New York Folklore condemns the post-election mob and white supremacist attack on the U.S. Capitol that took place on January 6, 2021. Like many, we are outraged and saddened by the assault. While the events of January 6 have been presented by some as legitimate political speech and action, they were preceded and followed by a torrent of overt calls to violence, and an indefensible display of antisemitic and racist symbols of hate in the heart of our nation.

Tolerance of racist symbols, the use of violence to effect political change, and the normalization of violent rhetoric undermines the cultural understanding and civil discourse to which New York Folklore is wholeheartedly committed.

The United States has a checkered history that has encouraged, pursued, and enforced the systemic exclusion and marginalization of many of its own communities. Anti-black, anti-immigrant, and anti-Indigenous ideologies have been normalized as part of our country’s narrative, and violence has been perpetuated against multiple populations of indigenous, Black, Latino, Asian, and immigrant peoples throughout American history, including the Rock Springs Massacre (1885), the Tulsa Race Massacre (1921), the Charleston Church shooting (2015), and more.

Since 1944, New York Folklore has been dedicated to the proposition that there is value in the cultural expression of all communities in our state and has worked diligently to celebrate and understand that expression as a representation of hope, dreams, and values. As an organization, we recognize the intersection and confluence of systemic ethnic, social, economic, and other inequities in our communities, as we continue our efforts towards promoting equity and the furtherance of cultural understanding and respect.