Day of history, hope, and yes, a call for unity
Joseph R. Biden Jr. was sworn in shortly before noon Wednesday as the 46th president of the United States in a ceremony themed on the nation’s first name, United.
This president takes office in a time of grave shadows of loss and foreboding. The inauguration was two weeks after violence cast the Capitol into chaos and a day after the death toll from the COVID-19 pandemic reached 400,000, nearing the total number of deaths in World War II.
Despite the grave crises facing the nation, the day – “America’s day” – as Biden began his speech, was at its essence a celebration for this day and a challenge for the next one.
The occasion was characterized by Biden not as marking victory, but rather of the ideals that America embodies, an acknowledgement that those ideals persevere and sustain democracy, even through the darkest times and jarring discords of the past 10 months.
The pain of those months was acknowledged:
“Few people in our nation’s history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we’re in now,” Biden said. “Once-in-a-century virus that silently stalks the country. … Millions of jobs have been lost. Hundreds of thousands of businesses closed. A cry for racial justice, some 400 years in the making moves us. … The cry for survival comes from planet itself, a cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear. And now a rise of political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat.”
The challenge to be met was embraced:
“We face an attack on our democracy and on truth, a raging virus, growing inequity, the sting of systemic racism, a climate in crisis, America’s role in the world. Any one of these will be enough to challenge us in profound ways. But the fact is, we face them all at once, presenting this nation with one of the gravest responsibilities we’ve had.”
The call to unity reinforced amid skepticism:
“I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy these days. I know the forces that divide us are deep and they are real, but I also know they are not new. Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we’re all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial and victory is never assured.
“Through civil war, the Great Depression, world war, 9/11, through struggle, sacrifice and setbacks, our better angels have always prevailed. In each of these moments, enough of us, enough of us have come together to carry all of us forward. And we can do that now. History, faith and reason show the way, the way of unity. We can see each other not as adversaries, but as neighbors. We can treat each other with dignity and respect. We can join forces, stop the shouting and lower the temperature. For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury.”
And, the theme of working through these times together
repeated:
“And together we shall write an American story of hope, not fear. Of unity, not division. Of light, not darkness. A story of decency and dignity, love and healing, greatness and goodness. May this be the story that guides us. The story that inspires us and the story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history. We met the
moment. Democracy and hope, truth and justice did not die on our watch, but thrived. That America secured liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the world. That is what we owe our forebearers, one another and generations to follow.”
The inauguration — its poetry, its song and its speeches – did more than symbolize unity, it demonstrated the example
that can be set when people of different beliefs, different politics and different backgrounds join in one goal.
This was “democracy’s day… a day of history and hope of renewal and resolve through a crucible for the ages.”
A day to be grateful for the blessings of America, and to share that gratefulness together – yes, in unity.