Statement Condemning Violence at the Capitol
On January 6, 2021 at the United States Capitol we witnessed inexcusable acts of violence and criminal behavior as a predominantly white mob 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 last night 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.
As a nation we face incredible obstacles as we continue to fight the coronavirus pandemic, rebuild our economy, get our children back to school, and people back to work. The Council on Foundations stands ready on behalf of our members to work with Congress and the Biden/Harris administration to address these and other challenges. But first, as a country we must act on the will of the people and do as we have always done by conducting an orderly and peaceful transition of power.
To those of you concerned about our DC-based staff, we remain safe and are doing our best to support each other as we process the events that have unfolded over the past 24 hours.
In peace,
Kathleen P. Enright
President & CEO
This statement was edited from the original on January 12, 2021. Since we released the statement, further knowledge and expertise has been shared on how the use of "domestic terrorists" can be harmful to communities of color and on how it's important to "describe the acts, not the people". To that end we changed "domestic terrorists" to "a predominantly white mob."
