VOICE Leaders Speak Out at Jan. 6 Anniversary Vigil
[Excerpts]
"I am here today because I feel like our democracy — today being the anniversary of the insurrection at the Capitol — is really important for the people," said Maureen Harvey, [a leader with] Voices Organized in Civic Engagement, or VOICE. "And our representatives are acting like nothing happened. And so we need to get out here, and we need to make sure that this is nipped in the bud." . . .
Those who attended the vigil in Oklahoma City agreed that the country should revert back its founding democratic ideals.
"A year after we've been able to reflect, and what's changed? Nothing's changed," [Tim] Atkins [religious education director of member institution [First Unitarian Church] said. "You still don't have good voting rights legislation, we still don't have elected officials speaking truth at the fear of losing their own sense of power, and it's morally wrong as far as I'm concerned."
Simultaneously, others said dealing with the grief felt by those that watched the insurrection is still necessary.
"And I don't think that has been fully addressed, how many people saw this as an assault and not just against this country, not just against our seat of government and our democracy and free elections, but against their life's work," said the Rev. Diana Davies, of the First Unitarian Church in Oklahoma City.
"We can't forget what happened; we have to protect our democracy," Atkins said. "And if we let this slip into the history books, we have failed to uphold our democratic values."