By Alma Adams We tried to warn you. As I reflect on the events of the past two weeks, I keep coming back to that thought. People of conscience saw it coming; how Donald Trump's incivility would lead to civil unrest. Black women, by and large, have always known what this president was. Anti-democracy activists easily breached the security of our Capitol on Jan. 6. They desecrated the Holy of Holies in the temple of our republic when they stormed the Senate chamber. They disrupted one of our most sacred rituals: counting the people's votes for president. Most important, people died because of their actions. We shouldn't look away from one of the many reasons this mob was so successful: white privilege. Countless Americans have been seduced by outlandish, impossible conservative conspiracy cults because they reinforce our country's historical racial hierarchy. Cult is not too strong a word, since all the elements are there: an infallible paramount leader, a complicated collection of outlandish beliefs, and, as we saw at the Capitol, the willingness to take any action in the service of those beliefs. Rioters were armored by whitenessMeanwhile, the mainstream conversation about Donald Trump's unfitness for office has never taken seriously his autocratic tendencies, nor the warnings from survivors of dictatorships, people of color, and the voices of Black people who have seen this before. The mob was able to act on their conspiracy theories because of the armor of their whiteness, which emboldened them to attempt a coup. A failed, pathetic coup, but a coup nonetheless. It doesn't take much to imagine what would have happened had Black protesters stormed the Capitol, or if a Black president had incited a riot. Similarly, the fact that Donald Trump was president to the end, instead of in prison, is white privilege on an eschatological scale. It is almost cliché to say this is a critical moment for our country. We have two choices: demonstrate a sincere commitment to pluralistic democracy, or continue to tolerate state and federal leaders and policies that hold back Black people and progress, and have done so for over two centuries. Impeaching Donald Trump, convicting him in the Senate, removing his ability to stand for office again, successfully prosecuting him and his co-conspirators in court, and holding to account our House and Senate colleagues who enabled this madness: All of these are steps we must take to demonstrate our commitment to democracy and equal justice under the law. Some of our congressional colleagues who voted to challenge the Electoral College victory of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have pushed back, saying that impeachment raises the temperature of the situation and will not unify our country. I disagree. A doctor must set the pieces of a broken bone before it heals; they must remove the tumor and eliminate the cancer before the body can convalesce. People who would so boldly try to overturn democracy, including Mr. Trump, have no place in our body politic. Higher values than unity at stakeFurthermore, there are more important values than unity at stake here, among them is justice. Unity is a common refrain for those who want to avoid uncomfortable conversations, who, as Dr. King said, prefer "a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice." Justice also requires us to prevent this from happening again. What message does it send to fledgling democracies across the world, much less the people we represent, if we create the precedent that a lame duck president can attempt any crime without fear of punishment? What happens when a more competent autocrat bullies election officials, files baseless lawsuits, and attempts a coup from the White House? Other than maintaining white supremacy, what purpose does it serve to embolden would-be dictators and domestic terrorists? None. We must protect our union by being guardians of democracy, not appeasers of autocracy. There is no moral choice but to hold Donald Trump accountable for his actions, and that is why I voted to impeach him a second time.

By Alma Adams There are philosophical debates in communities of color that elected officials like to avoid. For example: "Are reparations necessary?" "Is racism built into our government by design?" "Should police departments be replaced or completely rebuilt?" We avoid these debates because the moral or just answer is often not the politically achievable one. So we wait. We justify the long march of justice through language like Theodore Parker's: "the arc [of the moral universe] is a long one ... But from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice." There is truth to that sentiment. We ended slavery. We defeated Jim Crow. Black men and women are billionaires, senators, and cabinet secretaries. And yet, after 400 years of bending the arc, Black people are still being lynched in broad daylight. George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery were murdered on camera as bystanders watched. Breonna Taylor was a first responder, but that didn't matter when Louisville police broke into her house and killed her. We know what these acts of violence are: they're lynchings. They're murders. We have eyes and we have ears. Debating the minutia of these homicides cheapens Black lives and Black judgment. So instead, let's speak truth. Even today, there are people who are still so disadvantaged by Jim Crow, redlining, discrimination, and the generational thievery of slavery that reparations are a moral answer. Yes, many of our institutions, from the Electoral College to the Constitution, contain racist features designed to reduce the political power of people of color. Even the federal response to COVID-19 unnecessarily cost lives in communities of color. And yes, we have to consider the possibility that some law enforcement agencies can't be fixed. ICE is one such agency, and if someone like Officer Derek Chauvin isn't fired and charged until his second use of lethal force, his fourth officer-involved shooting, and 19th complaint, then maybe the Minneapolis Police Department is too far gone as well. If these truths make you uncomfortable, lean into that discomfort. We need a sincere national conversation about rebuilding criminal justice and policing from the ground up. If you sense that the status quo is untenable, we need you to be part of that conversation. Your elected officials must act on these truths as well. Toni Morrison once instructed us that, "as you enter positions of trust and power, dream a little before you think." So let's imagine a community that doesn't trade black lives for the illusion of security. Ignore the voice of white supremacy and dream of the "Beloved community." Envision what government looks like when its guiding principle is to create a community that best approaches justice. Congress must act immediately on creating a national database of officer citations and decertifications and demilitarizing police. Local and state governments must prioritize establishing a duty for officers to intervene when they witness an excessive use of force and giving the public a larger voice in the oversight of law enforcement agencies. Finally, Charlotte leaders shouldn't hesitate: they should ban the use of chemical agents by CMPD immediately. As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "social justice and progress are the absolute guarantors of riot prevention." The people protesting in the streets are tired of waiting for a dream deferred, and so am I. Black lives can't afford to wait until the next election.