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Wednesday, January 27 , 2021 — 3
President
Joe
Biden
was sworn in as the 46th
president of the United States
Wednesday afternoon, taking
office at a moment of deep-
rooted political polarization
in America following the Jan.
6 insurrection at the Capitol
Building.
“This is democracy’s day,”
Biden said in his inaugural
address, reflecting upon what
he called the “cascading crises”
of the past year — including the
COVID-19 pandemic, economic
crash and racial inequity, along
with
the
insurrection
that
led to then-President Donald
Trump’s second impeachment
on Jan. 13.
Prior to the ceremony, Biden
tweeted “It’s a new day in
America.”
The tweet came minutes
after Trump left the White
House for the last time as
president.
Trump
did
not
attend
the
inauguration,
though former Vice President
Mike
Pence
did.
The
last
president to intentionally skip
a successor’s inauguration was
Andrew Johnson in 1869 due to
animosity between him and his
successor, Ulysses Grant, after
being on opposing sides during
the Civil War.
In his inaugural address,
Biden thanked his supporters
and
acknowledged
his
commitment to all Americans,
including those who did not
support him. Biden emphasized
the democratic right to dissent
peacefully while maintaining a
union.
“I will fight as hard for those
who did not support me as
those who did,” Biden said. “We
must end this uncivil war that
pits red against blue … We have
never failed in America when
we have acted together.”
LSA junior Ryan Fisher, chair
of the University of Michigan’s
chapter of College Republicans,
reiterated Biden’s call for unity
in an email to The Michigan
Daily.
“We wish for a peaceful
transition
to
the
Biden
Administration,
one
that
hopefully will be characterized
by
the
unity
and
cultural
healing that Biden spoke of so
frequently,” Fisher said.
During his speech, Biden
also
denounced
extremism,
white supremacy and domestic
terrorism, saying the country
will
confront
these
issues
during his tenure.
“We must reject the culture
in
which
facts
themselves
are
manipulated
and
even
manufactured,” Biden said.
LSA
sophomore
Kenny
Larson, a director of research
and
operations
for
the
University
of
Michigan’s
chapter of Students for Biden,
said watching the inauguration
was
a
surreal
moment,
particularly as Biden took his
oath.
“I think really the most
impactful moment was just
hearing him sit down and say
the words of oath,” Larson
said. “It was really impactful
for me not only as a citizen and
a voter, but as an American
and Joe Biden supporter, to
hear someone that I genuinely
believe
will
actually
live
up to the presidential and
constitutional oath that he’s
taking.”
Biden closed the speech with
a silent prayer for the over
400,000 American lives lost to
COVID-19 and with an oath to
the country.
“I give my word that I
will always level with you,”
Biden said. “I will defend
the constitution, I’ll defend
our
democracy,
I’ll
defend
America.”
This transition of power
came after Kamala Harris was
sworn in as vice president,
making history as the first
female, Black and South Asian
American vice president in
American history.
Michigan
Gov.
Gretchen
Whitmer, who was appointed
co-chair of the Presidential
Inaugural Committee, attended
the inauguration.
“The country is ready for a
leader who listens to medical
experts to lead our country’s
COVID-19 response and works
on
behalf
of
hard-working
Americans,”
Whitmer
said
in a Tuesday press release.
“I am honored to attend the
inauguration … and ready to
begin working closely with
each of them to fight this virus,
save lives, and put the country
back on track.”
Prior to the inauguration,
LSA
sophomore
Julia
Schettenhelm, a representative
from the University’s chapter
of College Democrats, said she
was proud of the new leadership
but said there is more work to
be done.
“We are looking forward
to the next four years under
the leadership of President
Joe Biden and Vice President
Kamala Harris,” Schettenhelm
said. “While today is a day to
celebrate, we also acknowledge
that there is a lot of work
that needs to be done going
forward.”
Following
the
ceremony,
Biden
signed
17
executive
orders, more than any other
modern president on his first
day. These sweeping executive
orders
seek
to
unwind
policies
issued
by
Trump
administration,
including
halting construction of the wall
along the Mexican-American
border, reversing travel bans
that target Muslim-majority
countries and imposing a mask
mandate on federal property.
Biden
also
announced
the
U.S.
would
be
rejoining
international agreements like
the Paris Climate Agreement
and realigning with the World
Health Organization.
Larson said he felt Biden’s
plan for the first day set a
promising precedent for the
months to come.
“I think that Joe Biden’s
gonna have a very bold plan and
that that agenda will hopefully
hit the ground running in the
first 100 days,” Larson said.
Kamala
Harris,
former
Senator from California, was
sworn in as the 49th vice
president of the United States
Wednesday afternoon, breaking
barriers as the first woman, the
first Black American and the first
South Asian American to serve
in the position. The swearing-in
ceremony was conducted by U.S.
Supreme Court Justice Sonia
Sotomayor, the first Hispanic
and Latina woman to serve on
the Supreme Court.
Two bibles were used for the
ceremony, at Harris’s request.
The first belonged to Regina
Shelton, a family friend Harris
viewed as a second mother, and
the second belonged to the late
Justice
Thurgood
Marshall,
the first Black member of the
Supreme Court.
LSA junior Jasmine Williams,
a member of the University of
Michigan’s chapter of Alpha
Kappa Alpha — a Black sorority
of which Harris was a member
at Howard University— said she
is doubly inspired by Harris’s
milestone. Williams is also a
member of the executive board
of the Black Student Union,
which helped make food boxes
for those voting on campus back
in November.
“Yes, we have had our first
African
American
president,
but to see a Black woman be the
second most powerful person
in
the
world,
most
people
would say, it is almost surreal
sometimes,”
Williams
said.
“That representation and just
(thinking) you could be there
one day if you work hard and set
those goals (is possible), because
you now have that example of
someone who is there.”
Public Health junior Subarna
Bhattacharya, a member of the
Indian dance group Michigan
Sahana, said this year’s election
stuck with her and her family
because they could relate to
Harris.
“I
definitely
saw
more
engagement from my parents
because
there
was
someone
similar to our identity on the
ticket, so it was exciting to see
my mom talk about what she read
on the news,” Bhattacharya said.
Bhattacharya
said
even
though she disagreed with some
choices Harris made as senator,
she believes her appointment
sets an important precedent and
gives her hope for more women
of color holding office in the
future.
“Even though I may not
agree with a lot of the things
Kamala Harris has done in her
past political career, I do think
that it is still a step forward
(for Indian Americans) to see
someone whose parents had
similar immigrant experiences
as ours and who was able to
reach a platform this high,”
Bhattacharya said. “I think she
definitely has created a very
strong name for herself and
hearing her say ‘I may be the first
but I won’t be the last’ is very
momentous for me, because in
the future when I have children
and they mention Kamala Harris,
by that time hopefully it will be
a normal thing to see women of
color in office.”
Bhattacharya’s
hope
that
more women of color will enter
political
office
was
echoed
in
remarks
made
by
Sen.
Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., at
Wednesday’s inauguration. In
her speech, Klobuchar noted the
significance of Harris’s role as
the nation’s second in command.
“When she takes the oath
of office, little girls and boys
across the world will know that
anything
and
everything
is
possible,” Klobuchar said.
Michigan
Gov.
Gretchen
Whitmer
attended
the
inauguration
with
her
two
daughters. In an interview after
the event, she said despite the
restrictions placed on the event
by the COVID-19 pandemic and
recent security concerns, she
“will never forget” seeing Harris
sworn-in.
“To
see
(Vice
President)
Harris take her oath of office
and to be sitting with my two
daughters as that happened is a
moment that I will never forget,”
Whitmer said.
Williams
said
she
hopes
the Biden administration will
put more fuel into funding
and
supporting
historically
Black colleges and universities,
something Biden has previously
promised to do.
“It would be really awesome
to see more of an initiative to
fund HBCUs and get them onto
the same level as universities
like the University of Michigan
when it comes to funding and
resources,” Williams said. “It is
something (Harris) could use her
platform to do.”
As Kamala Harris is sworn in as
first woman of color VP, students
reflect on historic inauguration
IULIA DOBRIN &
KATE WEILAND
Daily Staff Reporter
CELENE PHILIP
Daily Staff Reporter
“It’s a new day in America”
President Joe Biden calls for unity in inaugural address
JULIA SCHACHINGER/Daily
President-elect Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States Wednesday afternoon
GOVERNMENT
GOVERNMENT
ASHA LEWIS/Daily