One Year After Jan. 6 Attack, Chapel Hill Democracy Activists Plan Candlelight Vigil, Speakers

CHAPEL HILL, NC – January 6, 2022, marks one year since renegade elected officials incited armed right-wing militants to attack the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to undo our presidential election. One year later, we have still not seen those behind this outrageous act held to account nor sufficient action to protect our democracy from even worse attacks in 2022 and 2024. On the contrary, we are seeing continued efforts to restrict our freedom to vote, attack fair voting districts, and lay the groundwork for future attempts to sabotage free and fair elections in North Carolina. 

Investigations have found that North Carolinians played a prominent role in the unacceptable Jan. 6 violence and that they and their allies continue to threaten our democracy by adopting extreme gerrymanders, threatening the independence of our boards of election, and erecting barriers to citizen participation in elections. On Jan. 6, Orange County voters will stand up to demand the adoption of federal legislation to address these threats in time to protect the 2022 election and to prevent a recurrence of such heinous and anti-democratic attacks. 

On Jan. 6, join Americans standing together across race, party, and background to hold candlelight vigils across America, sending a message that here, in America, voters not politicians decide elections. Demands will be made for concrete action to prevent this kind of attack from happening again, calling on our elected leaders to pass urgent legislation including the Freedom to Vote Act, the Protecting Our Democracy Act, the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, and DC Statehood. The event in Chapel Hill is one of more than 220 events that will take place across the country, including a lead event at the U.S. Capitol and more than a dozen events here in North Carolina. 

The Candlelight Vigil will take place 5:30 – 6:00 pm along Franklin and Columbia Streets in downtown Chapel Hill and the speaker program will be held at University United Methodist at 150 E. Franklin Street. Local residents will line Chapel Hill’s historic crossroads holding candles, signs, and banners to show their support for democracy and will then gather on the lawn at University United Methodist to hear presentations by Rep. Verla Insko and local democracy activists.