INAUGURATION RECAP: JOE BIDEN SWORN IN AS 46TH U.S. PRESIDENT
History was made as President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris took the oath to uphold the Constitution and lead the country. Biden officially became the 46th President of the United States at the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, January 20th 2021.
Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, became the first Black person, first woman, and first Asian American to serve as vice president. She was sworn in by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court’s first Latina member.
“To overcome these challenges to restore the soul and secure the future of America requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy: unity,” Biden said in his inauguration speech. “We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this – if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.”
Amanda Gorman, a 22-year old Black woman, has made United States history, becoming the youngest poet to perform at an inaugural ceremony.
Gorman took the stage after President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn into office. She presented “The Hill We Climb” — an original composition that references the Bible, “Hamilton” and the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
“We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it. Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy, and this effort very nearly succeeded. But while democracy can be periodically delayed. It can never be permanently defeated,” Gorman said.
With her strong and poignant words, @TheAmandaGorman reminds us of the power we each hold in upholding our democracy. Keep shining, Amanda! I can't wait to see what you do next. 💕 #BlackGirlMagic
Photo credit: Rob Carr pic.twitter.com/C2cf0U5iEj
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) January 20, 2021
In addition, an immaculate performance came from Latina singer Jennifer Lopez. She performed “This Land Is Your Land” and “America the Beautiful” and threw in a bit of “Let’s Get Loud.” Lopez’s appearance holds significance for communities terrorized by a president whose support base included open white supremacists and provided real cultural inclusion and recognition.
#Inauguration2021 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/A7qYlFJEhd
— jlo (@JLo) January 20, 2021
When it was all said in done, Black Twitter was in shambles over the former first lady Michelle Obama. She showed up alongside the one and only, her husband, Barack, to support her friends President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as they were sworn into office. It’s safe to say that she came to slay. Check out the tweets below.
Michelle Obama’s hair is really laid like a bridge over troubled waters. #InaugurationDay pic.twitter.com/rgAFiSO4Bq
— The Root (@TheRoot) January 20, 2021
Someone else praised her fashion sense altogether. “Man listen. this drip is DIFFERENT,” they tweeted. “Michelle Obama got #womenswear in a HEADLOCK.” We couldn’t agree more. She did that effortlessly!
man listen. this drip is DIFFERENT. michelle obama got #womenswear in a HEADLOCK pic.twitter.com/UqDRJMpgxx
— Aaron West (@oeste) January 20, 2021
Biden is looking to jump-start his first 100 days in office with action and symbolism to reassure a divided nation that help is here. No one president can do it all himself, so Biden has called for Congress to act expeditiously. He made it clear that steering the nation through the pandemic will be his signature task, and it won’t be easy following Trumps’ poor decision making during his time in office.
