‘Seeing, listening, and helping others ... makes us strong’
“Being American is more than a pride we inherit. It’s the past we step into and how we repair it.”
Those words, delivered Wednesday by National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, perfectly captured the moment confronting our nation as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took their oaths of office.
They inherit an America facing simultaneous crises: the threat of a virus that has taken the lives of 400,000 Americans and
the dangers of political extremism that culminated in the assault on the Capitol just two weeks earlier.
To combat the potential spread of COVID-19, all attendees, my eldest stepson Thomas and I included, were screened and tested at the Pentagon on Tuesday and sent QR codes granting us permission to the Capitol after our results came back negative.
To mitigate the threat of violence, 25,000 National Guard members were called to Washington to secure the city. They set up checkpoints across town and getting to the Capitol Complex required passing through three different checkpoints, including the large, non-scalable black fences that have been shown constantly in recent weeks.
The level of security turned what is normally a quick, 5-block commute to my office into a 25-minute trip. Once we made it, we stopped by the Dunkin’ inside the complex to pick up fresh coffee and doughnuts for the Massachusetts Guardsmen and women who were getting a brief respite from the cold weather.
Arriving at the inaugural platform about an hour before the ceremony began, the excitement in the air was palpable. We took our seats on the lawn of the Capitol, just underneath the platform on which the ceremony would take place and directly in sight of where the president would address the nation.
The ceremony started with a riveting rendition of our national anthem by Lady Gaga. As she sang the words, “Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there,” she turned and, in a moment that sent shivers up the spines of all in attendance, pointed at the American flags draped over the Capitol still under repair following the Jan. 6 attacks.
History then took center stage. Kamala Harris was sworn in as vice president, making her the first woman, the first Black woman, and the first Indian American to hold the position. Then, Joe Biden was sworn in by Chief Justice John Roberts, having garnered more votes than any presidential candidate before him, and delivered his inaugural address.
He talked about the fragile moment we’re at in the course of American history and the hard work ahead if we are to unite our nation. He acknowledged the toxicity of our current political climate, one that often rewards embracing division for personal gain. And he called on every one of us to change the way we approach disagreement.
President Biden made it clear that debate about the path forward for our country is not only necessary, but inherently American. However, he cautioned that we cannot allow those disagreements to drive such a wedge between us that we view our fellow Americans as adversaries.
Finally, he made a commitment, similar to the one President Lincoln made nearly 160 years ago after signing the Emancipation Proclamation, to put his “whole soul” into bringing Americans together. And he ended his speech with words that he and all of us must strive to live up to in the coming weeks, months, and years ahead:
“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.”
President Biden made clear the role that every one of us must play in uniting our country — seeing, listening, and helping others. That’s what makes us strong, and that’s what will propel us out of this dark time. I am more motivated than ever to live up to that responsibility and to get to work for the families, workers, and small businesses across the Third District. But as the president said yesterday, “In the work ahead of us, we’re going to need each other.”