By Catherine Orr ‘22, Commentary Editor

The events that occurred on January 6th at the Capitol left people all across America feeling shaken, questioning the foundations of our institutions and the bounds by which our First Amendment rights should be held. As a result, young and old people alike were left wondering how to process the events that were responded to so differently by police and the president than the recent BLM protests. But where were they to express these thoughts? Many people turned to social media. All across various social media platforms people raised their voices, whether it was through informative Instagram story posts or TikTok videos expressing their own take on the matter. 

Newark Academy students, however, did not only raise our voices on social media. NA students took the initiative, with the help of faculty members, to come together and respectfully share and listen to each other’s opinions, concerns, beliefs, and advice. On Friday, January 8th, Young Democrats, Young Republicans, and the Black Students Union hosted a meeting to give students and teachers the chance to speak and listen to each other. Even through a virtual platform, they  were able to lead us in a respectful, organized discussion. The meeting began with a presentation by students leading the meeting, explaining discussion norms, mainly to suspend judgement and remain respectful. They then defined many key terms, such as terrorism, insurrection, white supremacy, coup d’etat, and the 25th amendment. They also showed pictures of the riots, contrasting them with photos of the BLM protests. Soon after we were placed into breakout rooms, where we discussed our reactions and were guided by discussion questions. 

In my breakout room, we first discussed our initial reactions, with many people expressing feelings of shock, anger, and confusion at the rioters’ actions and the lack of police response. We then discussed the disparity of police and government responses towards BLM protests and the Capitol riots. I was provided with many points I had not considered before. The discussion of power dynamics within social and political spheres as a catalyst for the riots, for example, opened up a new perspective to me on how Trump supporters’ feelings of losing their past four years of privilege and Trump’s encouraging messages acted together. Whether it be through “Trumpism” in the executive branch, or from primarily white protestors refusing to accept the loss of their president, the idea of power dynamics and the loss of them as a catalyst for the riots became much more apparent to me after the discussion. Our conversation also analyzed the root of the problem, and considered what lawmakers as well as ourselves can do to move forward. I was joined in the breakout room not only by my peers, but by teachers who came to learn alongside the students. 

Kaya Rajparia ‘22, a leading member of the Young Democrats Club, felt it was “so important to get people’s voices out, and to learn from what others are saying. As a member of Young Democrats, it’s important for me to not only support my peers, but to broaden my perspective and listen to the reactions of others after such a violent, hateful event.” Victoria Carlson ‘22, another host of the discussion and a co-president of Young Republicans Club, explained, “I wanted to take this position in the first place to show my support for my peers, but also to come together to show bipartisanship. There are misconceptions surrounding Republicans, and while many people were upset with the outcome of the election, the actions on Wednesday were violent and not in line with my beliefs.” 

In a time when the power dynamics in our country make systematic change so hard, it was important to not continue a power dynamic between teachers, students, or peers within our own discussions, but to hold open, civil discourse on how to process the events and move forward. Teachers didn’t speak to us, but with us. After such a hateful event, the last thing students wanted was to be lectured on how or what to feel, so the opportunity to come together as a community, regardless of personal and political beliefs, and openly discuss thoughts and feelings was important. A safe space for students and teachers to process, engage, and support one another is essential to making sense of what happened, and supporting one another. The violent behaviour by the mob at the Capitol is everything our democracy stands against, but holding conversation to listen and bring about positive change is essential to prevent further violence from spreading.