The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
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

