Color for expansion of paper on Swedes in Roger Williams’ garden?
Money quote: “It’s so hard because we don’t look at each other and see each other as Americans first, whether it’s race or ethnicity or religion or political party that’s getting in the way of us being able to have that shared identity that forged our country and is necessary for us to be able to continue.”
Associated Press, “After horrifying day, lone congressman quietly picks up garbage in the Capitol Rotunda,” Today, Jan. 8, 2021 https://www.today.com/news/new-jersey-rep-andy-kim-helps-clean-capitol-after-rioting-t205331.
U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., second-term member of Congress, cleaned up trash left by mob in the Capitol rotunda after Jan. 6 riot when Trump supporters stormed the building. Shortly after voting to certify the Nov. 3 election after midnight on Jan.7 he saw police cleaning up debris, asked for a trash bag and started helping.
… he noticed police officers putting pizza boxes in trash bags, so he asked for one, too, and began cleaning up.
“When you see something you love that’s broken you want to fix it. I love the Capitol. I‘m honored to be there,” he said. “This building is extraordinary and the rotunda in particular is just awe-inspiring. How many countless generations have been inspired in that room?
“It really broke my heart and I just felt compelled to do something. … What else could I do?”
Excerpt (conclusion and kicker) from AP story:
A University of Chicago graduate and Rhodes Scholar, Kim served from 2013 until 2015 as the Iraq director for the Obama administration’s National Security Council.
Before that, he was the Iraq director at the Pentagon within the defense secretary’s office. He also previously served as a civilian adviser to generals David Petraeus and John Allen in Afghanistan.
The son of Korean immigrant parents, he became the first Asian American to represent New Jersey in Congress after he was elected in 2018.
On Thursday, he reflected on how he, a person of color, was cleaning up after people who waved white supremacist symbols like the Confederate flag during the melee. He said he hadn’t considered race at the time.
But he thought for a moment and added: “It’s so hard because we don’t look at each other and see each other as Americans first, whether it’s race or ethnicity or religion or political party that’s getting in the way of us being able to have that shared identity that forged our country and is necessary for us to be able to continue.”
Ordinary Time 