Today, Americans witnessed another key event in history, the Inauguration of the 46th president, Joe Biden and vice president, Kamala Harris.
After a year of unspeakable challenges and odds, racial and political division, thousands of deaths and a struggling economy, it’s safe the say the duo has a lot of ground to cover. The next four years will not be easy to recover from, but they’ve given many Americans an opportunity they have been craving, a fresh start.
This was only the second inauguration ceremony I watched and avidly remember. I and countless others around the globe watched history unfold, in more ways than one.
In Donald Trump’s presidency, one can argue that he made history; entering the White House with no political experience, creating a new subculture within his following and being the only president to be impeached twice. Today he added another aspect to that list, being the first president in almost 150 years to not attend the inauguration of his successor. The justification behind this tends to differ, some calling it unprofessional and petty, others claiming he needs time to focus on his impending trial. Whatever his reason, it’s definitely a very odd ending to an odd last four years.
Vice President Kamala Harris also made headlines being the first Black and Asian woman to fulfill the role. This is a huge change that opens doors to many new possibilities in the future.
Though this is a large step in the right direction, we must also call into mind that this is not the end. It is only the beginning. We cannot forget about the enormous political divide that has worsened in the past four years and the countless movements that led us to this event.
No matter whether your candidate won or not, or whether you support our new leadership, we must never forget that our leaders are meant to serve us. We need to hold our government responsible, criticize them for their mistakes and encourage them to do better. Idolizing politicians gets you nowhere, as we have seen in the past few months. We must view our leaders not as gods, but as public servants who have pledged to make their country a better place.
In Senator Amy Klobuchar’s speech, she calls to action not only our government leaders but the American people as well.
“We pledge today never to take our democracy for granted. As we celebrate its remarkable strength, we celebrate its resilience, its grit. We celebrate the ordinary people doing extraordinary things for our nation, the doctors and nurses on the frontline of this pandemic, the officers in the Capitol, a new generation never giving up hope for justice. We celebrate a new president, Joe Biden, who vows to restore the soul of America and cross the river of our divides to a higher plane,” Klobuchar said.
I hope that the next four years will be a time of growth and healing for our country. I hope that we will be able to work towards a better environment, for people of all backgrounds and social statuses. Don’t stop voting, don’t stop calling for change, and don’t stop petitioning for things that matter. Our Democracy constantly swings in the balance, don’t give up just yet.
Dani Moore can be reached at [email protected].