Senate Staff, Aides and Custodians, NJ Congressman Andy Kim, Jose Andres

“Something good comes out of every crisis.” 

Dave Pelzer

This is not a political post. But we had an unprecedented event happen in our nation’s capital this week and while the focus has been on all the main players (Congressmen, the President etc.) I felt it was important to acknowledge the other people affected by this event and how they rose to the occasion.

Let’s start with the Senate staffers and aides. First, they were responsible for delivering the ballot boxes to the senate floor before the certification process began. When the chaos broke out, they made sure to secure each box and move them to a safe location and returned them to complete the process. Then they had to stay until the process was complete. They are not paid nearly enough to endure the danger they were faced with or the aftermath, but they nonetheless did their jobs and did them well.

The Senate custodians also deserve a lot of credit for having to pick-up after a mob tried to destroy the capital building. The fact that many of the custodians were Black and picking up after an insurrection of white supremacists was not lost on most. Again, they did their jobs and did them well.

Along with the custodians, I would like to acknowledge NJ Congressman Andy Kim. When he was finally allowed to return to the Capital, he was so upset by the condition of the Capital’s Rotunda that he spent an hour and a half cleaning up. After he finished the Rotunda, he moved on to adjacent rooms. He wasn’t asked to help, he just did. That is the mark of a good person.

Lastly, Jose Andres, who has fed survivors and first responders during natural disasters, as well as pandemic heroes, also found ways to feed the national guard and law enforcement in Washington after the riots on Wednesday and into Thursday morning because he knew they would have limited food options while enforcing curfew.

Let’s raise a glass in their honor for they are heroes/heroines in their own right.