A 'simple' gesture: Congressman reflects on photo that went viral in wake of Capitol riot

For Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., the Jan. 6 Capitol riot continues to be a difficult topic to broach with his two young Asian American children. He’s struggled to find the right words.

“When I saw my kids for the first time after Jan. 6, my oldest came up to me and hugged me and asked me if I’m doing OK. They know something happened, but I haven’t really talked to them about it,” Kim said. “That’s sort of the question now: How does Jan. 6 fall into the broader story of this country? How are we going to talk about it?”

A photo of Kim cleaning up the Capitol rotunda on his own following the riot went viral. The internet hailed the act as a moment of hope after hours of chaos.