Joseph R. Biden has been inaugurated as the 46th president of the United States.
In an emotional inaugural ceremony that marked the transfer of power from former President Donald Trump to Joseph R. Biden Jr., speakers called for unity and healing. Biden inherits a nation facing the COVID-19 pandemic, an economic crisis and civil unrest in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.
Despite looming online threats of violence from far-right extremists leading up to the ceremony, the new president went forward with the traditional outdoor ceremony at the Capitol, where just two weeks ago, pro-Trump insurrectionists stormed the building in protest of Biden’s victory. In preparation for the event, Washington saw the arrival of 21,500 National Guard troops from all 50 states this week, culminating in a protective force of 25,000 troops to prevent further civil unrest.
Crowds were not allowed to gather on the National Mall as they historically do to witness the Inauguration.
The ceremony was attended by former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Former President Jimmy Carter, who has restricted his travel in the past year due to the pandemic, did not go to the ceremony, and Trump refused to attend.
For many Brown community members, Jan. 20 was a day of celebration and relief, despite the online threats of violence. Alexandra Blitzer ’22.5, a former intern for the Biden campaign, told The Herald she was “beyond thrilled.”
“The cynic in me kept waiting for something bad to happen, but watching everything go off without a hitch feels like the first step towards rebuilding our democracy,” Blitzer said.
Visiting Professor of the Practice of Political Science and Interim Director of the Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy Richard Arenberg wrote in a statement to The Herald that the inauguration marks “a new era.” Following the Capitol insurrection, “democracy has prevailed. The president has made clear that he intends to try to unify the country. I welcome that message. Inauguration Day is a day for optimism and hope.”
Security threats and COVID-19 precautions prevented large in-person gatherings from taking place on campus, but that did not stop Brown students from congregating remotely. The Brown College Democrats, in conjunction with the three National Pan-Hellenic Council organizations on campus, hosted an inauguration watch party over Zoom.
The National Pan-Hellenic Council, or Divine Nine, is composed of the nine historically Black Greek-lettered fraternities and sororities created during an era when Black Americans were banned from joining Greek-letter organizations founded by white students.
The Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi and Delta Sigma Theta chapters at Brown joined the Brown Democrats not only to celebrate Biden’s presidency, but also the ascension of Divine Nine alum Kamala Harris to the vice presidency. Harris was a member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Howard University. She is also the United States' first female vice president, the first African-American vice president and the first Asian-American vice president.
“It's really incredible to be able to see somebody who's a part of one of these organizations and has used the support system to be able to get to the vice presidency,” said Roysworth Grant III ’21, a member of Kappa Alpha Psi.
Especially in the wake of the national racial reckoning of the past year, “it's really incredible to be able to see a Black person be able to be the Vice President — and a Black woman at that,” Grant added.
But despite the Inauguration Day’s historic firsts, some students at the watch party expressed feelings of frustration for a country resistant to change, regardless of leadership.
“This country is still the same and a lot of things are still being perpetrated, no matter who is in that position, no matter who is the president, no matter who is the vice president,” David Onabanjo ’22 said. “And so at this moment, I'm fighting for some excitement.”
Other watch party participants emphasized that a Biden victory does not mean their work is done.
“Obviously the presidency and vice presidency mean so much and seeing representation in those various offices means so much,” said Brown Dems President Jasmine Powell ’22. “But at the same time, there's still a lot more work to be done. So I'm excited to see so many people here at Brown and in Rhode Island really engaging with our various organizations and ready to do the hard work after today.”
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