Prof. Kassner Contrasts BLM and Capitol Rioters in Sun Op-Ed
January 13, 2021
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Writing in The Baltimore Sun, Joshua J. Kassner, associate professor in The University of Baltimore's Division of Legal, Ethical and Historical Studies and director of the B.A. in Philosophy, Law, and Ethics program, compares the Black Lives Matter movement to the actions of those who stormed the Capitol in an attempt to overturn last November's presidential election.
"BLM demands that America lives up to its aspirations," Kassner writes in the op-ed.
"One need not agree with their interpretation of these values or the impact that they claim these values ought to have (though I do) to recognize that the BLM project is one that seeks to perfect the American project by demanding that our shared values are made manifest for all."
Conversely, "The same cannot be said for those who stormed the Capitol building on Jan. 6. In fact, despite their rhetorical appeals to 1776 and their ostensive belief in the patriotic nature of their actions, the fact that the flags they flew were dominated by Trump campaign flags and included Confederate flags and banners of white supremacist gangs should be indication enough of where their loyalties lie," Prof. Kassner writes. "If we think of what their actions tell us, they violently stormed and looted our nation's capital, seeking to overturn an election through forceful and unlawful means. In an effort to deny the will of the American people, they were implicitly denying the political equality of their fellow citizens, and they were undermining our political freedom, not defending it."
Read the op-ed.
Learn more about Prof. Kassner and the Division of Legal, Ethical and Historical Studies at The University of Baltimore.