The disturbing events of January 6, 2021 on Capitol Hill, which led to four deaths, are the culmination of a series of threats to American democracy and unmistakably amount to a self-coup attempt. These harmful events and some of the rhetoric and iconography that accompanied them highlight, moreover, the long-lasting effects of systemic racism and the destructive power of misinformation, fake news, and conspiracy theories. At LALS, we reaffirm our commitment to a world-class university education that through critical thinking and the empowerment of our students is at the service of democracy, inclusion, social justice, and environmental sustainability. LALS emphatically condemns yesterday’s events.

Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies