Right step
Inauguration parade allows students to see democracy in action.
Only days remain before the Inaugural Ceremony for the 45th president of the United States, and Texas State University’s all-female dancers continue to fend off criticism over their plans to participate in the traditional inaugural parade down Pennsylvania Avenue.
Other college and university communities across the U.S. similarly have been wracked with contentious debate over whether to accept an invitation to participate in the Jan. 20 event in the nation’s capital.
The “go” decision by Texas State University’s all-female Strutters, as well as the nod from the Talladega College Marching Band in Alabama, is entirely appropriate. The administrations of both institutions and others have made the wise determination that students, if they don’t now, will likely look back on their participation with pride and satisfaction that they stood as witnesses to American history.
We can appreciate the case made by critics who believe the schools should not participate, given the rhetoric that President-elect Donald Trump’s political campaign invoked. There will be a time and place to confront that ugliness. But Texas State already is part of U.S. presidential history, and as such, it’s entirely right for students to be part of the inaugural parade. It is the only university in Texas to have graduated a U.S. president or vice president. Indeed, President Lyndon Johnson’s presidential record on civil rights, and the inclusiveness that the legislation promised, is a stark contrast with today’s divisions.
Talladega students also have a historical stake in participating. The college is Alabama’s oldest, private historically black college. President Billy Hawkins said in a press release posted on the college’s website, “We respect and appreciate how our students and alumni feel about our participation in this parade. As many of those who chose to participate in the parade have said, we feel the inauguration of a new president is not a political event but a civil ceremony celebrating the transfer of power.”
The decision is receiving an important endorsement from William R. Harvey, a Talladega alumnus and president of Hampton University in Virginia, which like his alma mater, historically has served black students. “It will be a wonderful learning experience for the students in the band. It will be a teachable moment for them to understand the importance of supporting the leader of the free world, despite one’s political viewpoint,” Harvey said. His “outside” perspective is important as it objectively frames the opportunity that participating in inaugural ceremonies presents: “After all,” he added, “the reason for being of any college or university should be to promote learning and not to enhance a political agenda.”