White Supremacy & The Attack on the US Capitol: A Guide for Teachers
by Erica Pernell
This FAQ-style guide will help educators develop their own understanding of the connections between white supremacy and the attack on the Capitol and prepare to facilitate lessons with their students.
Part I offers basic facts about the events of the attack on the Capitol and a potential script for addressing our youngest learners and students in middle elementary grades and older. Part II offers an analysis of the events that will help you to understand how white supremacy is connected to the events at the Capitol. Part III will help you prepare to facilitate learning with students.
Part I: The Facts
What happened at the Capitol on Wednesday, January 6, 2021?
Who attacked the Capitol and why? What is the far right?
Part II: Analysis
Why is this being called domestic terrorism?
What is false equivalence? How is the attack on the Capitol different from the Black Lives Matter protests over the summer?
What is the role of white supremacy and racism in this event?
Part III: Processing white supremacy & the Capitol attack with our students
Preparation; discussion questions; shifting students to meaningful action.
Part I: Basic Facts about the attack on the Capitol
What happened at the Capitol on Wednesday, January 6, 2021?
For middle elementary and up: On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, an armed group of people broke into the Capitol Building to stop one part of the presidential transition - a meeting called certification and confirmation - that was occurring in the US Capitol. The elected officials had to lock themselves into various spaces for safety. The certification process was paused for six hours until the area was secured. Five people died - four rioters and a Capitol police officer - and many others were injured in the process. Bombs were discovered in the Democratic and Republican National Committee Headquarters. A noose and gallows - symbols of violence and lynching against African Americans - were built by the rioters near the Capitol Reflecting Pool. After the Capitol building was cleared out by law enforcement, President-Elect Biden was confirmed in the early hours of Thursday morning.
For youngest learners: On Wednesday, January 6, 2021, a group of people with weapons attacked the Capitol to try to stop a meeting that is a part of the change from one president to the next. This meeting is called certification. The group surrounded and broke into the Capitol Building during the meeting, and lawmakers - the people who run our government who were participating in the meeting - had to lock themselves into rooms for safety. The meeting was paused for six hours until the area was secured. Some people were very hurt during the attack. After the Capitol building was cleared out by law enforcement, the meeting continued and President-Elect Joe Biden was eventually certified in the early hours of Thursday morning.
Who attacked the Capitol and why? What is the far right?
For middle elementary and up: The 2020 election has been proven to be the most secure election in American history, yet some continue to promote the belief that the election was fraudulent. The group attacking the Capitol was made up of far-right groups who do not agree with the results of the 2020 election, and are hoping to stop or slow down the change of presidents. The far-right, or extreme right, is defined as groups whose beliefs are far more radical than those of traditional conservatism. The main groups that make up the far-right are: the overlapping movements of white supremacists--those who believe the white race is superior to all other races; and anti-government extremists--those who have negative feelings towards the government and/or believe it has been taken over and is not legitimate. The white supremacist movement includes sub-movements like neo-Nazis, racist skinheads, and the alt-right, including those who wish to create a white nation-state.
The far-right, or extreme right, is defined as groups whose beliefs are far more radical than those of traditional conservatism.
For youngest learners: The group attacking the Capitol was made up of groups of people who do not agree with the election, and are hoping to stop or slow down the change of presidents. The 2020 election has been proven to be fair and true, but some people continue to spread the belief that the election was not fair. The people attacking the Capitol are part of far-right groups. Far-right groups are people who have extreme beliefs. For example, they believe that white people are better than BIPOC or they believe that the government is being controlled by groups they see as enemies. Some far-right groups believe that Christianity is better than Judaism and other religions. Many members of far-right groups believe that the best solution would be an all-white and Christian nation.
Part II: An analysis of the connection between the attack & white supremacy
Why is this being called domestic terrorism?
Domestic terrorism is defined by the FBI as “violent, criminal acts committed by individuals and/or groups to further ideological goals stemming from domestic influences, such as those of a political, religious, social, racial, or environmental nature.”
The attack on the Capitol has been labeled as domestic terrorism due to the destruction of property, the pipe bombs that were left in various locations, the threats and violence against law enforcement, and the attempt to interrupt the election and transition process for a political cause.
What is false equivalence? How is the attack on the Capitol different from the Black Lives Matter protests over the summer?
BLM protests this summer and the attack on the Capitol should not be compared as equals.
False equivalence occurs when someone incorrectly claims that two or more things are the same because they share some characteristics. False equivalence overly focuses on similarities and ignores the fact that things being compared also have notable differences between them. For example, a false equivalence is saying that cats and dogs are the same animal, since they’re both mammals and have a tail.
BLM protests this summer and the attack on the Capitol should not be compared as equals. There are too many differences between the BLM protests and what occurred at the Capitol to name them in this post, but one important difference is the purpose for gathering in the first place.
Black Lives Matter protestors are protesting the killing of and violence against Black people, and are dedicated to transformative reform with specific proposals (i.e., banning chokeholds and no-knock warrants). This group seeks more racial justice and democracy.
The far-right groups involved in the attack on the Capitol were seeking to delay or stop the rightful transition of power from one president to another. This group wants to subvert democracy and suppress votes.
What is the role of white supremacy and racism in this event?
Defining white supremacy: The racist belief that white people are superior to people of color used to justify political, economic, and social suppression of people of color and other minority groups.
Defining racism: A system in which one race maintains supremacy over another race through a set of attitudes, behaviors, social structures, & institutional power.
Details about white supremacy during the attack:
The group was almost entirely white.
Racist & antisemitic symbols were present both inside and outside the Capitol: a noose & gallows, confederate flags, white supremacist, neo-Nazi, & white nationalist phrases, signs, logos, & patches.
BIPOC Capitol employees were called racial slurs & were targeted by the group.
The documented infiltration of law enforcement, military, and government by white supremacists played a role. There was cooperation and inaction from Capitol law enforcement & support from some elected officials. Off-duty police officers and members of the military are being investigated for their roles in the attack.
There are racial disparities in how law enforcement responds to Black protests and white riots.
From Gloria Ladson-Billings: “White protests are generally regarded as the legitimate right of the participants and without threat; Black protests are perceived as dangerous and warrant extraordinary police or military presence for control; The nation has been engaged in anti-Black racism since its founding; Because the nation refuses to deal directly with racism, its manifestation wax and wane over time. But, it does not go away;”
From Eddie Glaude (link includes audio): “I ask myself the question: Who has the right to protest in this country? And what was very clear to me is that there is a sense in which some people who happen to be white are accorded the rights of citizenship and the right to dissent and others are expected to be grateful. And that was in clear view yesterday in terms of how the police responded to a mob insurrection, in effect. [..] You saw peaceful protests across the country over the summer after George Floyd's murder. And what do we see in response? We saw tear gas. We saw rubber bullets. We saw the vitriol. We saw the aggression of police in responding to that peaceful protest.... And here you have literally thousands of people rushing the people's house, walking through the Capitol. In some instances, pacing, placing pipe bombs and other things around the Capitol. A woman was shot and then they just walked out, some of them. Right? And I could hear all across the country, [...] people just in amazement. Not that they wanted the police to be violent in their response, but it gave evidence to the fact that some people are accorded the benefit of the doubt, are given certain kinds of leeway or space, and other people are not.”
Spot the Differences from Woke Kindergarten: a video comparing photos of the law enforcement response to Black Lives Matter protesters to photos of the response to the group attacking the Capitol. Pause at each slide. Remember to resist false equivalence.
Voter suppression: 87% of Black voters voted for Biden in the 2020 election. The day before the attack, a runoff election in Georgia resulted in voters electing the first Black senator and the first Jewish senator in the Georgia’s history. The actions of the rioters represent an attempt to suppress the votes and voices of Black voters.
Connecting to other instances of white rage: The events at the Capitol are best understood in relationship to other instances of white riots and white rage. This instagram post and the comments provide numerous examples of white rage and white violence. You can also reference this primer on the events in Charlottesville in 2017.
Part III: Processing white supremacy & the Capitol attack with our students
Take the time to process with yourself, your family/friends, and/or a group of colleagues before engaging with students.
Prepare to facilitate a discussion with your students. Read these guidelines for talking about race in classrooms with BIPOC students. For teachers of younger students, some of the scripts in this guidance for elementary teachers talking about the violence against Black lives in the summer of 2020 may be helpful.
Before opening a discussion, make sure students understand the facts and context shared in Part I and Part II of this post.
Ask open-ended questions like these, adapted from GenNation. Give everyone a chance to reflect, write or draw, and share. Set an order of speakers to give everyone an opportunity to speak. Allow students the right to pass.
What do we know?
How do we know it?
What else do we need to learn?
What questions do we have?
Where can we find reliable sources of information?
What do you think? How do you feel? How have you been impacted?
How can we connect the dots on this topic to our personal experiences, other things we are learning, our community, etc?
How do we take informed meaningful action for racial justice? What’s the first step?
Strategies to address each component of racism. Click to enlarge.
Take time to unpack the last question about how students can take informed action for racial justice, now and in the future. Focusing on solutions and multiracial coalitions working for justice leaves students empowered to make change.
White supremacy and racism are made of four components: beliefs, behaviors, institutions, and structures. Ongoing work on all four components is the only way to achieve racial justice.
Voter suppression is a key tool for institutional racism and white supremacy. Use this resource to find organizations working against voter suppression. Follow their lead and join the effort to make every vote count.
Learn more about white supremacy, racism, antiracism, and racial justice. Explore your own internalized racism. Use books, social media, documentaries, and other media to listen to BIPOC voices and experiences.
Use your behavior and actions to work for racial justice. Hold the people in your life accountable to racially just behavior, and interrupt racist jokes and statements. Adjust family routines, traditions, and practices towards more racial justice.
Make a list of the institutions you are connected to: schools, religious organizations, teams/leagues, communities, neighborhoods, clubs. Make a strategy to move every institution you are connected to towards more racial justice.
Become a part of multifaceted solutions that address the ways that different institutions interact with each other. Find local racial justice organizations, and listen to and amplify the voices of Black leaders.
Source Index
Part I: Basic Facts
Timeline: How One Of The Darkest Days In American History Unfolded
What happened at the Capitol ‘was domestic terrorism,’ lawmakers and experts say
Extremism, Terrorism, & Bigotry definitions
Part II: Analysis
Decoding the extremist symbols and groups at the Capitol Hill insurrection
"But what will we tell the children?" by Gloria Ladson-Billings
How Police Handled Pro-Trump Mob Compared With Protesters For Black Racial Justice
White supremacists and militias have infiltrated police across US, report says
Spot the Differences from Woke Kindergarten
Black Officers Say They Endured Racial Slurs During Violent Riots at U.S. Capitol
Overcoming Racism Instagram Post - Stop Comparing the insurrection at the Capitol to BLM
Part III: Processing white supremacy & the Capitol Attack with our students
Guidelines for talking about race in classrooms with BIPOC students
GenerationNation twitter post on questions for civic engagement