Memories Fade, Photographs Don’t

When I turned on the TV to watch the certification of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, I did not anticipate seeing images of Americans storming the Capital to gain unlawful entrance. What should have been a day to celebrate the peaceful transition of power had plummeted into chaos.

Immediately, I pulled out my iPhone and began to capture images of the TV screen. The pictures tell a grim story. And it is history that I will not allow myself to forget.

I was alive during the Vietnam conflict. It was a traumatic event in American history that seemed to last forever. I was young then. The memories of anguish have faded with time.

For this sad event on January 6, 2021 I have pictures to document what happened. Images that have traveled from the iPhone to my iCloud account where they will be forever stored and can be retrieved at any moment that I’m tempted to lie to myself about what really happened.

Americans tried to intervene and disrupt a constitutional process that is the very essence of our country. The goal was to disenfranchise other Americans and their votes because those people embrace opposing views.

I never want to forget how that feels. I do not want that memory to fade. And I have pictures to remind me each and every day going forward how fragile our democracy is, and how important it is to protect it.