It’s been almost a month since the United States swore in its 46th president, Joe Biden, and first black, Indian and female vice president, Kamala Harris. Although COVID regulations prohibited the traditional crowd from gathering at the National Mall, January’s inauguration was neither boring nor lacking. January 20th was full of history-making moments and heartwarming messages conveying unity and growth after the dark 4 years our country has experienced.
The elephant in the room from November to early January was whether Trump would attend Biden’s inauguration. His January 8th tweet set the record straight that he would not be in attendance at his successor’s swearing-in. Biden suggested that this could be the first decision he and Trump would agree on. Though Trump is not the first president to decline an invitation to his successor’s inauguration, it hasn’t happened since the 19th century. Former vice president, Pence, was in attendance, opting to skip Trump’s airport good-bye ceremony in favor of attending Biden’s swearing into office.
Leading up to the inauguration, Fieldston students engaged in discussion expressing hopes as well as anxieties for the future administration. After the inauguration, many students expressed relief and hope but also weariness looking into the future. Naomi Schatz (V), editor for Fieldston’s Inklings, offered her opinion on this year’s inauguration. “It was refreshing to see political figures abide by social distancing laws which is something we didn’t see from the Trump administration.” This is true: members of Congress, past presidents, and other attendees attended the inauguration wearing masks, a stark contrast to the Trump white houses’ actions amidst the pandemic.
As the co-founder of Fieldston’s Political Action Club, Sara Snyder (V) provided her take on the inauguration as well. “After chaos and civil unrest, the inauguration showcased that we are still a nation that values democracy and a peaceful transfer of power.” On that token, this election cycle did in fact threaten our democracy and the peaceful transfer of power. Thus, Biden’s inauguration represented, amongst other things, the reinforcement of these values as pillars of our country.
Moving onto the inaugural address, Biden set out a call for unity. Biden’s tone was in stark contrast to that of Donald Trump; Biden did not attempt to sugarcoat the truth or tell outright lies. In his address, Biden acknowledged the many challenges plaguing the country as “American carnage” and addressed the concerns many Americans have felt the last presidency glossed over. Biden also zoomed in on the theme of resilience within the country throughout the obstacles that have challenged us. He addressed his constituents in a bipartisan manner, emphasizing that partisanship has provoked unrest and an “uncivil war” within the country. The social entrepreneurship club’s co-leader Emma Gordon (V) stated that, overall, the inaugural speech “was a refreshing glimmer of hope to the public that we can recover from the many devastations we have experienced in the past year.”
Arguably the most memorable part of the inauguration, however, was the inaugural poem delivered by 22-year-old Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in history. Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb” resonated with much of the public through encapsulating the anxieties and troubles the last year has brought upon the country. Furthermore, the poem installed hope in a population in desperate need of it through inspiring people that “there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. if only we’re brave enough to be it.” Creative writing student Sophia Hoehler (V) states, “It was very powerful to have a young black woman speak at the inauguration. In my creative writing class, we dissected Gorman’s hand gestures and what they represented. The way that Gorman used her hands communicated meaning in the words she spoke and offered a piece of art to the inauguration, which I found very powerful.”
Post-inauguration, Biden was quick to sign 17 executive orders reversing and dismantling many of Trump’s most gruesome policies against immigration, climate change, LGBTQ+ citizens, racial equity, and the economy. Hopefully, Biden’s quick actions post-inauguration are the first of many to occur over the next 4 years. Gordon emphasized the importance of these actions, stating, “the actions Biden took post-inauguration were necessary to reverse many Trump policies that oppressed parts of the country. And, many of his executive orders provided hope for the future, especially rejoining the Paris Climate Accord.”
With that said, many are quick to praise Biden for reinstating morals and compassion in the White House. After Trump’s skewed rendition of a presidency, this is understandable. However, we must rediscover that this is in fact the bare minimum. It is still necessary that we hold Biden and Harris to a high standard; actions speak louder than words and until the action this country needs to overcome its challenges is carried out, we must still hold our leaders accountable and withhold our praise. This historic inauguration represents a symbol of hope and unity for the presidency and country; hopefully it is an accurate representation of how the next four years will unfold.
Schatz concludes by adding some food for thought towards how we at Fieldston can help our democracy recover. Schatz said, “This country has a long way to go in grappling with its oppressive roots and moving towards achieving forward progress, so if Fieldston helps to foster an environment of accountability and communication, hopefully we can all become effective contributors to that movement.”
