Biden’s virtual inaugural parade to feature Chicago’s South Shore Drill Team
WASHINGTON — There won’t be a traditional inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue on Wednesday, but there will be a virtual “Parade Across America.”
President-elect Joe Biden’s virtual parade, which will follow his swearing-in ceremony at the U.S. Capitol and a visit to Arlington National Cemetery, will include performers and other representatives from all 50 states and several U.S. territories. Representing Illinois will be Chicago’s South Shore Drill Team, which has been providing a creative outlet for youth ages 8 to 21 for more than 40 years.
The virtual “Parade Across America,” which will be livestreamed starting at 2:15 p.m. Chicago time at BidenInaugural.org, will kick off with Biden and Vice Presidentelect Kamala Harris receiving a presidential escort from 15th Street in Washington to the White House.
The entourage will include the University of Delaware Drumline and the Howard University Drumline from the alma maters of Biden and Harris.
Actor, director and producer Tony Goldwyn, who played U.S. President Fitzgerald Grant on “Scandal,” will host the parade.
Performers and athletes participating include comedian Jon Stewart; the band New Radicals, which will reunite for the first time in 22 years; DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic, featuring Earth Wind & Fire, Nile Rodgers, Kathy Sledge, The Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, The Washington Chorus, The Triumph Baptist Church Choir and everyday Americans; singer and actress Andra Day, whose song “Rise Up” has become featured at many social justice protests; figure skater Kaitlyn Saunders, also known as The Skate Kid; Olympic athletes Nathan Chen, Allyson Felix and Katie Ledecky; and skateboarder Nathan Apodaca, also known as DoggFace.
The parade also will include the United States Coast Guard Band and the U.S. Marine Corps Silent Drill Platoon and will feature a Dance Across America led by director and choreographer Kenny Ortega. The segment will include 275 participants in 30 states and two territories. Additionally, the Ryan Martin Foundation, a wheelchair basketball program, will join the parade.
Several people will be celebrated as heroes, including Dr. Jason Campbell, who is known as the “TikTok Doc.” A resident in the Department of Anesthesiology in Portland, Oregon, Campbell uses the platform to entertain and lift spirits during the COVID-19 pandemic and connect with young people.