Recorded on 7/20/21, Steve Adubato is joined by U.S. Congressman Andy Kim (D) – NJ, 3rd Congressional District, to reflect on his personal experience during the January 6th U.S. Capitol riots, the future of our democracy, and the long-term impact of disinformation on the nation. They also talk about how the pandemic exacerbated discrimination and racism towards the Asian community and the issues with food insecurity in New Jersey.

U.S. Congressman Andy Kim (D) – NJ, 3rd Congressional District, the first Asian American lawmaker to represent New Jersey in Congress, said in regards to the Capitol riots on January 6th, “I just never imagined in my wildest dreams that we would have anything remotely like that in the United States capitol…it’s something that we should never forget and its something that we should all dedicate ourselves to never allowing [to] happen again, that should be something that people across the political system should be able to agree upon.” Kim helped clean up the Rotunda floor after the riots, and his blue suit and other artifacts from that day are now held in the Smithsonian National Museum of History. He adds, “They asked for the suit because I was a witness to a tragic day, that suit tells a particular story. It is one of many things and objects and people that tell that story…it’s part of the story about not just what happened that day, and the fact that this beautiful building, this temple of our democracy was defiled and desecrated that day, but it’s also about what comes next.”

Kim discusses the polarization in our country and that there is a way to anchor ourselves in service and patriotism. He adds, “We have a level of disinformation in our country that is eroding us from the inside, its hollowing us out. If we cannot at least agree upon a shared truth, what chance do we have to be able to heal? What chance do we have to be able to move forward?”