Following are statements and comments issued by prominent nonprofit leaders in the wake of the attack on the Capitol on Wednesday. We’ll continue to update this article.
75 Grant Makers and Coalitions
A joint letter from more than 75 foundations and other grant-making coalitions to members of Congress:
Our organizations donate hundreds of millions of dollars to charitable causes each year to advance the common good.
While we have different funding approaches, vary in our areas of focus, and are ideologically diverse, we share a belief in the importance of finding common ground to solve problems and serve people and communities. And while we may vary in our views on the size and scope of government, we share a belief that safeguarding the health, security, and rights of people and communities requires a government whose leaders can accept the election results, bridge divisions that have roiled our nation, work in good faith to forge solutions, and stand up for democracy.
As the U.S. faces the most dire global health emergency in 100 years, the worst economic crisis in modern history, and a racial reckoning overdue for centuries, it is time to move on from last year’s election, cease further delays in the transition of power, and turn to governance.
To our duly elected leaders, we urge you to follow facts and let science lead the way toward solving the Covid-19 crisis. We encourage you to listen to diverse voices — including those of people who have been overlooked, forgotten, and excluded, and who are facing persistent threats to their lives and livelihoods. We call on you to repair our tattered social fabric and help our democracy live up to its ideals. And we stand ready to work with you to move our country forward and increase opportunity for all who call it home.
Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation
I cannot see the insurrection as anything other than the latest chapter in a long, dispiriting, exhausting history. And yet, from this very same history, I also — perhaps paradoxically — draw hope.
I’m hopeful because, from our founding contradiction, we have emerged a freer, fairer nation. All too slowly, all too unevenly, all too imperfectly — and at far too high a cost — we, the people, have struggled to root out the strand of white supremacy in our country’s DNA.
Our founding aspirations were just that: aspirations. It’s been the work of generations — from Frederick Douglass and Fannie Lou Hamer to Harriet Tubman and Bayard Rustin — to realize these aspirations. And while much remains to be done, and undone, I believe we can emerge — and are emerging — a more unified, more equal, more just, more American America.
Yes, the ideal of democracy is the greatest threat to the ideology of white supremacy; neither can long endure in the presence of the other. That is why today — and every day — we must renew our commitment to protect our democratic values and institutions from all enemies, foreign and domestic, especially those falsely disguised as patriots.
Jamie Merisotis, president of the Lumina Foundation
What we collectively witnessed represents a milestone — and maybe not the last — in the failure of institutions at all levels.
It represents the failure of social-media companies such as Facebook and Twitter that have permitted and encouraged the distribution of radical ideology and hate in pursuit of profit and of a Congress unwilling to impede them.
It represents the failure of news organizations, which continue to fall short of their responsibility to adequately cover either these moments of violence or the broader efforts to destroy American democracy, using muted language and words such as “protesters” and “opponents” to describe these traitors, whether they be individuals invading the Capitol or those speaking inside its chambers.
And it represents the failure of schools and colleges and universities, which must do more — and better — in elevating the broader public sense of civic rights and responsibilities that come with democracy.
“Recovery” and “reconciliation” are words you’ll hear me use more in the coming days and weeks.
We need to recover from the self-harm that the last four years has inflicted on the nation, whether economically, socially, morally, from the virus, from the cancerous racial injustice and inequity that has metastasized and grown, from the intentional destruction of cherished institutions in pursuit of greed and personal benefit, and from the damage done to our global reputation as a beacon of opportunity, of freedom, and of democracy.
And we must work toward a process of reconciliation, working together, in uncomfortable ways, to repair the damage that has been done. Of course, reconciliation will be extremely difficult until we fix what’s broken, starting with greater inclusion, with greater opportunity, and with an education-supported economic and social renewal.
Starsky Wilson, CEO of the Children’s Defense Fund
All our children, home for virtual instruction, watched on television as violent, anti-democratic white supremacists were allowed to storm and briefly occupy the U.S. Capitol — just as they watched this summer as activists for racial justice were met with tear gas, shot with rubber bullets, and arrested.
The events in Washington, D.C., are clear examples of the existential threat and trauma of white supremacy to our children, our country, and the world. Images of the home of our federal legislature under siege by domestic terrorists signify the extent to which the future of our democracy is much more a contest over power than a principled debate about public policy.
To build a world where marginalized and traumatized children flourish, leaders must prioritize their well-being. Today, this means countering and condemning the actions of the people engaged in violence at the Capitol and the president who incited it.
Our children are watching. Today, they saw America — that older white man, dressed in a red jacket, blue jeans, and long white socks soiled from sleeping outdoors and exposed — seething from blunt force. They were traumatized and robbed of their innocent belief in the “idea of America.” But they will remember who called for help, who rushed in to aid, and who stood up to build power for their future at this moment when our very democracy was at stake.
Tim Delaney, CEO of the National Council on Nonprofits
America’s charitable organizations are united in opposition to the actions of the mob that stormed the ultimate symbol of democracy, the U.S. Capitol.
The First Amendment protects the right to peaceably assemble and to petition government for a redress of grievances. It does not protect those who planned, participated, and incited a mob to act with violence rather than act peacefully and delivered insurrection instead of petitions.
As we all take a step back and call for calm, we should also resolve to hold violators accountable for their unlawful actions to prevent further outbreaks. In a democracy, disagreement is natural. Debate is healthy. But violence and mob rule are unacceptable.
Daniel Cardinali, CEO of Independent Sector
As a matter of principle, we deplore violence, intimidation, and vandalism, especially which jeopardize the peaceful transition of U.S. democratic power, as we saw in Washington, D.C., today. A line was clearly crossed. By any metric, this is unacceptable as it jeopardizes public safety, puts people’s lives at risk, and derails our revered election system.
We support the practice of daily democracy in America, as well as nonviolence in our communities.
Social change in society occurs through peaceful civic participation and the casting, counting, and certification of votes — actions that we must stand collectively together to protect so all of us — in our diverse nation — can thrive.
Amy Sample Ward, CEO of NTEN
President Trump incited an angry mob as part of his ongoing attempt to undo President-elect Biden’s election.
NTEN supports the calls for the House of Representatives to impeach President Trump. We also support calls for the Cabinet to invoke the 25th Amendment and remove him from office immediately.
Meanwhile, our immediate challenges continue to need our combined efforts. Even during a coup, nonprofits across the U.S. are providing community members with food, shelter, and health care.
There is so much work ahead of us to create a just and racially equitable world, made even more visible with today’s attempted coup. We are still amidst a global pandemic. We will not reach that new world in one day. We can and will pick up this work together.
Kathleen Enright, CEO of the Council on Foundations
At the United States Capitol we witnessed inexcusable acts of violence and criminal behavior as domestic terrorists attempted to disrupt the rightful certification of the results of a democratic election. This is an unprecedented moment in modern American history and one that leaves an indelible stain on our great democracy.
The Council on Foundations condemns these actions and joins with our fellow Americans in calling for an end to the chaos and tumult that has long been incited by President Trump, in favor of a calm and peaceful transfer of power to the Biden/Harris administration.
We are heartened by the actions our elected officials took late to certify the results of the election and ask that they take strong and decisive action to ensure no further attacks on our Capitol, our people, or our democratic system of government.
Mark Malloch-Brown, president of Open Society Foundations
Overnight we have watched astonishing scenes as hundreds of thugs incited by a criminal president invaded a country’s legislative chambers and caused mayhem and death in an effort to overturn the result of a democratic election.
Until four years ago I suspect few at the Open Society Foundations would have expected to use such words of condemnation about America. Founded to promote human rights and justice around the world, Open Society has never been blind to the mote in America’s own eye — a society with its brutal share of racial injustice and economic exclusion — but we, like so many, had counted on the authority of America’s democratic process to provide a way forward.
America’s moral leadership has been seared by the flames of what happened yesterday.
More than American democracy has been put on trial by yesterday’s events. The very values of open society already under threat from increasingly authoritarian governments around the world were under attack yesterday on the streets and steps of the U.S. Capitol. Yet as the Senate victories in Georgia also show, democracy can prevail.
We and our thousands of partners are not daunted. Our example and guiding light is yesterday in the U.S. state of Georgia, not yesterday in Washington.
Brian Hooks, CEO of Stand Together
The violence within the U.S. Capitol is the shameful and predictable consequence of reckless and dishonorable actions to overturn the voters’ clear decision in this election. And it represents the polar opposite of the values upon which our country was built.
The peaceful transition of power is one of the most essential aspects of our constitutional order and, indeed, our free society. It’s the most visible way we assure people that they can openly disagree without fearing for their lives or livelihoods, that government is constrained, and no person is above the law.
Without that basic and shared understanding, the freedoms that give life to the prosperity and community that Americans enjoy cannot persist. Societies that rely on violence to settle disagreements prioritize violence. And that means there can be no rule of law, no equal rights, no expectation of justice.
Our liberal order, our free society, our civilization is fragile. But it is also resilient. Congress reclaimed the Capitol from the mob to complete its constitutional obligation and certify this election. So must we all reclaim the civility and respect that our country requires of us.
In this moment, that means we must redouble our efforts to bring people of good faith but different perspectives together do the hard work to help more fully realize the promise of our country.
Marcus Walton, CEO of Grantmakers for Effective Organizations
For the philanthropic sector, 2021 may prove an inflection point — a moment upon which we will look in hindsight one day to determine the extent to which we were truly on the “right side of history.”
It is far past time to make sure we are putting our values into action and working to build an equitable future where we all can thrive. In recognition of our linked fates, we owe it to ourselves and the legacy of leaders who have come before us to dare and try.
Our experience is that being on the “right side of history” demands this from us all, today and going forward. To this end, we urge our members and other grant makers to assess your power to affect change, recognize your critical role in this societal moment, and reach out now to support the nonprofits, movements, organizers, and communities who are working to ensure that America delivers on its promise, for all people.
Stephen Heintz, CEO of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund
The violent attack on the U.S. Capitol was distinctly un-American and an affront to our system of democratic government. Politicians who supported or enabled, actively or tacitly, this insurrection must be held to account. Elected officials from every party and at every level of government nationwide who serve in our democratic system at the will of the people have the duty not only to denounce yesterday’s actions but to rectify the campaign of disinformation and flat-out lies that brought us to this point.
As a philanthropic foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund did not endeavor to advance any particular election outcome. We did support organizations across the country working for a free, fair, and safe process that would allow every American to cast their ballot, every ballot to be counted, and the count to be realized in peaceful transition or continuation of power. That endeavor has been tested more this election cycle than perhaps any in history.
Americans harbor deep distrust of institutions; rampant misinformation and intentional disinformation are eroding our trust in one another. Economic inequality has skyrocketed, and moneyed special interests drown out citizen voices in our politics. Black and Indigenous Americans are still struggling for their lives. But none of this justifies the kind of violent attack we witnessed yesterday.
There is no “golden age of American democracy” to fall back on, only an opportunity — and an urgent need — to reinvent democracy to meet the needs of today and tomorrow. Doing so is the charge of all Americans.
Philanthropy has a special obligation to advance this common purpose. Democracy is the basis for every other public good our foundations support; studies have shown that the strength of a country’s democracy correlates to public health, clearer air, quality of education, social services, and so much more. Long after the acute anxiety of the 2020 election season has dissipated, philanthropy must continue its investment in the reinvention of American democracy.
Carmen Rojas, CEO of the Marguerite Casey Foundation
The occupation of our U.S. Capitol was not the end. If anything, it is the beginning of the public fight for our future. It is critical to name the sides in this fight: this is a fight between those of us who believe in justice, freedom, and shifting power to those who have long been denied it, on one side, and those who believe that the only way forward is through the consolidation of power in the hands of a few, the hoarding of resources by a minority, and the continued belief that our government should only work for the rich and powerful.
Philanthropy plays a role in this fight. There is no scenario in which we don’t have to think hard, take risks and change the way we work.
The worst position for philanthropy to take is that of an impartial observer. Yet, the next worst position for philanthropy to take is to think that money alone — merely increasing grants — can solve the problem of transformation. We need to bring more to the table than that. We need to intervene to create the social conditions that will enable racial justice leaders to do what they do best: shift power in service of freedom and justice.
We believe in the promise of a truly multiracial democracy where voting is the beginning of people creating a government that works for all of us. We believe in an economy that treats us all as humans deserving of a full life.
James Canales, president of the Barr Foundation
We can neither ignore nor forgot how we got to what we witnessed yesterday: this violence was incited by our own elected leaders. It was enabled by those whose own thirst for power and cowardice kept them from holding our president accountable. In pretending they could downplay or ignore his actions, they justified and amplified dangerous, undemocratic words and actions. In doing so, they made it evident that white supremacy still reigns in America.
One may wonder why a nonprofit, philanthropic institution such as the Barr Foundation should issue any statement. We do so not out of any sense of self-importance nor to imply any specialized knowledge of how we got here and what the solutions should be.
Rather we add our voice to the chorus of those speaking up because we must speak out. January 6, 2021, will forever be a date etched in our memories, and when we look back, it is our hope at Barr that we do so with abject horror at what occurred and a sense of pride that this served as the moment that we spoke out, stood up, and acted to counter everything that was so wrong and so antithetical to our country’s beliefs, and yet so indicative of our country today.
One image from yesterday still stands out for me: the workers in our nation’s Capitol cleaning up so our lawmakers could resume their work.
It is not lost that the workers in this image are all people of color, and they are cleaning up the mess left by an almost entirely white mob waving confederate flags, by rioters who would disenfranchise them of their rights, and by fellow citizens who bear animus toward them. Looking at this image, we must recognize that it has ever been thus.
The work to form a more perfect union will never be complete, and we have so much further to go. We will remain allies, champions and advocates in this work, motivated by the spirit that better days lie ahead. They must.
Don Chen, president of the Surdna Foundation (on Twitter)
This coup attempt is both unbelievable and completely predictable. These seditious fools will lose because they’ve shown their violent, lawless vision, and Americans are repulsed. We won’t let these right-wing radicals, white supremacists & conspiracy theorists define our future.
What gives me solace is the hope that what happened in Georgia will spread across the entire U.S. The organizers who spent a decade registering voters in Georgia — especially Black voters — have shown us a different vision of a peaceful, just, equitable and prosperous multiracial democracy.
Attaining a just and equitable future seems immensely difficult, given all this polarization. Achieving the transformative change required to attain it is the most viable pathway to rebuild our democracy, meet all American’s needs and protect our rights & freedoms.
