I could not write about what happened on Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol any sooner. As I have watched the images on TV the past few days and tried to process it all I wondered what I could say that would make any difference. What would a tweet, a retweet, or a like matter on social media?

I have written posts on significant events and political issues in the past – the 2016 election, Black Lives Matter movement, racial disparities in healthcare, separating families at the border, gun control, gay marriage and more. I try to come at it from a health IT perspective, somehow. I’m not sure how to do that with this one so I won’t even try.

As a leader in my profession and industry, and as someone with a social platform, I decided that I can’t be silent. What I have seen this week only strengthens my commitment to continue to lead by example and help develop the next generation of leaders who are competent, decent, caring, fair and serve with integrity. And to ensure our children know that what they saw on Wednesday was very wrong.

I had tears when I realized how bad the assault on the Capitol could have been. Contrast that to my tears of joy when the first black man was inaugurated 12 years ago on the steps of the Capitol. I remember watching President Obama’s inauguration with my colleagues at Brigham and Women’s Hospital where a large screen had been set up in one of the largest meeting rooms for employees who wanted to watch. From housekeeping staff, to nurses, to VPs – we were there, watching, and filled with hope.

I had tears of sadness in 2016 when Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump, but I accepted it. I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. But the divisiveness that has been perpetuated these past four years has hurt our country for years to come. I feared his re-election in 2020 and had tears of joy again on December 7 when it was clear that President Elect Joe Biden had not only won the popular vote but also the electoral college.

What happened on January 6 had been building for four years and more intensely for the last two months. We have heard lie after lie from the President about a stolen election. He believed he won and he got many of his supporters to believe it. I listened to the tape last weekend of the President trying to get the Georgia Secretary of State to find him 11,780 votes. My takeaway was if you want to teach someone how to be a bully just have them listen to that tape.

I have been to my share of protests, marches, and rallies over the years. The last one I attended (yes, wearing a mask) was on June 4 at our Rhode Island state capitol. It was organized by students and young people. The armed police presence surrounding the capitol was significant. People were angry about the murder of George Floyd, but it was peaceful like so many around the country were. The images of armed national guard on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial this summer in advance of a Black Lives Matter protest were a stark contrast to the law enforcement present at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday before a rioting mob overran it. As many have said this week, white privilege was on full display as a group of largely white men stormed the building with no significant police presence prepared or ready to hold them back.

In the coming days and weeks, we will learn more about the magnitude of what was planned by these domestic terrorists and what actually happened. What the breakdown was in preparedness and law enforcement. How the assault was encouraged and incited and who all is complicit. And there will be more arrests and charges.

And we will count the days until January 20 when there will be a transition of power. We have much rebuilding and healing to do in this country.

The pandemic stories were overshadowed this week, but it rages on. On the day of this insurrection, over 4100 Americans died from COVID-19. It was the deadliest day yet of the pandemic, until the next day when more than 4200 people died. The record number of new daily cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue. Had this administration spent more time in the past two months dealing with the pandemic and not trying to overturn the election results, maybe, just maybe more people would be alive today.

Hard as it is at times, I remain encouraged and optimistic about the future. I will do my part to ensure civil discourse in all my interactions, I will stand up for my values and what I believe is right. I will respect the views of others. I hope you will do the same. Our democracy may seem fragile right now, but it will prevail.