments, Freedom Trail walks and a flag raising ceremony are among the hundreds of activities taking place over a weeklong period.

Events on July 4 begin at 9 a.m. EST, with a parade that starts at City Hall Plaza and ends at Old State House, where the Declaration of Independence will be read.

Ten-time Grammy winner Chaka Khan is one of the performers that will entertain spectators at the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular, held at the DCR Hatch Shell on the Esplanade. The concert portion starts at 7 p.m. EST, with fireworks beginning at 10:30 p.m.

Big Bay Boom – San Diego, Calif.

The largest fireworks display on the West Coast, the San Diego Independence Day celebration draws an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 spectators annually.

The fireworks display, launched from four barges around North San Diego Bay, begins at 9 p.m. PST. Spectators can watch the fireworks from several locations, including from the USS Midway, which allows for family picnic-style viewing.

The show will also be broadcast on Fox 5 (San Diego), KTLA 5 (Los Angeles), Fox 40 (Sacramento), and Kron 4 (San Francisco).

Wawa Welcome America festival – Philadelphia, Pa.

Philadelphia celebrates America’s birthday annually with a series of free public events dubbed the Welcome America Festival.

Singers Jason Derulo, Ava Max and Tori Kelly will perform at 7 p.m. EST before the 9:45 p.m. fireworks display, which closes out the two-week-long celebration.

Spectators can view the fireworks, which launch from the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, in person from Eakins Oval to Logan Circle or at home on NBC10 and TeleXitos.

Freedom Over Texas – Houston, Texas

Houston’s July 4 party, the largest land-based fireworks show in the U.S., draws an average of 50,000 people annually.

Country band Sawyer Brown and rapper Blanco Brown will be among the performers at the event, held from 4 to 10 p.m. CT at Eleanor Tinsley and Sam Houston Parks.

This year’s event will also add a unique Space City Experience to honor the 60th anniversary of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Source: TEST FEED1

Newsom running ads attacking GOP in Florida: 'Don't let them take your freedom'

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has is airing a new ad in Florida targeting Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and GOP lawmakers over a wave of new legislation targeting LGBTQ rights, voting rights, so-called “critical race theory” and abortion. 

In a 30-second ad that will start airing on Fox News on Monday, Newsom, who is running for reelection, invites fed up Floridians to move to California, which he says still believes in protecting personal freedom. 

“It’s Independence Day. Let’s talk about what’s going on in America. Freedom. It’s under attack in your state your Republican leaders, they’re banning books, making it harder to vote, restricting speech in classrooms, even criminalizing women and doctors,” Newsom says.

The ad shows DeSantis shaking hands with former President Trump with the words “Freedom is under attack” 

“I urge all of you live in Florida to join the fight, or join us in California, where we still believe in freedom, freedom of speech, freedom to choose, freedom from hate and the freedom to love,” Newsom added. “Don’t let them take your freedom.”  

Both DeSantis and Newsom are seen as potential presidential candidates for their parties, having developed national profiles through their leadership of two of the country’s largest states. Polls show DeSantis trailing only Trump as the presidential pick among GOP voters, while Newsom has said he has “sub-zero” interest in seeking the White House.

DeSantis and his state party stirred national controversy by passing a so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill, prohibiting teachers up to grade 4 from classroom instruction related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

He has also been among among a number of GOP governors who have restricting voting rights amid Trump’s false claims of a rigged election in 2020, and moved to severely restrict abortions even before the Supreme Court’s decision last week to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Newsom has previously boasted that California’s economy is healthier than Florida’s, and has shown an appetite for engaging Republicans across the country.

The 54-year-old governor joined Trump’s social media platform last month in what he said was an effort to debunk “Republican lies.”

“This could get…interesting,” Newsom wrote in a Twitter post.

The Hill has reached out to DeSantis’ office for comment.

Source: TEST FEED1

Here's the best place to watch July 4 fireworks in DC

Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to flock to the Washington, D.C. for Fourth of July celebrations on Monday marking America’s 245th birthday. 

The annual firework display at the National Mall will include fully in-person revelry for the first time since 2019, with the show set to start at 9:09 p.m.

The Metro has warned of up to hour-long wait time for trains, and suggesting people either delay their travel home or choose an alternate stop to the central Smithsonian station.

Whether you embrace the crowds or not, here are the best places and ways to watch the fireworks display in D.C. on Monday night (that aren’t the National Mall).

Head to a rooftop

Several rooftop bars and restaurants will welcome firework watchers throughout Monday’s festivities. 

According to Washington.org, the Vue Rooftop Lounge, the Terrance at  Hotel Washington, the Conrad Hotel’s Summit Rooftop, and the Top of the Gate at the Watergate Hotel are primo vantage points.

Supreme Court plaza

Recently the site of protests for an against the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court is a choice spot for enjoying the the National Mall’s firework display. 

Outside the court building is a 252-foot wide oval plaza that offers plenty of space for those looking for an alternate to the National Mall itself.

Cardozo High

Cardozo Education Campus, a combined middle and high school, is an underrated spot for the Fourth of July fireworks viewing.  

The school, founded in 1928, is located in the Northwest region of the city and is a couple of blocks away from the popular U Street district and neighborhood. 

InsideHook.com noted it may be the most affordable bet to view the festivities as well, since you can drive there and bring your own refreshments.

The Wharf 

The Wharf is a go-to spot for many spectators, with accessible rooftop at locales including the International and Canopy hotels, and nearby green areas and public piers.

The area, located in the Southwest section of the city, also provides great dining and entertainment venues for Monday’s celebrations, Washington.org reported.

Take a cruise

Several cruise companies are offering their services for Monday’s festivities, though if you’re just feeling inspired to book a spot you may be too late.

Embark DC Boat Tours and City Cruises are sold out of their firework cruises, while Monumental Boat Tours still has spots for day cruises but its last boat returns at 8 p.m.

Source: TEST FEED1

Biden moves on abortion haven't quieted progressive anger

Furiously watching the Supreme Court dismantle what for almost 50 years was a constitutional right, Democratic operatives and activists have been begging the White House to do everything in its power to ensure people still have access to abortion.

They view President Biden’s announcement last week that he supports a carveout to ending the Senate filibuster to codify abortion rights at the federal level was a step in the right direction, but it hardly quieted their anger.

“You’d genuinely think this decision hadn’t even leaked because it seems very clear there has been no real planning from the White House,” said Max Burns, a progressive strategist working on down ballot races ahead of the midterms, referring to the leak earlier this summer of a draft of the decision overturning Roe v. Wade. “I don’t know how you get caught by surprise on a pre-announced decision!”

“Every senior official who speaks about our post-Roe nightmare seems to have a different narrative,” he went on, “which is a sign there is no narrative at all.”

“Sorry,” Burns concluded, “this is a point of immense fury.”

Burns is not alone. The sense of frustration that the Biden administration hasn’t done enough to protect women during this crucial, precedent-unraveling the court overturned the landmark abortion rights decision.

Hours after the decision, Biden gave an impassioned speech about the ruling, in which he lambasted it as a “tragic error.”

“This decision must not be the final word. My administration will use all of its appropriate, lawful powers, but Congress must act,” Biden said.

But the speech didn’t mollify many. And the progressive reaction has been particularly loud.

Lawmakers and activists on the left have urged Biden and his entire White House to present a clear message of urgency to Americans about the significance of the ruling and provide a unified roadmap of practical options to help people maintain access to the full range of reproductive health care.

On Thursday, the president seemed to pivot in a new direction.

During a global news conference, Biden called for the narrowly-controlled Democratic majority in the Senate to amend its longstanding filibuster rule in order to protect Roe’s status. That would allow Democrats to pass a bill without any Republican votes.

“I believe we have to codify Roe v. Wade in the law, and the way to do that is to make sure the Congress votes to do that,” he said from a NATO conference in Madrid, Spain.  “If the filibuster gets in the way, it’s like voting rights, it should be we provide an exception for this.”

Finally, outspoken liberals declared, a step in the right direction. Some acknowledged that the president and his administration appeared to be getting the message.

“Now we’re talking!” Ocascio-Cortez tweeted after Biden’s statement. “Time for people to see a real, forceful push for it. Use the bully pulpit. We need more.”

The administration also received praise after the Department of Health and Human Services launched a website devoted to helping people find contraceptives and abortion services.

“I think we are starting to see some more concrete steps and we definitely more of that,” said Bethany Van Kampen Saravia, a senior legal and policy adviser at the global reproductive justice organization Ipas.

“I definitely wouldn’t necessarily say they are flat footed,” she added, referring to the administration.

But the anger isn’t likely to go away. Progressives have warned that the decision could cause Democrats to lose the House and Senate if they don’t mobilize accordingly, and many believe more steps need to be taken in the short-term to speak to voters. In recent days, they’ve raised concerns about everything from privacy on health data-sharing apps to abortion centers closing down in critical states.

Absent an urgent enough national response from the White House, in the eyes of some on the left, progressives have been bringing new attention to polling and advertisements to amplify the issue.

In a poll conducted by MoveOn, obtained exclusively by The Hill, likely voters in four battleground states – Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – overwhelmingly support access to abortion and disapprove of the decision to overturn Roe, a proof point that Democrats are circulating to show how the ruling can work to their advantage at the ballot box.

In Arizona, one of Democrats’ biggest targets in the midterms and one that Biden won in 2020, 60 percent of likely voters surveyed said they think abortion should be allowed legally.

In another sign of the ruling’s potential significance on the campaign trail, a number of liberal pro-choice organizations launched large-scale ad buys in major swing Senate states including Nevada, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania.

That work on the outside is meant to supplement areas where the administration could come up short, some say.

“The president can’t make anyone do anything,” Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright said.

“The executive branch plays a role. The legislative branch, and the judicial [branch] plays a role. The judicial [branch] is clear about their role. It’s to disrupt,” he said.

“Now we have to do the clean up at the legislative branch, in particular in the United States Senate.”

Still, some Democrats say the impulse to blame the Senate – from inside the White House on down – has become something of a crutch in the debate. While it’s true that two moderates, Sens. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) have complicated much of Biden’s agenda by failing to budge on the filibuster, some say Bidenworld needs to be more forceful in its planning and response.

“The White House can rightfully blame Manchin and Sinema (and 50 GOP senators) for the logjam in the Senate,” Burns said, “but that doesn’t go an inch to explaining why the White House doesn’t seem to have any clear narrative or action plan of its own.”

“They keep sending Kamala Harris out to be embarrassed in front of national audiences with messaging the White House then seems to abandon entirely,” he said.

Earlier this week, Harris, who has struggled to gain solid footing during her time as vice president, said “not right now” when asked on CNN if administration officials are contemplating the option of providing access to abortion services on federal lands, a line that put her at odds with progressives like Ocasio-Cortez who called it one of several “baby steps” that could be taken, including in Republican-controlled states.

Others defending the administration, however, described much of the discontent among progressives as “online noise” that doesn’t necessarily ring true for many Democratic voters.

Those voices take solace in knowing that voters indeed chose Biden out of other contenders to lead the country away from Trump, and believe that the president deserves some breathing room during his first term.

“They find themselves lining up or dancing to the tune of the activists,” Seawright said about progressives. “And yes that’s important, but that’s not always most important because governing and campaigning can be two different things.”

To be sure, the anger is not confined to the left-wing.

Even some Republicans have wondered aloud why the opposing party hadn’t already taken steps to codify the ruling over the past five decades.

“Democrats, what were you doing all these years, not codifying Roe?” said Rina Shah, a GOP operative who started Republican Women for Biden during the last election.

While some far-right GOP candidates and lawmakers on Capitol Hill cheered the SCOTUS move, others have expressed private shock that Democrats are finding themselves in this position now.

“I have no respect for these justices because they didn’t have to do this,” she said.

Source: TEST FEED1

Jeh Johnson: Jan. 6 hearings have 'been a profile in courage among women'

Former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Sunday that the recent congressional hearings on the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol have been a “profile in courage” for the women who have taken center stage.

During an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Johnson named Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), former White House aide Cassidy Hutchison, and Capitol Police officer Caroline Edwards.

“I have to begin with this. While a lot of men are hiding under their desk in lawyers’ offices, this hearing has really been a profile in courage among women: Caroline Edwards, Cass Hutchinson, and Liz Cheney,” Johnson told moderator Chuck Todd during the show’s roundtable discussion.

“I think that this hearing has been choreographed exceptionally well for the attention span of the average American in 2022,” he added.

Hutchinson, who was an assistant to former President Trump’s chief of staff Mark Meadows, featured in a bombshell hearing last week, testifying that the president and senior members of the White House were repeatedly warned about potential violence on Jan. 6 and were aware that some protesters were armed when Trump sent them to the Capitol building.

Cheney, as vice chair of the committee and one of two Republicans on the panel, has faced intense blowback from her party and is up against a Trump-backed challenger in her House race in Wyoming.

Edwards, who was among two witnesses in the first Jan. 6 public hearing, provided a vivid description of the violent mob as it overtook police outside the Capitol, calling it a “war scene” and adding “I saw friends with blood all over their faces. I was slipping in people’s blood.”

The House select committee has placed Trump at the center of efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and Johnson said on Sunday he sees a criminal case being developed during the hearings.

However, he expressed concern about one part of Hutchinson’s testimony, in which she provided a second-hand account of Trump attempting to grab the steering wheel and lunging at the driver in an attempt to join the mob on Jan. 6.

Secret Service agents in the vehicle are reportedly willing to deny the claims, which were relayed to Hutchinson by other White House officials.

“I’m concerned as the former federal prosecutor in me – that gets you a lot of cred these days on television – I’m concerned that the committee may have overreached on the incident in the vehicle,” Johnson added. “It was colorful, it was vivid, it was collateral to the central charge. If – and it was secondhand hearsay.” 

The House panel held six televised public hearings last month on the capitol insurrection, which resulted in the deaths of five people. 

Cheney said told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday that the committee may recomment criminal charges against Trump, but noted that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will make the ultimate decision on the matter. 

Source: TEST FEED1

First probable monkeypox case reported in Iowa

Iowa health officials reported the state’s first probable case of monkeypox on Friday, as infectious disease experts warn the country is at risk of losing control of the disease.

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services said they are conducting contact tracing to identify those who were in direct close contact with the patient.

“The patient was likely infected during international travels and is isolating, receiving outpatient care and in regular communication with health department staff,” the department said in a statement.

States typically test for orthopoxvirus, the family of viruses that monkeypox belongs to, before sending samples to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmatory testing.

The CDC as of Friday had reported a total of 460 monkeypox cases in 30 other states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.

Health officials continue to stress that the risk to the public remains low.

The disease spreads through close contact with an infected animal or person, generally through lesions, body fluids and respiratory droplets. But unlike the coronavirus, monkeypox droplets only travel up to a few feet and usually require prolonged contact for transmission.

Monkeypox causes swelling of the lymph nodes, which makes the virus distinctive from other, similar diseases, experts say. Patients also usually first present symptoms like fever, headache, muscle aches, chills and exhaustion. 

Within one to three days after initial symptoms, infected individuals develop a rash that typically spreads from the head to other parts of the body. 

“Risk to the general public is low, but anyone with a rash that looks like monkeypox should talk to their healthcare provider, even if they don’t think they had contact with someone who has monkeypox,” the Iowa health department said.

Some jurisdictions have begun administering smallpox vaccines in response to the outbreak. The CDC suggests the smallpox vaccine is at least 85 percent effective against monkeypox.

“People with direct close contact are directed to watch for symptoms of illness and are offered a vaccine series that can prevent symptoms from developing or developing severe illness,” Iowa health officials said. “The CDC does not recommend broader use of the vaccine at this time; however, their evaluation of vaccine guidance is ongoing.”

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Noem says 'time is right' for paid family leave

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), who is pushing to eliminate abortion in all its forms in her state, said on Sunday that parents should have access to paid family leave to better care for new children.

During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Noem told moderator Dana Bash that with abortion being banned in many GOP-led states, more needed to be done so that unexpected parents don’t feel like they’re in a “crisis situation.”

“I do think it’s important that we walk alongside people when they enter into a situation where maybe they have an unplanned pregnancy. And many women feel as though, when they get, have a pregnancy that’s not planned, that it’s a crisis situation,” Noem told Bash. “And we need to do a better job of supporting them.” 

The governor, who is seen as a rising star in the GOP, noted that she previously launched a website, Life.SD.gov, to help new parents find resources and assistance.

But she also encouraged the state’s legislature to create its own paid family leave program to support parents, regardless of the potential strain on state coffers.

“It’s something that I have supported in the past and talked about, so giving that flexibility to family,” Noem told Bash. “South Dakota has not had a broad, expansive policy like several other states do. And I think that’s a debate that we’ll continue to have.” 

“So you’re going to push it?” Bash asked Noem. 

“Many times, it’s the financial cost, the medical cost and the leave policy that many people have a tough time supporting,” Noem replied. ”But I think in South Dakota that the time is right.” 

South Dakota is among a number of states with trigger bans on abortion that took effect when the Supreme Court last month overturned the federal right to abortion. The state’s trigger law was passed in 2005 and makes exceptions only for medical emergencies that threaten the mother’s life.

Many Democrats and reproductive rights advocates have complained that Republicans are hitting women with a double whammy, taking away abortion rights and opposing proposals to expand the social safety net and help parents afford health care, child care and other needs.

Noem recently said she plans to ban telemedicine appointments with abortion care providers who prescribe pills to patients online in the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned.

She said she was also listening to pregnancy centers — which work to prevent women from getting abortions — for other ideas on how to support new mothers, as South Dakota navigates the new legal landscape around abortion.

“We have many pregnancy centers and those that do walk alongside those mothers today bringing us ideas. And we will have that discussion during debate,” Noem said.

Source: TEST FEED1

Akron police release footage of officers firing barrage of bullets at Jayland Walker

Authorities released bodycam footage on Sunday showing Akron Police Department officers firing a barrage of bullets at a Black man who they were pursuing over an unspecified traffic violation early Monday morning.

The police killing of 25-year-old Jayland Walker has sparked protests in the city alleging police brutality.

Police said at a press conference that the officer who wore the camera was driving a police vehicle and tried to pull over Walker, who slowed down and then fled on foot. The footage did not include the moment when police say they initially pulled over Walker.

After exiting their vehicles, police said the officers attempted to take Walker into custody by using tasers, but ultimately began firing as he continued to evade arrest.

The Walker family’s lawyer, who did not immediately return a request for comment, has previously estimated police shot the 25-year-old at least 60 times.

Akron Police Chief Steve Mylett called the footage “disturbing” but said authorities had not yet determined the exact number of rounds fired.

“However, based on the video, I anticipate that number to be high,” he said. “A lot of rounds were fired, and I will not be surprised if the number at the end of the investigation is consistent with the number that has been circulating in the media.”

Mylett said involved officers had not yet provided statements, but they had perceived Walker as a threat because he appeared to fire a shot during the earlier vehicular chase and the officers believed he was changing to a firing position as they shot him. Police said they later recovered a handgun, loaded magazine and a gold ring from the vehicle.

“When they make their most critical decision — to point the firearm at another human being and pull the trigger — they’ve got to be ready to explain why they did what they did,” said Mylett, adding that he was reserving judgment until he reviewed the officers’ statements.

He said an officer checked Walker’s pulse after the shooting and attempted to administer first aid. The eight officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave as the investigation continues, which Mylett said was standard policy.

Police said they would be releasing additional bodycam footage from the other involved officers in “a short period of time.”

Protesters have marched throughout the city since the shooting, and authorities on Sunday repeatedly urged demonstrators to remain peaceful and wait for the results of the full investigation.

“There’s no doubt that the video you just watched is extremely disturbing and will store a lot of emotions and feelings — shocking and hard to take in,” said Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan (D). “But what we are collectively calling for is peace and happiness. It’s the same thing Mr. Walker’s family is calling for.”

Source: TEST FEED1

Why people of color should care about the Jan. 6 hearings

The last few weeks of Jan. 6 hearings have provided a water hose of information about the extent of former President Trump’s involvement and responsibility for the attack on the Capitol. Damning testimony from former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson revealed that Trump made desperate attempts to join the violent mob as they forcefully invaded the U.S. Capitol. 

The information, images, and video footage weighs heavily on all Americans, but in communities of color that know all too well the heavy hand of enforcement — from stop and frisk policies and show me your papers laws to excessive use of force and detention without due process — the resounding sentiment has been, “if that was us, we would be dead.” Prosecution of Trump and the host of characters who planned and provoked the rioters that day would be the minimum way in which justice could be served, and the latest Yahoo/YouGov poll shows growing support for such action, with 52 percent of Americans believing Trump should be prosecuted even before the Hutchinson testimony.

But there is more at stake than justice for a crime committed.  

The last half century has been marked by communities of color, who have been marginalized and disenfranchised, fighting for a seat at the table in American politics: From Black civil rights leaders marching on Washington, to Asian Americans fighting for acknowledgement after being interned during World War II, and Latinos advocating for immigration policies that reflect not only the needs of the receiving country, but the values and rights of immigrants themselves.  

But as the Jan. 6 hearings have revealed, the game being played by President Trump and those he represents is not aimed at merely limiting or excluding groups from participation in the American table, but to burn the entire table down. With bombshell after bombshell of shocking testimony on how former president Donald Trump actively tried to incite violence and overturn the outcome of the election on Jan. 6, one thing has become clear: American democracy is in peril.

At the heart of any democracy is the maintenance of free and fair elections. Rule of law, a value once deeply held by the Republican Party, is essential to free and fair elections. In 2000, when the Supreme Court reversed an order by the Florida Supreme Court for a recount of the presidential election in the case of Bush v. Gore, the decision was ultimately accepted by the people. Gore supporters didn’t riot, hang nooses, or bring an armed mob to attack the court and seek out the justices. As the testimony has revealed, Trump not only attempted to pressure Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger to overturn the Georgia election outcome with math magic, and activate a mob on Jan. 6, but he continues the onslaught by bullying local election officials — career professionals like Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, an election worker who received death threats and had to go into hiding after Trump and his allies spread false accusations about her.

As people of color, it’s easy to look at American politics today and see a dysfunctional system that isn’t working. A quick glance over the last few years and we will be reminded of police abuses that run rampant, children locked in cages at the U.S. Mexico border, and scapegoating of the Asian American community for a global pandemic. It might be tempting to turn away from the Jan. 6 hearings as just one more example of disheartening news that is trivial to our everyday lives. But the institutional foundations of our democracy are at stake. As the late civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) told us in his departing letter, “Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part.” 

Over the last several years, we have witnessed a flurry of organizing and civic engagement, from protesting in the streets to the highest record turnout in history. Now is not the time to turn away from the challenges our nation faces, but to stay engaged and make our voices heard. Our democracy depends on it.

Sara Sadhwani is Assistant Professor of Politics at Pomona College.

Source: TEST FEED1