Today is the anniversary of one of the darkest moments in our democracy’s history.

One year ago thousands of people heeded President Trump’s call to come to Washington to protest the election results. After a rally at which Trump addressed them and told them to march to the Capitol where Congress was voting to confirm the presidential election results, they did, and many stormed the Capitol. They broke in, fought with Capitol police and forced members of Congress to stop their proceedings and take shelter. They roamed the halls of the Capitol, ransacked offices, chanting for Nancy Pelosi to come out.

It was hours before order could be restored. Congress went back to work and made the election of Joe Biden official.

Today that dark day continues to overshadow us. The action horrified even Republican members of Congress, like former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who condemned it in the strongest terms immediately afterward, before adopting a more conciliatory tone.

Most will agree that a violent rampage has no place in halls of the U.S. government, but a divided America can’t even agree on whether it was an attack on democracy, or a defense of democracy. Were these rioters storming the Capitol, or patriots defending the sanctity of the vote?

Today, polls show many people worry that this kind of insurrection could happen again. That’s why it is important that those who were involved in criminal action be identified and prosecuted. Even more important, those who were involved in planning and promoting this should be identified and held accountable.

That is why the work of the House committee investigating Jan. 6, 2021, is so important. We all know what happened, but we need to know how and why it happened. The basis for the protest — the discredited claims by Donald Trump that he was robbed of victory, is still a hot issue for Trump supporters.

Republicans are dismissing the committee as a Democratic kangaroo court, but they are the ones who voted against a bi-partisan commission, who refused to participate, and who ostracized those few of their own party who dared be part of the investigation.

We commemorate the other occasions when our country was attacked, and hold solemn ceremonies for Pearl Harbor Day and 9/11. Jan. 6, 2021 should be added to that list.