By: Lydia Wilcox (Reporter, ‘21)
On January 20, 2021, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in as the 46th president and the 49th vice president of the United States respectfully. This inauguration was historic, as Kamala Harris is the first woman, the first Asian American, and the first Black American elected as the vice president of the United States. The number of guests present at the inauguration was kept small, but among those who attended were former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. Notably, Donald Trump chose not to attend Joe Biden’s inauguration, making him the first president since Andrew Jackson not to attend the inauguration of his successor.
There were several musical performances at the inauguration, including Lady Gaga’s rendition of the national anthem, as well as performances by Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks. Amanda Gorman, who made history by becoming the youngest person ever to deliver a poem at a US presidential inauguration, recited her powerful poem, entitled “The Hill We Climb.” Inauguration day ended with a fireworks display over Washington, D.C.
One of the aspects of the inauguration day that stood out the most to FCS senior, Sammy Darling, was the grand fireworks display. Sammy felt, “although it is important to celebrate our country, there are a lot more pressing issues that the money [spent on the display] could have gone towards.”
Dior Rodgers, also a senior at FCS, reflected on inauguration day: “I think this year the inauguration felt like a sigh of relief… We’re not completely safe yet, but we’re doing better at least… There’s still a lot of work to be done along the way, but we’ve taken the first step towards moving forward. I also think that the inauguration represented a kind of win for a lot of marginalized groups… A lot of voices from underrepresented groups can now be heard and held in the light. [Having] Kamala Harris as vice president is an enormous victory for women, especially women of color!”
Good luck to President Biden and Vice President Harris as they take on their new roles as the leaders of the United States!
Comments