speech on school inauguration

Speech on Inauguration Ceremony

Inauguration ceremonies are special events that mark the start of something new. They hold great significance, celebrating milestones and progress.

You might have seen these ceremonies for new buildings, offices, or even when a president takes office. It’s like a grand welcome party for new beginnings.

1-minute Speech on Inauguration Ceremony

Ladies and gentlemen, today is a special day. It is a day that marks the start of something new, a day filled with hope and promise. This is our inauguration ceremony day, an event that signals the start of a fresh chapter.

Inauguration means to begin or introduce. It is like the first step in a long journey. This ceremony today is our first step. It is a step towards new goals, new dreams, and new triumphs. From this day forward, we are on a mission to achieve great things.

The best part about an inauguration ceremony is that it brings us all together. Whether you’re a teacher, a friend, or a family member, today, we stand as one. We stand united, ready to step into this new beginning with positivity and enthusiasm.

We are also here to celebrate. It’s a day of joy, a day to be proud of what we’ve accomplished so far, and a day to anticipate what the future holds. It’s like a birthday party, where we celebrate another year of growth and promise, but today, we’re celebrating a new start.

As we stand here at this inauguration ceremony, let’s remember that this is just the beginning. We have a long road ahead filled with challenges and triumphs. But for now, let us embrace this moment, this first step, and embark on this journey together.

So let’s get started, let’s open the doors to our dreams, let’s make this new beginning a memorable one. Here’s to our inauguration day, a day filled with promise and hope. Thank you.

2-minute Speech on Inauguration Ceremony

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let’s begin by celebrating this special day. Today, we gather here to mark the start of something new, something exciting, and something promising. It’s the inauguration ceremony, a powerful event that holds the promise of a fresh beginning.

Inauguration is like planting a seed. As we plant the seed, we dream of a tall, strong tree that will one day bear fruits. Today, we plant such a seed, hoping that it will grow into something splendid and fruitful. A new chapter is opening up, and we are the lucky ones who get to write the first few lines.

Now, let’s talk about the significance of this ceremony. An inauguration is not just about cutting a ribbon or unveiling a plaque. It’s about hopes and dreams. It’s about the hard work of many people, and the trust and faith that everyone has put into this project. It’s a symbol of the collective effort and dedication that has brought us to this point.

Inauguration also marks a journey. Every journey begins with a single step. Today, we take that first step. As we start this journey, we carry with us the hopes and dreams of everyone involved. But remember, this is only the first step. Like any journey, there will be challenges along the way. There might be times when we stumble, but we will always get back up and continue moving forward.

Finally, let’s not forget about the role we all play in this inaugural journey. We are not just spectators, but active participants. Every one of us has a part to play in making this journey a success. We are the builders, the creators, and the dreamers. Our collective effort, dedication, and perseverance will determine the success of this journey.

In conclusion, this inauguration ceremony is not just a formal event. It’s the beginning of a journey, a journey filled with hope, dreams, and challenges. As we take this first step, let’s remember the hard work, the trust, and the faith that has brought us here. Let’s remember that we are not just spectators, but active participants in this journey. And most importantly, let’s remember that this is just the beginning.

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12 Simple and Sample Welcome Speech For Inauguration Ceremony

Inauguration is the beginning of a new era, a new season, and a new leader, it also marks the transfer of power from one leader to another. It allows the new leader to convey his agenda, visions, and missions for the country and organization.

The inaugural speech gives the new leader the opportunity to inspire the nation, the school, or organization. These speeches give them the opportunity to be accountable to their subject and a way of, appreciating them for their support, and encouragement throughout the process of election or nomination.

Inaugural speeches are a way for new leaders to communicate to their new constituency.

Writing these speeches might be a hassle, so we have gathered different ideas on a welcome speech for inauguration ceremony to give you the best to present to the public.

Here is the list of the best speeches for the inauguration.

Best Inaugural Speeches

Speech for inaugural ceremony, simple inauguration speech sample, short speech sample, inaugural speech example, inauguration speech sample for school, how to write inaugural speech.

1. I stand before you filled with admiration to undertake this task you have given me. My affection for our country is everlasting. My Trust in its people is unshakeable as well as my confidence in God. We mark today not as a party but a celebration of freedom– symbolizing an end as well as a beginning–signifying change. For I have vowed before you and Almighty God. It is a magnificent day, bright and full of energy, as is our beloved country.

As a country, we have long ago determined to march beyond the bounds of darkness into the broad day of fresh national optimism. The choice we now tackle ourselves is whether to stay committed to the labor in establishing a better society or hide in the shadows ready to be defeated. This nation’s progress has been a result of the prayers of all and the combined sacrifices of us all and We have withstood trials that would have caused other nations to collapse and disintegrate. Yet, we have shouldered the tremendous load of struggles and tribulations to arrive at this moment. And now there is a great possibility for a better future with of course all our efforts and enhanced abilities.

It has become our political tradition to transition from one administration to another and it has been an orderly transition so far. This transfer of power has always demonstrated our confidence in God and our conviction in our power to rebuild this country into the society we have always envisioned. The nation I and my team talk about is more than just adjusting the economic state of the nation, of course, these things are critically essential but will not be able to express our story in building the ideal nation.

Our top priority is to improve the way of life of everyone and inspire love and unity among every individual. We will strive harder to bring these ideas and thoughts written on paper to life. Let us build a common sense of justice and equality together and a nation flowing with milk and honey. In the following days and weeks, the component of our plan to build an ideal nation will be disclosed publicly. I will discuss all the measures that will reflect our view of a great and progressive governance and ideal nation.

This day marks the pinnacle of my achievement. But this day belongs to you, the people of this great Nation. The way of our history and the promise of the future have led us to this unique moment. I invite you to join me in creating a more perfect country and democracy so that the ideal nation becomes and forever stays the reality with complete faith in our capacity. May God bless us and our great nation.

2. I am grateful for all of your prayers and support and am delighted and happy to stand before you today. However, today is not about me, we celebrate this new beginning and a new phase in this prestigious school, we honor this great University and We are here to confirm its vital purpose, honor its history, and look forward to a better future

This university’s major goal has been to educate citizens and leaders of competence, conscience, and compassion and foster knowledge and faith to lead to a more compassionate, and environmentally friendly society. I am tremendously grateful for all your support in my pursuit of this position, you all believed in my visions for this great university and I won’t let you down.

I and my team pursue this goal, we want to preserve the best of the past while advancing into the future. The past and previous presidents of this great institution have truly improved the school tremendously however, I and my team will implore the new normal to the constitution of this institution to make it the best institution in this part of the world. Our goals and visions are listed below;(A detailed list)

We know this generation cares significantly about society and its difficulties. With our new administration, they can become citizens and leaders of capability, principles, and compassion. They can become ethical citizens and leaders who have the knowledge and faith to build a more sustainable society. They can also become individuals who will proffer solutions to various problems in society

We aim to also educate and inspire them, to help mold them into men and women of substance. I will make sure every student is nurtured and groomed for great achievements.

3. I am utterly grateful and honored for the love and support shown by everyone to reach this position. While I was thinking about this event, I was focused on the many individuals in my life who have been inspiring to me, enabled me to become the leader and person I am today, and whose love, friendship, and support have supported me over many years. It was just certain for me that this event would feature those who have been influential and instrumental in my life.

Having attained this position my top priorities and goals are to push ourselves to accomplish more, both students and staff.

Firstly, To help our kids by offering uncompromising constituent service across all departments and offices.

To discover and invest in excellent academic and support programs that will address the changing needs of our students and our community. To reward and retain our devoted academics and staff with competitive salaries.

To open our doors to new and diverse professors and staff.

And to remind ourselves of the role that higher education may play in mending our society and our lives generally.

We shall dedicate wholeheartedly to teaching our pupils.

Creating a feeling of belonging which will eradicate separation and conflict. We will be Teaching them how to learn across their differences.

In the coming months and years, you will be reading and hearing more about how the institution has progressed. It is among my top goals that we preserve and develop national reputation across the world. We must express our achievement to encourage the greatest students, professors, and staff to join our ranks.

We will enlighten our pupils to be able to understand diverse points of view and operate in multiple cultural situations.

And that is why we’re investing in our community discussions project. This year, we will teach our pupils how to conduct challenging talks right here at the institution and create a model for institutions around the nation.

we hope for a better institution in months to come. an institution that is much stronger than it has been in years past. With your support, we will achieve this together.

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4. Good day everyone, It is a privilege to be standing here on this pulpit this afternoon, my heartfelt gratitude to those who contributed to this day for it to be a success. Thank you so much!

I am thankful for the efforts of the inaugural committee and the numerous people who contributed to the activities this week. It was fantastic to witness the scholarship represented by the students, professors, and graduates.

Inaugurations have become a ritual that reminds us of our strength as an academic community and the continuation of our great principles.

Our students bring their goals to this institution. We appreciate them for their daily inspiration and for sharing this changing moment in their life with us.

Our institutional story – is strengthened with the participation of people who have supported our mission with steady faith for decades—and in whose confidence and trust we depend as we look to the future.

While we are appropriately proud of our heritage, we are a learning community that embraces new challenges. We aspire to retain the essential principles that have supported our institution while preparing our students and the institution for the future.

Higher education today is not without its obstacles including the need for improved access. I commit now, and every day, to serve our purpose with everything I have to offer: words, acts, energy, ideas, and, of course, faith. You have my courageous and devoted vow of everlasting love and determination to all that this university will be in the future!

I invite you to join me as we work together, motivated by our vision to accomplish the change that our mission offers.

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5. I want to thank everybody for making this celebration much more wonderful with your attendance here tonight.

I will also acknowledge everyone who worked so tirelessly to make this event hold. Thank you to everybody.

Everyone in the audience knows that it takes a lot of courage to put oneself out there in pursuit of an election. To those persons who were unsuccessful in this election, thank you for your service to our community through your willingness to run in the election please continue to be active through some other means, we need you to build a better organization

Change is constant and You all voted for it— change in the members of this new council and a change in the way we conduct business. And change didn’t wait.

I and my team will change the company for the better into an organization that breathes life, peace, and love. An organization that will thrive in the business world.

I will make sure all the sectors of this company are looked into and see that there is an improvement.

This company has been one of the best in the county in all aspects including sales, delivery, service, and satisfaction of all customers. While I was the manager I was able to manage the company to greatness. With full confidence and optimism, under my power, this company will be known globally.

I appreciate all the workers in this company working towards the greatness of this organization, I want to implore you all to please work with me in this new era for the growth of this company so that we can make the vision of this company a reality.

I am humbled by the trust you have placed in me, and I am here today to thank you for that trust, and to get to work on the company’s business.

I will make sure I do my best to make this company thrive more than it has always, and I am eager, driven, happy, and pleased to be your chairman Thanks to everyone

6. I am proud to serve as Student Body Vice President at this great institution. I want to start by appreciating the students who voted for me. None of this would be possible without their support, comments, and engagement on campus.

I also want to thank my colleagues and family. They have been tremendously supportive of all my participation on campus and I genuinely wouldn’t be here without them. I also like to thank my mentors for their encouragement

Truly this University is the best place to be as a student.

I’ve been thinking about what makes our university top-notch. For me, it was the opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of my school. As I reflected on this year’s successes, I saw that the previous executives were exceptional. Not only do they care about and listen to students, but they also go above and beyond to assist students in attaining their greatest potential. I served as a lower executive and I saw how the entire administration was concerned about the student’s welfare and academic strengths and how they helped those that lacked.

I was delighted to watch these projects, and numerous more efforts that I do not have time to mention now, develop and extend next year. As Student Body Vice President, my major task will be to develop and administer the Freshman Leadership Council, an introduction group to Student Government, to open their horizon to student political affairs, I will have the amazing chance to work with incoming Freshman leaders and help them acquire the skills required to be exceptional leaders and I intend to build on the success of my previous leaders to make next year’s Freshman Leadership Council the finest yet. Thank you.

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7. I am at a loss for words to convey my thanks to every one of you here today. I can only think to say “Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart. It is great being able to stand before all of you and celebrate this important time in the history of this organization I am humbled and honored to be part of this fantastic community. I am delighted all of you are sharing your best gifts here with me, that’s the gift of your support, time, and presence. Thanks for being part of this amazing day at this very remarkable organization.

There are many individuals here who play a key part in my success story, especially during the times I spent as a manager of this company, Time does not allow me to address everyone by name, but every one of you knows I will always be grateful for your support in the days ahead, we will concentrate on our future together.

Let us be thankful and appreciate the route that we have all traveled to arrive at this great moment, to build this prestigious company, and thank everyone who was part of the trip. It is, after all, why we are here today. I also realized that we are pushed by a profound determination to attain new heights. It is a new normal, hence a new strategy, new plans, new achievements, and great profits of course. Standing before you today, I am certain that, standing together, we will discover ways to not only fulfill the high expectations we have for ourselves but surpass those our community and our world have for us.

We are in the process of rebuilding, reinventing, and shaping this company into the best in the world with of course all of our cooperation and efforts, we can withstand any storm when we do this together. Cheers to better days ahead

8. Thank you so much to everyone. As I stand here now I feel incredibly hopeful and excited about the future of this University. How can I not be hopeful when I am lucky to work with people with great minds and talented people who can also see the great future we have ahead of us? Every day I also see the seeds of promise and potential in our pupils.

I am extremely grateful to be appointed as the vice chancellor of this great university. This university’s mission and vision are to be the center of excellence and knowledge generation towards global development and an environment-friendly institution. Appointed as the vice Chancellor I will make sure to build great leaders found worthy in learning and character, to generate and advance knowledge through teaching, research, and provision of excellent learning conditions, and to also contribute to sustainable development through community engagement.

This will be done with the joint efforts of the administration bodies. We will make this university the best of its kind in the whole of West Africa. Being the new vice Chancellor, what I feel is largely hope and optimism, I will make sure that the students feel true excitement about having their educational experience at this university. We will also contribute to the drive, the energy, the relentlessness, the creativity, and the pleasure that they will bring to their pursuits in life.it is delightful to be part of it.

This is how we want to be recognized, as a powerful force of good. We have been a force for good for more than a century, benefiting the lives of countless people along the way. And that is how we want the world to know us. we will bring a greater voice to expressing this narrative. And making others notice the good that we do and join us.

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9. We mark today as a triumph for students of the University and also a celebration of freedom representing an end of endurance as well as the beginning of change because I have vowed before you and the Almighty God the solemn oath that my predecessors had taken.

Before I move on, let me take this opportunity to thank the Almighty God who in His power has made it possible for all of us to witness this historic inaugural event. I also pray to the Almighty God to protect us from any tribulations and help this university expand so that everyone will succeed in it.

I want to congratulate my excellent Vice Chancellor and his administration for all they have done for us to make this event a success. I also want to congratulate the Electoral Commission for having worked diligently during the election process to guarantee elections were realistic, free, and fair. I can’t forget to thank the departing president and the student union body for the wonderful job they have done throughout their rule. Throughout the previous academic year, they have planned different successful events and contests such as intellectual groups like the debate team and extracurricular activities to enhance the social life of the students in the university.

I also wish to honor the presence of my two opponents who were competing for this position. They have worked hard throughout the election campaign; they have both persisted in this battle and made a lot of sacrifices. I appreciate and admire their strength and bravery. I think that they have not lost but won because without the pressure I experienced from both of them; I wouldn’t have made more effort to win this election.

I applaud them and welcome their thoughts and help towards the growth of this university and to pursue the interest and welfare of every student at this institution

Let us utilize our knowledge to build unity amongst the students so that justice will reign forever.

I want to send my heartfelt appreciation to all my fellow students for making the correct choice and to those whose support I haven’t acquired yet, I may not have won your votes but I feel I have now won your hearts and I will be your chairman too.

I cannot take for granted the passion, engagement, and support offered by my campaign team in our joint quest. You worked diligently day and night throughout the campaign season to guarantee we emerge triumphant and I must say I’m grateful

I truly feel that we are making headways in addressing these challenges and there is still more to achieve. I shall be very willing and prepared to utilize negotiations and communication with management to seek answers to difficulties that influence students at this university.

Fellow students, with all your help it is true that this university can change for the better and our student union can be completed. What we have already done gives us hope for what we may and must achieve tomorrow as one family. I know the path ahead will be tedious, and the tunnel to success will be long and dark but I guarantee you that together we shall see the light at the end.

My government wouldn’t do everything in one day, one semester, or even one school year but we only have to start from someplace. So let us all encourage the spirit of student unionism and accept duties to care for one another and share because when we care, we share.

I will neither encourage nor tolerate any member of my administration who would seek to create dissension among members or fail to take charge of their respective duties

Colleagues, I’m thankful to you all for all the sacrifices you’ve made to make this day a reality.

I want to guarantee you that my government will be the government of students by the students and for the students. I vow that I will do everything that I can to move the institution to a better position and restore the confidence and trust the students have put in me.

The energy, faith, passion, the commitment that we bring to this attempt will ignite our institution and those who serve it.

10. I stand before you today honoured by your trust and driven by your charge. I am appreciative to the members of the Board of Trustees for their confidence. I am touched by the greetings from our community- staff, instructors, students, and alumni.

I have attended quite a few inaugurations throughout my life, and I’ve always been on that side of the stage. I never really thought too much about them one way or the other. But I have to admit, standing on this side of the platform is great, there’s a certain strange element to these events. I am delighted to see everyone present right from my early life to this moment. Seeing how everyone is so supportive and proud of my position makes me feel overwhelmed

I am truly thrilled and humbled to become the 9th president in the renowned history of this college. This College has a strong heritage of choosing the best students from the area, offering them the best education, and having those individuals pursue professions that serve society. That’s a rewarding history and purpose.

Our objective therefore is to anticipate the changes and workforce demands and educate our students appropriately. We need to train knowledge managers. This is a noble objective because not only are we helping our students by offering them a fantastic education with plenty of opportunities, but we are serving the greater society by supplying pharmacists and health scientists to fulfill rising healthcare requirements. I hope to achieve all of this during my service in the office and I will appreciate everyone’s support and cooperation, together we can be the best.

11. I regularly talk about the value of mentoring and friendship and having the privilege of a moment like the one I’m enjoying right now is owing to you.

I would also like to convey a debt of thanks to all those responsible for the events of this week, as well as today’s program.

It is crucial to recognize the peoples on whose land we work as we endeavor to enhance and deepen our links with our tribal nations. I want to thank them for their support in my installation

I am determined to strengthen connections and engagement between the company and Tribal Nations and would like to thank and recognize the tribal leaders who are here today.

Ours is a tale that will be written first with a dedication to business excellence.

Excellence that emphasizes accessibility and affordability.

An organization that develops and grooms individuals the abilities they need to realize their potential throughout their lives in a constantly changing world, an organization that is prompt with business deals and delivers efficiently and proffer solutions.

Ours is a tale that will be authored by our devotion to research excellence.

This organization has been thriving under the administration of the past president but it will thrive better making it top-notch under my new administration.

I look forward to working with you all to take leaps when required, and gradual steps where necessary – but to guarantee that each step, whether huge or little, advances us forward.

That’s why I am thrilled with hope when I think about guiding this company to its vital new phase.

12. Thank you, I am very appreciative of your attendance today. I am honored to come before you as the president of this great University. There are so many individuals here today that mean a lot to me so my thanks have been placed to the conclusion of my comments.

Although January 1st marked the beginning of a new chapter in our history, today marks the official launch of a new era. This event gives a time for meaningful reflection beginning with our proud history, showcasing our present, and imagining the wonderful future that we are going to create together.

At this moment, I would like to reflect briefly on my road to where we are today. I am always asked one popular question which is what are my visions and missions for this university?

I think the finest vision for our institution is the one that we will develop together. But let me put this in perspective by framing it around the people and the society.

The only way we will establish a wonderful reputation is to concentrate on teaching kids who will go out and make the world a better place. As we build our reputation to be a top-notch university, our values must serve as our north star to help us develop a deep-rooted tree with a solid trunk that is covered with blossoming branches. Ultimately our purpose is to serve the public good.

One of the most significant roles of a university president is to transform problems into administrative operations. Upholding this important commitment, I have sought the collective counsel of my predecessors. My goal as the new president is outstanding excellence by all our students, I want to convey my heartfelt appreciation to everyone here today.I am overjoyed by the presence of my mentors, past students, and friends.

To our faculty—thank you. I am eager to work with all of you to educate our pupils and help them accomplish their aspirations. You inspire our pupils and develop them into citizens who will go forth to make the world a better place. Thank you to our workers too.

Thank you to our pupils. We are here because of you. The future of our civilization depends on your enthusiasm and devotion. Whenever I interact with our kids, I come away feeling positive because I know we are in excellent hands.

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Inauguration Speeches

• Inauguration Greetings
• TImothy Scott , Mayor of Carlisle

Steven “Chris” Jones ’19

• David W. Carlson ’99

Dottie Warner

• Amy E. Farrell

Greetings from Community

Timothy Scott, Mayor of Carlisle

President Ensign, Dickinson College administration, faculty, students, alumni and staff, as Mayor of the Borough of Carlisle, I bring you warm greetings and welcome on behalf of the Greater Carlisle Community. Dickinson College is an integral part of our community and our relationship dates back to the Revolutionary War. We hope to continue that special relationship and strengthen it under your leadership. Congratulations on your inauguration, and we look forward to a flourishing year and all the years ahead.

Greetings from Students

President Ensign, I am honored to welcome you on behalf of the student body. I know my fellow students share in my excitement to have your leadership and vision guiding this college. In your short time on campus, we have already seen the energy you bring to Dickinson, from dancing with us during move-in to being eager to connect with any student you pass. We as a student body stand ready to work with you to continue to advance this college that we all call home.

Greetings from Alumni

David Carlson ’99

As president of the Alumni Council and on behalf of all alumni, I am honored to welcome your leadership to this institution that lives within all of us who were forever changed by our time here. I was a member of the first class to walk up these historic steps as a first year, and, like most alumni today, I walked down these steps many years ago marking my transition from Dickinson student to alumnus. These steps signify the point where we put this useful education into practice and reaffirmed our commitment to innovate, to lead and to improve the world around us. This could not be a more fitting place for you to do the same as 29th president of Dickinson College.

Greetings from Staff

It is my honor and my pleasure to be able to offer a greeting from the staff here at Dickinson College. So, on behalf of the crew who set up this stage and these chairs, the crew who is providing audio support for this event, the cooks and caterers who will be providing our lunch and picnic following this ceremony, the men and women on the grounds crew who keep our campus looking so beautiful, and all of my other colleagues from Advancement, Enrollment Management, Marketing & Communications, Finance & Administration, LIS and Student Life, I offer you our greeting, our best wishes and our promise to work with you to fulfill your vision for our college. Welcome!

Greetings from Faculty

Amy Farrell

On behalf of all the Dickinson faculty, from Denny Hall to Kaufman and everything in between, from the arts, the sciences, the humanities, the social sciences and the interdisciplinary fields, I stand here to offer you a very hearty welcome, Dr. Margee Ensign. As scholars, as teachers and as members of this fine college, we admire your encompassing spirit, your international perspective, your vitality and your vision for making this an even greater institution. We especially applaud your focus on the relevance and significance of the liberal arts for addressing our world’s challenges. We very much look forward to working with you. Once again, welcome, President Ensign.

Other Speeches:

• Dr. Gilbert Balibaseka Bukenya
• President Margee Ensign
• Welcome Message
• In the Media
• Inauguration
• News Release
• President Margee Ensign's Address

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Faculty and students who watched the inauguration of President Joe Biden on Wednesday said it was a powerful ceremony that recognized the nation’s political divisiveness and pandemic suffering, while also offering hope for better days.

Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris took their oaths of office at the Capitol where, two weeks earlier, there had been a riot and takeover in support of departing President Donald Trump, who lost the November election.

Philip J. Deloria , Leverett Saltonstall Professor of History and chair of the Committee on Degrees in History and Literature, said he exhaled in relief “when the ceremony came to a successful conclusion.”

“I could not watch the inauguration without a nagging sense of worry that something was going to go wrong,” he said. “Unfortunately, there are many more worries ahead and, I suspect, fewer moments of relief.”

Deloria was lifted by Amanda Gorman ’20, who wrote and read the poem “The Hill We Climb” for the occasion.

“I had chills down my spine and tears in my eyes listening to her. The poets tend to own these occasions, but it wasn’t just that. There was a triangulation of theme and affect, a transfer of energy — especially between Joe Biden’s address, her poem, and the Rev. Silvester Beaman’s invocation — that was pitch-perfect, a powerful calling into being of a shared community. From here, the luster will dim. But it was so welcome to feel it for even a moment.”

“[‘Amazing Grace’] became a Civil Rights Movement anthem, as a call for racial equality,” said Joyce Chaplin, noting it was the only song performed twice. The day’s program “was appropriately muted and self-reflective …,” said Brandon Terry.

File photos by Stephanie Mitchell and Kris Snibbe

Brandon Terry , assistant professor of African and African American Studies and of Social Studies, found Gorman’s poem and delivery wise and hoped Biden would lead by keeping its message in his thinking.

“We should not be ‘striving to form a union that is perfect,’” said Terry, quoting a favorite line from Gorman’s poem “The Hill We Climb.” “That is a fantasy of wholeness that can confuse quiet with peace, extort acquiescence to injustice, and teach us to celebrate myth instead of confront history. Instead, Gorman powerfully called us to step into our tragic inheritance and accept the responsibility of repairing it, inaugurating an era of ‘just redemption’ and democratic possibility — purposes that make our union worth our sacrifice and preservation.”

During the inaugural program, Joyce E. Chaplin , James Duncan Phillips Professor of Early American History, was struck by the performances of “Amazing Grace.”

“As far as I could tell, we heard only one song twice, ‘Amazing Grace,’ first in the U.S. Marine Band’s performance of ‘Fanfare on Amazing Grace’ and then sung by Garth Brooks . The hymn’s lyrics are by John Newton , an 18th-century enslaver who became an abolitionist. His words ‘a wretch like me’ acknowledge the human ability to sin, to do wrong,” Chaplin said. “The song became a Civil Rights Movement anthem, as a call for racial equality. I think the Biden-Harris administration, in repeating this song, was saying, loud and clear, that the United States’ original sin is white enslavement of Black people. And, historically, this is true, despite all the attempts in the last four years to say it isn’t.”

Terry noted that the overall tone of the day’s program “was appropriately muted and self-reflective about what has brought our aspirational democracy to the crises that threaten its persistence.”

“Progressive politicians usually speak in grand, sweeping terms about the arc of the moral universe or paint romantic pictures of American history, but Biden rightly foregrounded that ‘our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we are all created equal, and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart.’ More profoundly, he called this battle ‘perennial’ and reminded people that ‘victory is never assured.’”

John Stauffer , Sumner R. and Marshall S. Kates Professor of English and of African and African American Studies, saw the historical connection between Biden’s inaugural address and that of Abraham Lincoln during his first swearing-in in 1861, noting similar calls for togetherness and a recognition of the tenuousness of the institutions of the day.

“Both speeches emphasize the theme of unity amid deep division or disunion, while also acknowledging the fragility of democracy,” said Stauffer. “Biden connects our moment to Lincoln’s by referring to ‘this uncivil war’ while also emphasizing national unity.”

Stauffer also saw a through line in the circumstances of the inauguration. Lincoln delivered his address a month after the formation of the Confederacy, and Biden spoke two weeks after the insurrection in the Capitol.

“Biden borrowed from Lincoln’s elegant ending to his speech when he said ‘The better angels of our nature have always prevailed,’” said Stauffer. “Few Americans believed that national unity would prevail in the spring of 1861. Few do today. Still, it’s a noble gesture.”

Catherine Brekus and John Stauffer focused on the messages of national unity.

Photo by John Deputy; Kris Snibbe/Harvard file photo

Catherine Brekus , chair of the Committee on the Study of Religion and Charles Warren Professor of the History of Religion in America, was struck by the inclusive tone set by the clerical leaders.

“Father Leo O’Donovan and the Rev. Silvester Beaman used their words to create unity,” she said.

Brekus said O’Donovan and Beaman did this by acknowledging the nation’s failures to uphold its promises of equality and freedom. Beaman preached: “In you, oh God, we discover our humanity. In our humanity we discover our commonness, beyond the difference of color, creed, origin, political party, ideology, geography, and personal preferences.” O’Donovan similarly avoided an overt reference to Jesus and pointedly defined American patriotism as “care for the common good with malice toward none and with charity for all.”

That was a shift from the religious leaders at Donald Trump’s inauguration, who explicitly offered words of prayer in the name of Jesus, including Franklin Graham, a controversial evangelist who once described Islam as an evil religion.

The prayers offered by O’Donovan and Beaman ultimately “reflected Biden’s desire to overcome religious as well as political divisions and to unite people in service of the common good,” said Brekus.

“President Biden talked a lot about unity, and I think that his ability to unify us will define his presidency,” said Evan Jolley ’24. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photogra

Many students on campus said the day’s ceremonies and their significance gave them a sense of both optimism and relief.

“It was symbolic of — hopefully — a shift that will come about with it,” said Evan Jolley ’24 from Omaha, Nebraska. “President Biden talked a lot about unity, and I think that his ability to unify us will define his presidency.”

Jolley, who watched the speech with his mother while moving back onto campus for the spring semester, thought the speech stood out for another reason, as well. The new president had to overcome a stutter, as Jolley did, and deal with what can be a self-limiting condition.

“It is so incredible to have a person who stutters as the president,” Jolley said. “I really would have benefited from seeing that as a kid who stuttered, and I hope all the kids who stutter in our country are more proud of their voice after seeing Biden elected as president.”

Toluwalope Moses ’22 listened to her former classmate, Amanda Gorman, recite her poem “The Hill We Climb,” calling it “absolutely stunning.” Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer

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Boston native Toluwalope Moses ’22 watched snippets of the swearing-in, but said she caught the major moments she wanted to see, including the arrival of Michelle Obama (in a show-stealing belt), and the reading by Gorman, with whom she had a class last year.

“It was really cool to see her on screen,” said Moses, who called “The Hill We Climb” “absolutely stunning.”

“She really is an incredible writer. I don’t think they could’ve chosen anyone better. She really found a stirring way for us to envision an America beyond the present.”

Like Jolley, Moses appreciated Biden’s speech but noted she wants more than words. “I like to see more action than speaking,” she said.

Other students shared Moses’ desire to see follow-through from the new administration, even if they missed the bulk of the day’s events while traveling back to campus.

Kym Wimberly ’22 was flying in from New Orleans when Biden was sworn in. He planned to watch the highlights later but said that, as an African American man, he was ready to put the past four years behind him.

“I want to see change,” Wimberly said. “I want to move from that phase and put it past us and get to a new America.”

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Lesson Plan: 2021 Joe Biden Inauguration Viewing Guides

What Makes a Good Inaugural Address

Historian and author Michael Beschloss used examples of five historic inaugural addresses to discuss what makes an effective inaugural address. He cited the inaugural address of Lincoln (1865), Roosevelt (1933), Kennedy(1961), Reagan 1981, Bush (2001), and Obama (2009).

Description

This lesson provides several activities for students to help them understand events occurring on inauguration day and interpret the inaugural address that will be given by Joe Biden on January 20, 2021. Teachers can choose to have students view the inaugural address and use one of several viewing guides to analyze the speech. Activities and handouts include a note-taking chart, guiding questions, topical analysis, an evaluative rubric, and a BINGO game.

Teachers have the option of assigning one of the following viewing guides to students as they watch the January 20, 2021 inauguration of Joseph Biden. Each of these Google Docs include the links to the introductory video clip, a link to the inauguration and the individual assignment/activities. These assignments can be completed in steps as a class or students can complete these assignments on their own. To access and complete these assignments, students can make a copy of the following Google resources. Students can submit these assignments digitally by linking their completed copy of the Google Doc handout.

Handout: Inauguration General Note-Taking Chart (Google Doc)

Handout: Inaugural Address Guiding Questions (Google Doc)

Handout: Inauguration BINGO (Google Doc)

Handout: Analyzing the Inaugural Address by Topic (Google Doc)

• Handout: Inaugural Address Rubric Evaluation (Google Doc)

Before beginning class, have students brainstorm answers to the following questions. This can be adapted to synchronous remote learning by having students answer in the chat or on the discussion board.

What challenges are currently facing the country?

• What issues should President Biden include in his inaugural address?

INTRODUCTION:

Introduce the idea of an inaugural address by having them view the following video clip featuring author and historian Michael Bechloss. Students should answer each of the questions associated with the video clip.

Video Clip: What Makes a Good Inaugural Address (8:51)

What challenges faced Franklin Roosevelt in 1933? How did he use his inaugural speech to address these challenges?

According to Michael Bechloss, what makes a good speech?

How did Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address in 1865 meet the challenges of the time?

Why was the date of inauguration changed after the 1933 inauguration?

What was the focus of John F. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address? Why did he do this?

What similarities exist between the inaugural addresses discussed by Michael Bechloss?

Why is an understanding of history important to writing an effective inaugural address?

• Based on this information, what advice would you give to an incoming president as they write their inaugural address?

INAUGURATION DAY:

Using the video clip in the introduction as foundation, the following activities can be used to help students understand and analyze President Biden’s inaugural address on January 20, 2021. Choose one of the following activities for students to complete when viewing election night coverage.

Students can view coverage of the 2021 inauguration using the link below:

Video Clip: Video Clip: President Biden Inaugural Address (21:37)

INAUGURAL ADDRESS ACTIVITIES AND VIEWING GUIDES:

NOTE-TAKING CHART:

Students will use this handout as they view the inaugural address to take notes and focus on specific elements of the speech such as:

Specific Issues/Topics Discussed

Tone and Images Used

Words and Ideas Repeated Throughout

Notable Quotes/Historic Events/Important Documents Referenced

Principles of Government/American Ideals Referenced

The Role of Government in Addressing the Nation’s Problems

• Priorities for His Presidency

To demonstrate understanding, students will address the following question:

• What was the overall message of this inaugural address? Use examples from above to support your response.

GUIDING QUESTIONS:

This handout uses questions to focus student’s attention on aspects of the speech such as:

Goal/Audience/ Primary Messages

Structure of the Speech

• Effectiveness of the Speech
• In your opinion, did the president accomplish the goal of this speech? Why or why not?

INAUGURATION BINGO:

With this activity, students will use the handout linked below to play a BINGO game while watching inauguration coverage on C-SPAN. They should complete the BINGO board by writing words, topics or phrases that might be discussed during the coverage. As they watch the coverage, they will mark their board when a word or topic is mentioned. They should also take notes on what this term means and how it was used.

After viewing the debate, use the BINGO chart and the notes to answer the following prompt:

Based on what you watched, what were your overall impressions of the inauguration?

• What questions do you have after watching it?

ANALYZING THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS BY TOPIC:

Using this handout, students will view the inaugural address and identify three topics discuss in the speech. For each topic, they should take notes on the following ways President Biden discussing this topic.

Description of the Topic

Examples Used

Importance of this Topic

• Proposals to Address This Topic

To demonstrate understanding, students will address the following questions:

What topics were emphasized throughout the speech? What topics or issues are not discussed in his speech? Why do you think this is?

• Summarize the overall message of this inaugural address. How does the president use individual issues and topics above to give this message?

INAUGURAL ADDRESS RUBRIC:

Handout: Inaugural Address Rubric Evaluation (Google Doc) Students will use the rubric on the handout to evaluate President Biden’s speech. Student will consider the following factors as they view the inaugural address:

Organization/Clarity

Facts/Examples

Relevance of Supporting Points

• Visual/Non-Verbal Performance
• Using the information above, how would you rate the performance of the president during his inaugural address?

ALTERNATIVE/EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:

Historical Analysis: Using one of the following options, have students view one or more of the previous presidential inaugural address starting in the 1981.

Inaugural Address General Note-Taking Chart (Google Doc)

Inaugural Address Guiding Questions (Google Doc)

Presidential Inaugural Address Rubric (Google Doc)

Inaugural Address Analysis by Topic (Google Doc)

Historical Analysis (Google Doc)

• Comparing Historical Inaugural Addresses (Google Doc)

ALTERNATIVE/EXTENSION ACTIVITY:

Write a Letter to the New President- Write a letter to President Biden explaining an issue or topic that you would like him to discuss in his inaugural address. In this letter, explain the issue and why it is important to the nation.

ADDITIONAL PROMPTS:

• How does the inauguration represent all three branches of government?

How does the inauguration represent a peaceful transfer of power?

Why are inaugural addresses significant to a president’s legacy?

How can inaugural address be used to unite the country?

• What is the overall purpose of an inaugural address?

Related Article

• INAUGURAL ADDRESS - The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies

Additional Resources

• Lesson Plan: Analyzing Historical Presidential Inaugural Addresses
• Bell Ringer: What Makes a Good Inaugural Address
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Inauguration Day 2021: Here are some ways U.S. teachers plan to approach the historic moment

Inauguration Day is typically a celebration steeped in tradition and spectacle and symbolism, the kind of newsworthy event from which educators could easily draw age-appropriate lessons. 

But this is no ordinary inauguration day, no typical peaceful transition of power and show of unity. President Trump will be the first commander in chief since 1869 to miss his predecessor’s swearing-in, which comes days after he was impeached for his role in the riots designed to stop the certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Security at the inauguration will be abnormally tight, and much of the typical pageantry has been shelved due to the pandemic. 

Chalkbeat asked educators how they plan to approach Wednesday’s historic events and found a spectrum of responses. Some teachers appear to be facing inauguration day with trepidation. Generic inauguration activities could feel tone deaf. Deep divisions in some communities make lessons about politics feel like a third rail. And with threats of violence, is it even safe to watch the festivities? 

But other educators are not shying away and instead embracing the moment, holding student elections, watch parties and otherwise tailoring lessons to this unprecedented moment. 

“They see and know a lot of what goes on in the world,” said Brianna Rifkin, a third grade humanities teacher at Rocketship United Academy in Nashville. “We believe our job as educators is to empower them to be empathetic leaders and to advocate for themselves, their school, their community.”

Rifkin along with another humanities teacher and an English language specialist spearheaded an effort to hold the K-4th grade charter school’s first student government association election after seeing the students’ interest in November’s election. Twenty-six students ran for the eight slots, creating campaign ads and speeches. The election was held Friday, and the winners will be “inaugurated” over Facebook Live Wednesday morning.

“It’s brought us a lot of hope to see how many students were so eager to be a part of making change, beneficial change for their community,” Rifkin said.

Other schools are taking a more traditional approach — watching the ceremony — but with updated twists to fit their remote reality. The American Dream School in the Bronx is hosting a schoolwide inauguration watch party by streaming the event, said Felix Sanchez, a 12th grade government teacher. The school’s student council and government classes will facilitate by asking trivia questions about the inauguration and sharing facts, and students watching will mark a bingo board when phrases or topics are mentioned. 

“After completing the bingo board and announcing the winner, students will have the opportunity to engage in a schoolwide reflective discussion,” Sanchez said.

But in a sign of the uncertain times, the school also has a plan in place if violence or anything unexpected interrupts the ceremony and students need emotional support.

At Clinton Hill Middle School in Brooklyn, seventh grade humanities teacher Tracy Garrison-Feinberg will show students a presentation about inauguration history on Tuesday using resources and short videos from PBS and the Bill of Rights Institute, and students will have small group discussions and a writing exercise. On Wednesday, students will watch events that coincide with their classes and have an opportunity to share questions and comments on a collaboration board.

Through this approach, Garrison-Feinberg said the school is emphasizing both the history of the day and today’s unprecedented events, including two impeachments and the insurrection.

“I am spending more time on the current political moment than I have since the 2009 inauguration of Barack Obama, with its historic significance,” she said.

Some teachers, though, aren’t comfortable tackling the subject head on. Tom Murphy, a special education social studies teacher at Coronado High School in Colorado Springs, said he will mention the inauguration, but not teach about it. He won’t assign reading ahead of time or plan a lesson. And as to the unusual circumstances surrounding this inauguration, he will meet it with “radio silence,” calling it a “toxic topic.”

“The students will have to get their information from their families on this one!” he said.

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'America has to be better': Joe Biden's inauguration speech – full text

‘We will press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and possibility,’ president says

Chief Justice Roberts, Vice-President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice-President Pence, distinguished guests and my fellow Americans.

This is America’s day. This is democracy’s day. A day of history and hope. Of renewal and resolve.

Through a crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge. Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause: the cause of democracy. The will of the people has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded. We have learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile.

And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.

So now, on this hallowed ground where just days ago violence sought to shake this Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation, under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries.

We look ahead in our uniquely American way – restless, bold, optimistic – and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must be. I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here. I thank them from the bottom of my heart.

You know the resilience of our constitution and the strength of our nation. As does President Carter, who I spoke to last night but who cannot be with us today, but whom we salute for his lifetime of service.

I have just taken the sacred oath each of these patriots took – an oath first sworn by George Washington. But the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us. On “we the people” who seek a more perfect union.

This is a great nation and we are a good people.

Over the centuries through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we have come so far. But we still have far to go. We will press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and possibility. Much to repair. Much to restore. Much to heal. Much to build. And much to gain.

Few periods in our nation’s history have been more challenging or difficult than the one we’re in now. A once-in-a-century virus silently stalks the country. It’s taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of world war II. 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 dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer. A cry for survival comes from the planet itself. A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear. And now, a rise in political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat.

To overcome these challenges – to restore the soul and to secure the future of America – requires more than words. It requires that most elusive of things in a democracy:

In another January in Washington, on New Year’s Day 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. When he put pen to paper, the president said: “If my name ever goes down into history it will be for this act, and my whole soul is in it.” My whole soul is in it. Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this: bringing America together. Uniting our people. And uniting our nation.

I ask every American to join me in this cause.

Uniting to fight the common foes we face: anger, resentment, hatred. Extremism, lawlessness, violence. Disease, joblessness, hopelessness. With unity we can do great things. Important things. We can right wrongs. We can put people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome this deadly virus. We can reward work, rebuild the middle class, and make healthcare secure for all. We can deliver racial justice. We can make America, once again, the leading force for good in the world.

I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy. 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 are all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear and demonization have long torn us apart.

The battle is perennial. Victory is never assured. Through the 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 came together to carry all of us forward. And we can do so 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. No progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos.

This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward. And we must meet this moment as the United States of America. If we do that, I guarantee you, we will not fail. We have never, ever, ever failed in America when we have acted together. And so today, at this time and in this place, let us start afresh.

All of us. Let us listen to one another. Hear one another. See one another. Show respect to one another. Politics need not be a raging fire destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war. And we must reject a culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured.

My fellow Americans, we have to be different than this. America has to be better than this. And I believe America is better than this.

Just look around.

Here we stand, in the shadow of a Capitol dome that was completed amid the civil war, when the union itself hung in the balance. Yet we endured and we prevailed. Here we stand looking out to the great Mall where Dr King spoke of his dream. Here we stand, where 108 years ago at another inaugural, thousands of protesters tried to block brave women from marching for the right to vote.

Today, we mark the swearing-in of the first woman in American history elected to national office – Vice-President Kamala Harris.

Don’t tell me things can’t change.

Here we stand across the Potomac from Arlington National Cemetery, where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace. And here we stand, just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy and to drive us from this sacred ground.

That did not happen. It will never happen. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not ever.

To all those who supported our campaign, I am humbled by the faith you have placed in us. To all those who did not support us, let me say this: hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart. And if you still disagree, so be it.

That’s democracy. That’s America. The right to dissent peaceably, within the guardrails of our republic, is perhaps our nation’s greatest strength. Yet hear me clearly: disagreement must not lead to disunion. And I pledge this to you: I will be a president for all Americans. I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did.

Many centuries ago, St Augustine, a saint of my church, wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love. What are the common objects we love that define us as Americans? I think I know. Opportunity. Security. Liberty. Dignity. Respect. Honor. And, yes, the truth.

Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. There is truth and there are lies. Lies told for power and for profit. And each of us has a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders – leaders who have pledged to honor our constitution and protect our nation – to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.

I understand that many Americans view the future with some fear and trepidation. I understand they worry about their jobs, about taking care of their families, about what comes next.

But the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like you do, or worship the way you do, or don’t get their news from the same sources you do.

We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural v urban, conservative v liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts. If we show a little tolerance and humility. If we’re willing to stand in the other person’s shoes just for a moment. Because here is the thing about life: there is no accounting for what fate will deal you.

There are some days when we need a hand. There are other days when we’re called on to lend one. That is how we must be with one another. And, if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future.

My fellow Americans, in the work ahead of us, we will need each other.

We will need all our strength to persevere through this dark winter. We are entering what may well be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus. We must set aside the politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation.

I promise you this: as the Bible says, weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning. We will get through this, together. The world is watching today. So here is my message to those beyond our borders: America has been tested and we have come out stronger for it.

We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again. Not to meet yesterday’s challenges, but today’s and tomorrow’s. We will lead not merely by the example of our power but by the power of our example. We will be a strong and trusted partner for peace, progress and security. We have been through so much in this nation. And, in my first act as president, I would like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer to remember all those we lost this past year to the pandemic.

To those 400,000 fellow Americans – mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, friends, neighbors and co-workers. We will honor them by becoming the people and nation we know we can and should be.

Let us say a silent prayer for those who lost their lives, for those they left behind, and for our country.

This is a time of testing. We face an attack on 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 would be enough to challenge us in profound ways.

But the fact is we face them all at once, presenting this nation with the gravest of responsibilities. Now we must step up. All of us. It is a time for boldness, for there is so much to do. And this is certain: we will be judged, you and I, for how we resolve the cascading crises of our era. Will we rise to the occasion? Will we master this rare and difficult hour? Will we meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world for our children?

I believe we must and I believe we will. And when we do, we will write the next chapter in the American story. It’s a story that might sound something like a song that means a lot to me.

It’s called American Anthem and there is one verse stands out for me:

“The work and prayers of centuries have brought us to this day What shall be our legacy? What will our children say?… Let me know in my heart When my days are through America America I gave my best to you.”

Let us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our nation. If we do this, then when our days are through, our children and our children’s children will say of us they gave their best. They did their duty. They healed a broken land.

My fellow Americans, I close today where I began, with a sacred oath.

Before God and all of you I give you my word. I will always level with you. I will defend the constitution. I will defend our democracy. I will defend America. I will give my all in your service thinking not of power, but of possibilities. Not of personal interest, but of the public good. And together, we shall write an American story of hope, not fear. Of unity, not division. Of light, not darkness. An American story of decency and dignity. Of love and of healing. Of greatness and of goodness.

May this be the story that guides us. The story that inspires us. The story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history. We met the moment. That democracy and hope, truth and justice, did not die on our watch but thrived.

That our America secured liberty at home and stood once again as a beacon to the world. That is what we owe our forebears, one another and generations to follow.

So, with purpose and resolve, we turn to the tasks of our time. Sustained by faith. Driven by conviction. And devoted to one another and to this country we love with all our hearts.

May God bless America and may God protect our troops.

Thank you, America.

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• US politics

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Read Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration speech transcript

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Following a chaotic 2020 campaign against Donald Trump, Joe Biden has officially been sworn in as the 46th president of the United States. You can watch a video of him giving his speech . See below the transcript of his full inauguration speech:

Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice President Pence, and my distinguished guests, my fellow Americans, this is America’s day. This is democracy’s day. A day of history and hope, of renewal and resolve. Through a crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge.

Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause. The cause of democracy. The people, the will of the people has been heard, and the will of the people has been heeded. We’ve learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.

So now, on this hallowed ground, where just a few days ago violence sought to shake the Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries.

As we look ahead in our uniquely American way — restless, bold, optimistic — and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must be. I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here today. I thank them from the bottom of my heart and I know—

And I know the resilience of our Constitution and the strength, the strength of our nation, as does President Carter who I spoke with last night who cannot be with us today but whom we salute for his lifetime of service.

I’ve just taken a sacred oath each of those patriots have taken. The oath first sworn by George Washington. But the American story depends not in any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us. On we, the people who seek a more perfect union. This is a great nation. We are good people. And over the centuries, through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we’ve come so far, but we still have far to go.

We’ll press forward with speed and urgency for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibilities. Much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build and much to gain.

Few people in our nation’s history have been more challenged or found a time more challenging or difficult than the time we are in now. Once-in-a-century virus that silently stalks the country has taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II.

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 dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer.

The cry for survival comes from the 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.

To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy. Unity. Unity.

In another January, on New Year’s Day in 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. When he put pen to paper, the president said, and I quote, “If my name ever goes down into history, it will be for this act and my whole soul is in it.”

My whole soul is in it.

Today on this January day, my whole soul is in this. Bringing America together. Uniting our people. Uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause.

Uniting to fight the foes we face: anger, resentment, and hatred, extremism, lawlessness, violence, disease, joblessness and hopelessness.

With unity, we can do great things, important things. We can right wrongs. We can put people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome the deadly virus. We can reward work and rebuild the middle class and make healthcare secure for all. We can deliver racial justice, and we can make America once again the leading force for good in the world.

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 are 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; no progress, only exhausting outrage; no nation, only a state of chaos. This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward. And we must meet this moment as the United States of America.

If we do that, I guarantee you we will not fail. We have never ever, ever, ever failed in America when we have acted together, and so today at this time in this place, let’s start off fresh, all of us. Let’s begin to listen to one another again, hear one another, see one another, show respect to one another. Politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war, and we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured.

My fellow Americans, we have to be different than this. America has to be better than this, and I believe America is so much better than this. Just look around here. We stand in the shadow of the Capitol dome as was mentioned earlier completed amid the Civil War when the Union itself was literally hanging in the balance.

Yet we endured, we prevailed. Here we stand, looking out on the great mall where Dr. King spoke of his dream. Here we stand where, 108 years ago, at another inaugural, thousands of protesters tried to block brave women marching for the right to vote, and today we mark the swearing-in of the first woman in American history elected to national office, Vice President Kamala Harris.

Don’t tell me things can’t change. Here we stand across the Potomac from Arlington Cemetery where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace, and here we stand just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, to drive us from this sacred ground. It did not happen; it will never happen, not today, not tomorrow, not ever. Not ever.

To all of those who supported our campaign, I am humbled by the faith you have placed in us. To all of those who did not support us, let me say this: Hear me out as we move forward, take a measure of me and my heart. If you still disagree, so be it. That’s democracy, that’s America. The right to dissent peaceably within the guardrails of our republic is perhaps this nation’s greatest strength. Yet hear me clearly: Disagreement must not lead to disunion, and I pledge this to you: I will be a president for all Americans, all Americans.

And I promise you I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did.

Many centuries ago, St. Augustine, a saint in my church, wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love, defined by the common objects of their love. What are the common objects we as Americans love that define us as Americans? I think we know. Opportunity, security, liberty, dignity, respect, honor, and yes, the truth.

Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. There is truth and there are lies, lies told for power and for profit, and each of us has a duty and a responsibility — as citizens, as Americans and especially as leaders, leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation — to defend the truth and defeat the lies.

Look, I understand that many of my fellow Americans view the future with fear and trepidation. I understand they worry about their jobs. I understand, like my dad, they lay at bed staring at night — staring at the ceiling wondering can I keep my healthcare, can I pay my mortgage? Thinking about their families, about what comes next. I promise you I get it, but the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like — look like you or worship the way you do or don’t get their news from the same source as you do.

We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts if we show a little tolerance and humility and if we are willing to stand in the other person’s shoes as my mom would say just for a moment stand in their shoes because here’s the thing about life, there’s no accounting for what fate will deal you.

Some days when you need a hand, there are other days when we are called to lend a hand. That is how it has to be, and that is what we do for one another, and if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future, and we can still disagree.

My fellow Americans in the work ahead of us, we are going to need each other. We need all of our strength to persevere through this dark winter. We are entering what may be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus. We must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation, one nation.

And I promise you that this, as the Bible said, weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning. We will get through this together, together.

Look, folks, all of my colleagues I have served with in the House and the Senate up here, we all understand the world is watching, watching all of us today, so here is my message to those beyond our borders: America has been tested and we’ve come out stronger for it. We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again, not to meet yesterday’s challenges but today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.

And we’ll lead not merely by the example of our power, by the power of our example.

We’ll be a strong and trusted partner for peace, progress, and security.

Look, you all know we’ve been through so much in this nation. And in my first act as president, I’d like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer, remember all those who we lost this past year to the pandemic, those 400,000 fellow Americans, moms, dads, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends, neighbors and coworkers.

We will honor them by becoming the people in the nation we know we can and should be. So, I ask you let’s say a silent prayer for those who’ve lost their lives and those left behind and for our country.

Folks, this is a time of testing. 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 would be enough to challenge us in profound ways, but the fact is we face them all at once, presenting this nation with a — one of the gravest responsibilities we had.

Now we’re going to be tested. Are we going to step up, all of us? It’s time for boldness for there is so much to do. And this is certain. I promise you we will be judged, you and I, by how we resolve these cascading crises of our era.

We will rise to the occasion is the question. Will we master this rare and difficult hour? Will we meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world to our children?

I believe we must. I’m sure you do as well. I believe we will. And when we do, we’ll write the next great chapter in the history of the United States of America, the American story, a story that might sound something like a song that means a lot to me. It’s called “American Anthem.” There’s one verse that stands out at least for me, and it goes like this.

“The work and prayers of century have brought us to this day. What shall be our legacy? What will our children say? Let me know in my heart when my days are through America, America, I gave my best to you.”

Let’s add — let’s us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our great nation. If we do this, then when our days are through our children and our children’s children will say of us: They gave their best. They did their duty. They healed a broken land.

My fellow Americans, I close today where I began, with a sacred oath. Before God and all of you, I give you my word I will always level with you. I will defend the Constitution. I’ll defend our democracy. I’ll defend America. And I will give all, all of you, keep everything you — I do in your service, thinking not of power but of possibilities, not of personal interest but the public good. 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 is a beacon to the world. That is what we owe our forbears, one another, and generation to follow.

So, with purpose and result, we turn to those tasks of our time, sustained by faith, driven by conviction, devoted to one another in the country we love with all our hearts. May God bless America and may God protect our troops.

Thank you, America.

Donald Trump did not attend the inauguration . After assuming his new position, Biden plans to reverse several of Trump’s policies. COVID-19, immigration, and climate change are top priorities for his first day in office.

Photos: 2021 Biden inauguration day

Joe Biden became the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, taking the helm of a deeply divided nation and inheriting a confluence of crises arguably greater than any faced by his predecessors.

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The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500

Inaugural Address by President Joseph R. Biden,   Jr.

The United States Capitol

11:52 AM EST

THE PRESIDENT: Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, Leader McConnell, Vice President Pence, distinguished guests, and my fellow Americans.

This is America’s day.

This is democracy’s day.

A day of history and hope.

Of renewal and resolve.

Through a crucible for the ages America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge.

Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy.

The will of the people has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded.

We have learned again that democracy is precious.

Democracy is fragile.

And at this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.

So now, on this hallowed ground where just days ago violence sought to shake this Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation, under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power as we have for more than two centuries.

We look ahead in our uniquely American way – restless, bold, optimistic – and set our sights on the nation we know we can be and we must be.

I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence here.

I thank them from the bottom of my heart.

You know the resilience of our Constitution and the strength of our nation.

As does President Carter, who I spoke to last night but who cannot be with us today, but whom we salute for his lifetime of service.

I have just taken the sacred oath each of these patriots took — an oath first sworn by George Washington.

But the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us.

On “We the People” who seek a more perfect Union.

This is a great nation and we are a good people.

Over the centuries through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we have come so far. But we still have far to go.

We will press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and possibility.

Much to repair.

Much to restore.

Much to heal.

Much to build.

And much to gain.

Few periods in our nation’s history have been more challenging or difficult than the one we’re in now.

A once-in-a-century virus silently stalks the country.

It’s taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II.

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 dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer.

A cry for survival comes from the planet itself. A cry that can’t be any more desperate or any more clear.

And now, a rise in political extremism, white supremacy, domestic terrorism that we must confront and we will defeat.

To overcome these challenges – to restore the soul and to secure the future of America – requires more than words.

It requires that most elusive of things in a democracy:

In another January in Washington, on New Year’s Day 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

When he put pen to paper, the President said, “If my name ever goes down into history it will be for this act and my whole soul is in it.”

My whole soul is in it.

Today, on this January day, my whole soul is in this:

Bringing America together.

Uniting our people.

And uniting our nation.

I ask every American to join me in this cause.

Uniting to fight the common foes we face:

Anger, resentment, hatred.

Extremism, lawlessness, violence.

Disease, joblessness, hopelessness.

With unity we can do great things. Important things.

We can right wrongs.

We can put people to work in good jobs.

We can teach our children in safe schools.

We can overcome this deadly virus.

We can reward work, rebuild the middle class, and make health care secure for all.

We can deliver racial justice.

We can make America, once again, the leading force for good in the world.

I know speaking of unity can sound to some like a foolish fantasy.

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 are all created equal and the harsh, ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, and demonization have long torn us apart.

The battle is perennial.

Victory is never assured.

Through the 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 came together to carry all of us forward.

And, we can do so 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.

No progress, only exhausting outrage.

No nation, only a state of chaos.

This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward.

And, we must meet this moment as the United States of America.

If we do that, I guarantee you, we will not fail.

We have never, ever, ever failed in America when we have acted together.

And so today, at this time and in this place, let us start afresh.

Let us listen to one another.

Hear one another. See one another.

Show respect to one another.

Politics need not be a raging fire destroying everything in its path.

Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war.

And, we must reject a culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured.

My fellow Americans, we have to be different than this.

America has to be better than this.

And, I believe America is better than this.

Just look around.

Here we stand, in the shadow of a Capitol dome that was completed amid the Civil War, when the Union itself hung in the balance.

Yet we endured and we prevailed.

Here we stand looking out to the great Mall where Dr. King spoke of his dream.

Here we stand, where 108 years ago at another inaugural, thousands of protestors tried to block brave women from marching for the right to vote.

Today, we mark the swearing-in of the first woman in American history elected to national office – Vice President Kamala Harris.

Don’t tell me things can’t change.

Here we stand across the Potomac from Arlington National Cemetery, where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace.

And here we stand, just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people, to stop the work of our democracy, and to drive us from this sacred ground.

That did not happen.

It will never happen.

Not tomorrow.

To all those who supported our campaign I am humbled by the faith you have placed in us.

To all those who did not support us, let me say this: Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart.

And if you still disagree, so be it.

That’s democracy. That’s America. The right to dissent peaceably, within the guardrails of our Republic, is perhaps our nation’s greatest strength.

Yet hear me clearly: Disagreement must not lead to disunion.

And I pledge this to you: I will be a President for all Americans.

I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did.

Many centuries ago, Saint Augustine, a saint of my church, wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love.

What are the common objects we love that define us as Americans?

I think I know.

Opportunity.

And, yes, the truth.

Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson.

There is truth and there are lies.

Lies told for power and for profit.

And each of us has a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders – leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation — to defend the truth and to defeat the lies.

I understand that many Americans view the future with some fear and trepidation.

I understand they worry about their jobs, about taking care of their families, about what comes next.

But the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like you do, or worship the way you do, or don’t get their news from the same sources you do.

We must end this uncivil war that pits red against blue, rural versus urban, conservative versus liberal.

We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts.

If we show a little tolerance and humility.

If we’re willing to stand in the other person’s shoes just for a moment. Because here is the thing about life: There is no accounting for what fate will deal you.

There are some days when we need a hand.

There are other days when we’re called on to lend one.

That is how we must be with one another.

And, if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future.

My fellow Americans, in the work ahead of us, we will need each other.

We will need all our strength to persevere through this dark winter.

We are entering what may well be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus.

We must set aside the politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation.

I promise you this: as the Bible says weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning.

We will get through this, together

The world is watching today.

So here is my message to those beyond our borders: America has been tested and we have come out stronger for it.

We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again.

Not to meet yesterday’s challenges, but today’s and tomorrow’s.

We will lead not merely by the example of our power but by the power of our example.

We will be a strong and trusted partner for peace, progress, and security.

We have been through so much in this nation.

And, in my first act as President, I would like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer to remember all those we lost this past year to the pandemic.

To those 400,000 fellow Americans – mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, sons and daughters, friends, neighbors, and co-workers.

We will honor them by becoming the people and nation we know we can and should be.

Let us say a silent prayer for those who lost their lives, for those they left behind, and for our country.

This is a time of testing.

We face an attack on 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 would be enough to challenge us in profound ways.

But the fact is we face them all at once, presenting this nation with the gravest of responsibilities.

Now we must step up.

It is a time for boldness, for there is so much to do.

And, this is certain.

We will be judged, you and I, for how we resolve the cascading crises of our era.

Will we rise to the occasion?

Will we master this rare and difficult hour?

Will we meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world for our children?

I believe we must and I believe we will.

And when we do, we will write the next chapter in the American story.

It’s a story that might sound something like a song that means a lot to me.

It’s called “American Anthem” and there is one verse stands out for me:

“The work and prayers of centuries have brought us to this day What shall be our legacy? What will our children say?… Let me know in my heart When my days are through America America I gave my best to you.”

Let us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our nation.

If we do this then when our days are through our children and our children’s children will say of us they gave their best.

They did their duty.

They healed a broken land. My fellow Americans, I close today where I began, with a sacred oath.

Before God and all of you I give you my word.

I will always level with you.

I will defend the Constitution.

I will defend our democracy.

I will defend America.

I will give my all in your service thinking not of power, but of possibilities.

Not of personal interest, but of the public good.

And together, we shall write an American story of hope, not fear.

Of unity, not division.

Of light, not darkness.

An American story of decency and dignity.

Of love and of healing.

Of greatness and of goodness.

May this be the story that guides us.

The story that inspires us.

The story that tells ages yet to come that we answered the call of history.

We met the moment.

That democracy and hope, truth and justice, did not die on our watch but thrived.

That our 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.

So, with purpose and resolve we turn to the tasks of our time.

Sustained by faith.

Driven by conviction.

And, devoted to one another and to this country we love with all our hearts.

May God bless America and may God protect our troops.

Thank you, America.

12:13 pm EST

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Recipe for an Inaugural Address

About this resource, overview  .

In this lesson for middle grades, students consider what “ingredients” might go into the speech that will launch a president’s term in office as they examine some of the most memorable inaugural addresses of the past.

Procedure  

1. Ask students to imagine being an advisor to the newly-elected president who has asked for ideas about what to put into his or her upcoming inaugural address. “Give me your recipe,” the president-elect says, “because we need to start cookin’!” You begin by writing down some notes and questions.

Go over this list of “ingredients” and related questions with the whole class, either writing on the board or presenting as a handout.

Inaugural Address Ingredients

One nation, indivisible What words will help bring people together following a hard-fought election? What to say to those who voted for a different candidate? What are the basic beliefs and principles that unite us as Americans? Historical moment Where have we come from as a nation? What are the great challenges and opportunities of this time in history? What kind of future are we looking at? Goals What will the priorities of this administration be? What new course is the president charting for the country? Audiences/messages Who else is the speech aimed at? Along with the American people, which groups at home and around the world should the president be addressing? And what are the messages? Inspiration How can the president best convey a sense of hope? What can this speech do to help get citizens energized and involved? Emotional content What other feelings or attitudes should be expressed given the current circumstances and mood of the country? Language and form How should the speech be structured? In what ways can the president use language that will lift the address to a level above that of other speeches given while still keeping it in his or her own voice?

2. Continue with students in their role as advisors: Using these categories and the related questions, examine some outstanding inaugural addresses from the past, beginning with John F. Kennedy’s.

Hand out copies of JFK’s inaugural address. Divide the class into seven small groups, and assign a category to each team. Ask them to read Kennedy’s speech, and to search for evidence of whether he incorporated the particular ingredient and in what ways. The whole class reassembles and each group reports its findings.

3. As a homework assignment, ask students to go through a similar process on their own with one of the following speeches:

Abraham Lincoln – March 4, 1865 Franklin D. Roosevelt – March 4, 1933 Ronald Reagan – January 20, 1981

Read these speeches online.

4. Students should now be prepared to write a “Memo to the President-Elect” with their suggested ingredients for his or her upcoming speech.

5. Finally, have the class read and listen to the most recent inaugural address, analyzing and comparing it with the “recipes” contained in their memoranda.

Connections to Curricula (Standards)  

National History Standards - US History, Era 9: Postwar United States (1945 to early 1970s)

• Standard 2: How the Cold War and conflicts in Korea and Vietnam influenced domestic and international politics
• Standard 3: Domestic policies after World War II
• Standard 4: The struggle for racial and gender equality and for the extension of civil liberties

National History Standards - Historical Thinking Standards 

• B. Reconstruct the literal meaning of a historical passage.
• A. Consider multiple perspectives.
• B. Compare and contrast differing sets of ideas.

Common Core State Standards

• ELA College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language
• ELA – Reading Informational Texts, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language, and Literacy in History/Social Studies for grades 6-8.

C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards

• Discipline 1 - Developing questions and planning inquiries;
• Discipline 2 - Applying disciplinary concepts and tools (History and Civics)
• Discipline 3 - Evaluating sources and using evidence; and
• Discipline 4 - Communicating conclusions and taking informed action

National Council of Teachers of English : Standards 1,3,5,6,7,8,9, and 12

Massachusetts History and Social Science Framework

• 8.T4: Rights and responsibilities of citizens

Massachusetts English Language Arts Framework

• Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, and Language

President Kennedy's inaugural address (video plus transcript)

The American Presidency Project at UC Santa Barbara, an online source for all presidential inaugural addresses

Inauguration Speech

Elections are a very stressful and overwhelming time for most people. It is the time when the right to suffrage is practiced by the people in order to vote for the candidates they think are worthy of the positions they run for. Not only that, the results of the elections will help determine the future of state, town, and most especially the whole country. It is a very significant and one of the most important days when people have to decide on what and who will be good for the whole state and country.

• Delivering an Iconic Speech & Examples and Tips
• Demonstrative Speech Examples – PDF

During the elections period, you need to choose the candidate that best stands for what you believe is just and right. After a certain period intended for the candidates’ campaigns, the election day immediately follows. During the exact date for the election, you go to your poll, fill out your ballot, and put it the ballot box; you have officially cast your vote. Then what happens? After all the votes are counted, and the winning candidates are announced, an inauguration then follows. You often hear the word  inauguration  on election period. But what does that really mean and what does this entail?

What Happens on Inauguration Day?

By definition, inauguration means the beginning or introduction of a system, policy, or period; the formal admission of someone to office, or a ceremony to mark the beginning of something. During election period, inauguration is a formal ceremony wherein an elected public official begins his/her term of office. Although the word is commonly used and associated with elections, it can also mean the opening or first public use of a new civic area, organization, or project such as new library, museum, hospital, etc. Simply put, inauguration pertains to a new beginning, be it about people in office or newly opened buildings or infrastructures.

Since the inauguration day during the election period is the most common example, you should know what happens during the said event in the USA. On the exact date of the scheduled inauguration day, it starts with a morning worship service. The morning worship service is a tradition during such a monumental day that started in 1993 with Franklin D. Roosevelt and his first lady Eleanor; they attended church at St. John’s Episcopal Church near the White House. It has then set a precedent that has been diligently followed by all the other newly elected high officials of the country.

After the morning worship service, the procession to the Capitol follows. Although there have been changes with the vehicles used during the procession, this has been a tradition since the inauguration of George Washington in 1789 to have the president-elect, the vice president-elect and their spouses proceed to the swearing-in ceremony in the White House. They are escorted by the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC). It is an iconic procession that leads to the grounds where the newly elected president and vice president of the country will take their oath.

The vice president’s swearing-in  ceremony is immediately conducted once the procession arrives at the White House. This is when the vice president takes his/her oath of office. According to the U.S. constitution, the vice president doesn’t have a specific oath unlike that of the president. There has been quite a few officials who have administered the vice president’s oath. After this follows the president’s swearing-in ceremony where the chief justice of the Supreme Court administers the president’s oath. Some past inaugurations were held in front of New York’s Federal Hall and in Philadelphia like that of George Washington’s swearing-in ceremony, It wasn’t until 1801 when the swearing-in ceremony move to its current location in Washington, DC.

After all the swearing-in of the highest ranking elected official, the inaugural address follows. The tradition of giving an inauguration address began with George Washington with the shortest inauguration speech on record with only 135 words for his entire speech. However, the tradition many early presidents delivered their address before taking oath, the proceeding has been changed and the speech follows the oath. After the speech, the outgoing president and his spouse departs from the White House to proceed on their post-presidential lives. In the past, previous presidents leave the Capitol a day or two before the oath of the incoming president. But on the current days, incoming presidents and vice presidents have escorted the previous officials following the swearing-in ceremony.

After all the public appearances portion of the inauguration day, it has also been a tradition to hold an inauguration luncheon hosted by the JCCIC for the president, vice president, their spouses and other dignitaries. Following the luncheon, the newly elected president and vice president proceeds to Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House as a procession of ceremonial military regiments, citizens’ groups, marching bands, and floats follow. After the inaugural parade, a tradition inaugural ball follows. The tradition for the inaugural ball began in 1809 with James Madison’s inauguration.

As you may have noticed, there is a strict procedure that needs to be followed when it comes to the inauguration day. Although there have been changes, the same steps however in different order are still followed up to this day.

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How to Craft an Inaugural Speech

An inauguration speech can either leave the audience inspired and in awe or leave them bored and uninspired. As you may now know based on the discussion above, the highest ranking elected official delivers the inauguration speech where he/she can set the tone of the presidency. However, making these speeches is not an easy feat. To help you with crafting your own inspirational inauguration speech, an easy guide is provided below:

1. Choose an appropriate greeting for your audience

The greeting of your speech should set the tone for your entire speech. You should be able to open the speech warmly and let your audience feel as if they are a part of the momentous celebration. There are a couple of ways you can open the speech. It can be done through saying a quote, using a “what if” or “imagine” scenario, ask a question, use statistics, use statement or phrase, and so on. You should make the audience feel that you are as excited and as happy as they are with the celebration.

Here are some examples of inaugural speech greetings by previous US presidents:

• “I ask you to share with me today the majesty of this moment. In the orderly transfer of power, we celebrate the unity that keeps us free.” — Richard M. Nixon , 1969
• “For myself and for our nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he has done to heal our land.” — Jimmy Carter , 1977
• “Today we celebrate the mystery of American renewal. This ceremony is held in the depth of winter, but by the words we speak and the faces we show the world, we force the spring, a spring reborn in the world’s oldest democracy that brings forth the vision and courage to reinvent America.” — Bill Clinton , 1993

2. Describe the state of the nation

In this part of the speech you should remind the people of the current state of the nation. However, that does not mean you only include all the negative, also give emphasis on the positive things that have happened in the nation. This will help you set the tone for your term; if you feel like the negative outweighs the positive, then bring focus to that. Let the audience get in touch of the actual happenings of the present. Let them understand that the nation has still so much to improve on that way you can invoke them to do something about it together with you.

3. Pick a relevant issue and lay out your presidential plan

Although there will always be a lot of issues going on at the same time, as they say, you have to pick your battles. You have to know what your people want you to prioritize. Pick the issue you know the people have been wanting change for quite a while. Once you know what you have to work on, you set your plans on how to resolve the issue. And in your speech, express your presidential plans or the platforms you have ever since the campaign periods. Make the people know you are serious and determined to solve the issue be it about poverty, war, foreign policy, equality, and so on.

4. Inspire your audience

After you remind the people of the difficulties your nation is battling with, you need to give them hope that everything will be all right, that you will give your all in order to solve the current issues you country is facing. Aside from that, you need to inspire them to do their part, inspire them to give you a hand to resolve such matters. Inspire them to be better and responsible citizens of the country. You can use a quote, a strong phrase, or post a challenge to effectively get your point across.

5. Close your speech

If you think you have discussed or mentioned all the important points, you have to formally end you speech. And although it’s the end of the speech, let them know that you are still with them and you will fight their battles with them.

• “I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot gave to every living heart and hearthstone all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of of the Union, when again touched, as surely as they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” — Abraham Lincoln , 1861
• “Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end; that we did not turn back, nor did we falter. And with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations. Thank you. God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.” — Barack Obama , 2009     

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Joe Biden’s inauguration speech transcript, annotated

President Biden pleaded for national unity in his inaugural address Wednesday after he was sworn in as the 46th president. Below is a full transcript of his remarks, with analysis from The Fix team.

Chief Justice Roberts, Vice President Harris. Speaker Pelosi, Leaders Schumer, McConnell, Vice President Pence, my distinguished guests and my fellow Americans, this is America’s day.

This is democracy’s day. A day of history and hope of renewal and resolve through a crucible for the ages. America has been tested anew and America has risen to the challenge. Today, we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate, but of a cause, the cause of democracy. The people, the will of the people, has been heard and the will of the people has been heeded.

We’ve learned again that democracy is precious. Democracy is fragile. At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed 1 .

1 Throughout the speech, Biden intersperses the idea that democracy and our system of government have triumphed over threats, while acknowledging that victory isn't final. — Aaron Blake

From now, on this hallowed ground, where just a few days ago, violence sought to shake the Capitol’s very foundation, we come together as one nation, under God, indivisible, to carry out the peaceful transfer of power, as we have for more than two centuries.

As we look ahead in our uniquely American way: restless, bold, optimistic, and set our sights on the nation we can be and we must be.

I thank my predecessors of both parties for their presence 2 here today. I thank them from the bottom of my heart. And I know, I know the resilience of our Constitution and the strength, the strength of our nation. As does President Carter, who I spoke with last night, who cannot be with us today, but whom we salute for his lifetime of service.

2 Mike Pence, who succeeded Biden as vice president, attended the inauguration, as did former presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. President Trump did not attend, in a major break from the traditional ceremony of transfer of power. — Eugene Scott

I’ve just taken the sacred oath each of those patriots have taken. The oath, first sworn by George Washington. But the American story depends not on any one of us, not on some of us, but on all of us, on we the people who seek a more perfect union.

This is a great nation. We are good people. And over the centuries, through storm and strife, in peace and in war, we've come so far. But we still have far to go. We'll press forward with speed and urgency, for we have much to do in this winter of peril and significant possibilities, much to repair, much to restore, much to heal, much to build, and much to gain.

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. A once-in-a-century virus that silently stalks the country. It’s taken as many lives in one year as America lost in all of World War II. 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 dream of justice for all will be deferred no longer.

The cry for survival comes from the planet itself, 3 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.

3 The Biden administration has pledged to make climate change a priority in his administration, starting with undoing many of Trump’s environmental decisions via executive order and rejoining the Paris climate accord in his first days in office. — E.S.

To overcome these challenges, to restore the soul and secure the future of America requires so much more than words. It requires the most elusive of all things in a democracy: Unity. Unity.

In another January, on New Year’s Day in 1863, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. When he put pen to paper, the president said, and I quote: “If my name ever goes down into history, it’ll be for this act. And my whole soul is in it.”

My whole soul was in it today. On this January day, my whole soul is in this: Bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause.

Uniting to fight the foes we face: anger, resentment, hatred, extremism, lawlessness, violence, disease, joblessness and hopelessness. With unity, we can do great things, important things. We can right wrongs. We can put people to work in good jobs. We can teach our children in safe schools. We can overcome the deadly virus. We can reward, reward work, and rebuild the middle class and make health care secure for all. We can deliver racial justice and we can make America once again the leading force for good in the world.

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 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. No progress — only exhausting outrage. No nation — only a state of chaos.

This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge. And unity is the path forward. And we must meet this moment as the United States of America. If we do that, I guarantee you we will not fail. We have never, ever, ever, ever failed in America when we’ve acted together. 4

4 This was Biden's most pronounced appeal to unity. It will be difficult to make it happen, though — not just because of the faction of the Republican Party that remains loyal to Trump, but because of the historically close balance of power in the House and Senate. The Senate is 50-50, and the House is the closest it's been in about two decades. Any legislation will have to run through the political middle, but there are always political incentives to preventing a president from accomplishing things — notably, to argue they failed so your party's nominee might replace them. — A.B.

And so today at this time in this place, let’s start afresh, all of us. Let’s begin to listen to one another again. Hear one another, see one another, show respect to one another. Politics doesn’t have to be a raging fire, destroying everything in its path. Every disagreement doesn’t have to be a cause for total war. And we must reject the culture in which facts themselves are manipulated and even manufactured.

My fellow Americans, we have to be different than this. America has to be better than this. And I believe America is so much better than this. Just look around. Here we stand in the shadow of the Capitol dome, as was mentioned earlier, completed amid the Civil War, when the Union itself was literally hanging in the balance. Yet we endured, we prevailed.

Here we stand looking out on the great Mall where Dr. King spoke of his dream. Here we stand, where 108 years ago, at another inaugural, thousands of protesters tried to block brave women marching for the right to vote. And today we marked the swearing-in of the first woman in American history elected to national office: Vice President Kamala Harris. Don’t tell me things can’t change. 5

5 Biden pledged during his primary campaign to make history with his running mate pick, saying he’d only consider women. He followed through on that by selecting a lawmaker from one of the demographic groups who supported him the most — Black women — and the fastest growing minority group in the United States — Asian Americans. — E.S.

Here we stand across the Potomac from Arlington Cemetery, where heroes who gave the last full measure of devotion rest in eternal peace. And here we stand just days after a riotous mob thought they could use violence to silence the will of the people 6 , to stop the work of our democracy, to drive us from this sacred ground.

6 Biden won the popular vote by 7 million votes, as well as winning the electoral college. The election results were affirmed repeatedly in courts as not having been marred by any widespread fraud. But the rioters who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 claimed otherwise, and former president Donald Trump never fully acknowledged this was the case. — E.S.

It did not happen. It will never happen. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. Not ever.

To all those who supported our campaign, I’m humbled by the faith you’ve placed in us. To all those who did not support us, let me say this: Hear me out as we move forward. Take a measure of me and my heart. If you still disagree, so be it. That’s democracy. That’s America. The right to dissent, peaceably, the guardrails of our republic, is perhaps this nation’s greatest strength.

Yet hear me clearly: Disagreement must not lead to disunion. And I pledge this to you: I will be a president for all Americans. 7 All Americans. And I promise you I will fight as hard for those who did not support me as for those who did.

7 Biden’s pledge to reach across the aisle on policy and to earn the support of those who did not back him, rather than primarily viewing them as political enemies, was a mainstay of his candidacy, and it was a major theme of his address. — E.S.

Many centuries ago, St. Augustine, a saint in my church, wrote that a people was a multitude defined by the common objects of their love. Defined by the common objects of their love. What are the common objects we as Americans love, that define us as Americans? I think we know. Opportunity, security, liberty, dignity, respect, honor and, yes, the truth.

Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson. There is truth and there are lies, lies told for power and for profit. And each of us has a duty and responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders, leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation, to defend the truth and defeat the lies. 8

8 This is one of the prominent features of Biden's speech: While calling for unity, an acknowledgment that some of his opponents aren't on the level and that their influence must be dealt with. Biden didn't use his speech to call out individuals who purveyed the theory that his win wasn't legitimate, but he seems to recognize that, without addressing the proliferation of falsehoods, his agenda will be difficult to enact. For a man who emphasizes conciliation, it was certainly a notable choice. — A.B.

Look — I understand that many of my fellow Americans view the future with fear and trepidation. I understand they worry about their jobs. I understand, like my dad, they lay in bed at night, staring at the ceiling, wondering: Can I keep my health care? Can I pay my mortgage? Thinking about their families, about what comes next. I promise you, I get it.

But the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don’t look like you or worship the way you do, or don’t get their news from the same sources you do. We must end this uncivil war 9 that pits red against blue, rural vs. urban, conservative vs. liberal. We can do this if we open our souls instead of hardening our hearts. If we show a little tolerance and humility, and if we’re willing to stand in the other person’s shoes, as my mom would say, just for a moment, stand in their shoes. Because here’s the thing about life: There’s no accounting for what fate will deal you. Some days when you need a hand. There are other days when we’re called to lend a hand. That’s how it has to be. That’s what we do for one another. And if we are this way, our country will be stronger, more prosperous, more ready for the future. And we can still disagree.

9 One of the most memorable lines of the speech — and one that conjures images of the ugliest chapter in American history, which has to have been part of the calculation. It's Obama-esque, but also a realistic description of the nature of our politics. — A.B.

My fellow Americans, in the work ahead of us, we’re going to need each other. We need all our strength to persevere through this dark winter. We’re entering what may be the toughest and deadliest period of the virus. We must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation. One nation 10 .

10 The events of the past two months have in many ways papered over the size of the challenge ahead for Biden's administration, especially with regard to the coronavirus pandemic. Calls to "set aside politics" are boilerplate, but Biden acknowledges how much uglier it's likely to get as we refocus on fighting the virus, rather than a threat to our democracy. — A.B.

And I promise you this, as the Bible says: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” We will get through this together. Together.

Look, folks. All my colleagues I served with in the House and the Senate up there, we all understand the world is watching, watching all of us today. So here’s my message to those beyond our borders: 11 America has been tested and we’ve come out stronger for it. We will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again. Not to meet yesterday’s challenges, but today’s and tomorrow’s challenges. And we’ll lead, not merely by the example of our power, but by the power of our example.

11 Biden signals that the standoffish posture toward allies from the Trump administration is a thing of the past, as the United States' reputation has reached a new low, and that America can be trusted again to abide by its agreements. Biden is set to rejoin the Paris climate accord and the World Health Organization, which Trump pulled out of. A big question is how he handles the Iran deal that Trump left. — A.B.

We’ll be a strong and trusted partner for peace, progress and security. Look — you all know we’ve been through so much in this nation. And my first act as president, I’d like to ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer to remember all those who we lost this past year to the pandemic. Those 400,000 fellow Americans. Moms, dads, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends, neighbors and co-workers. We will honor them by becoming the people and the nation we know we can and should be. So I ask you, let’s say a silent prayer for those who’ve lost their lives, those left behind, and for our country. 12

12 An acknowledgement of the biggest task that lies ahead. — A.B.

Folks, this is a time of testing. 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. Now we’re going to be tested. Are we going to step up? All of us? It’s time for boldness, for there is so much to do. And this is certain, I promise you: We will be judged, you and I, by how we resolve these cascading crises of our era.

Will we rise to the occasion is the question. Will we master this rare and difficult hour? Will we meet our obligations and pass along a new and better world to our children? I believe we must. I’m sure you do as well. I believe we will. And when we do, we’ll write the next great chapter in the history of the United States of America. The American story. A story that might sound something like a song that means a lot to me. It’s called “American Anthem.” There’s one verse that stands out, at least for me, and it goes like this:

The work and prayers of a century have brought us to this day.

What shall be our legacy? What will our children say?

Let me know in my heart when my days are through.

America, America, I gave my best to you.

Let's add. Let us add our own work and prayers to the unfolding story of our great nation. If we do this, then when our days are through, our children and our children's children will say of us: They gave their best, they did their duty, they healed a broken land.

My fellow Americans, I close the day where I began, with a sacred oath before God and all of you. I give you my word, I will always level with you. I will defend the Constitution. I’ll defend our democracy. I’ll defend America and I will give all, all of you. Keep everything I do in your service, thinking not of power, but of possibilities, not of personal interest, but the public good. 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 forebears, one another and generations to follow.

So, with purpose and resolve, we turn to those tasks of our time. Sustained by faith, driven by conviction, devoted to one another and the country we love with all our hearts. May God bless America and may God protect our troops. Thank you, America.

President Joe Biden: The First 100 Days

Biden issuing pandemic plan that aims to expand access to testing and vaccines, reopen schools

Biden administration to pause deportations, curtail arrests

On his first day, Biden signs executive orders to reverse Trump’s policies

The Biden White House: A look inside Biden’s Oval Office

The inauguration

Joseph R. Biden Jr. is sworn in as the 46th President of the United States | Read his speech

America’s first Youth Poet Laureate: Amanda Gorman reads poem ‘The Hill We Climb’ at inauguration

World reaction: The world is watching as Biden assumes office, Trump era ends

The administration

The Biden Cabinet: Who has been selected and who is in the running

Biden appointees: Who is filling key roles

The Biden Agenda

Read more about his plans on: Immigration | Foreign policy | Health care | Climate change | Social and Criminal Justice | Economic policy | Tech policy

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Inauguration Day: Live Updates

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Live Updates

• January 21 Photos: The Internet's Favorite Inauguration Day Fashions
• January 20 In 'Celebrating America' Biden, Harris Urge Nation To Rise Together
• January 20 Senate Confirms Avril Haines As Director Of National Intelligence
• January 20 Toxic Pesticide Faces New Scrutiny From Biden Administration
• January 20 Stocks Close On Record Highs After Biden Inauguration

Photos: The Internet's Favorite Inauguration Day Fashions

by  Farah Eltohamy ,  Emma Bowman

Vice President Harris chose a purple number for her big day — believed to be a nod to Shirley Chisholm — at the presidential inauguration ceremony on Wednesday. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

Vice President Harris chose a purple number for her big day — believed to be a nod to Shirley Chisholm — at the presidential inauguration ceremony on Wednesday.

The presidential inauguration ceremony on Wednesday looked a lot different than in previous years. Masks were a reminder of a pandemic still raging. The ceremonial parade was canceled and some customs went virtual . In a historically rare snub, a sitting President Trump was absent for the swearing-in ceremony of his successor, Joe Biden.

But, at least for the sartorially minded, an abundance of strategically selected outfits helped elevate an unusual and scaled-back ceremony.

National youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman arrives at the inauguration, dressed head to mask to toe in bright, primary colors. Win McNamee/Getty Images hide caption

National youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman arrives at the inauguration, dressed head to mask to toe in bright, primary colors.

There were repurposed woolen mittens , elaborate face masks and dramatic collars. Over on social media, amateur fashion sleuths looked on, attaching symbolism and pronouncing the emergence of new clothing aesthetics. Bright color choices told their own stories and paid tribute to leaders past.

There was Amanda Gorman , the youngest inaugural poet in history, who captivated the country with the reading of her poem, "The Hill We Climb." In a vibrant canary yellow Miuccia Prada coat, a red satin Prada headband and a red mask to match, the 22-year-old stood out in a sea of muted tones and indistinguishable suits.

The yellow, Gorman told Vogue , was her way of paying homage to first lady Jill Biden. The first lady asked Gorman to recite an original poem at her husband's swearing-in last month after she was moved by Gorman's reading of her poem, "In This Place: An American Lyric," in 2017 at the Library of Congress.

Gorman told the magazine: [Jill Biden] said, "I saw this video of you and you were wearing yellow and I loved it."

The poet also wore gold hoops and a ring in the shape of a caged bird, a present from Oprah Winfrey as a tribute to Maya Angelou and her poem, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's brilliant blue coat appeared to have weathered a few snow flurries ahead of the inauguration ceremony. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's brilliant blue coat appeared to have weathered a few snow flurries ahead of the inauguration ceremony.

Lady Gaga, a pop star synonymous with drama, belted out the national anthem in custom Schiaparelli haute couture: a fitted navy jacket and a billowy red silk skirt. Washington Post humor columnist Alexandra Petri thought Gaga's severe attire might as well have been plucked from a Hunger Games movie. With an unmissable golden dove brooch pinned to her chest, though, the avant-garde shapeshifter insists she was sending a message of peace to a divided nation: "A dove carrying an olive branch," Gaga tweeted . "May we all make peace with each other."

President-elect Joe Biden greets singer Lady Gaga during the inauguration. Susan Walsh/AP/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

President-elect Joe Biden greets singer Lady Gaga during the inauguration.

Jennifer Lopez is escorted to the inauguration. Alex Wong/Getty Images hide caption

Jennifer Lopez is escorted to the inauguration.

Jennifer Lopez followed co-headliner Lady Gaga in a Victorian chic look ( Pride and Prejudice , but make it glam). J.Lo's all-white Chanel ensemble featured a ruffled blouse buttoned to the top of her neck. Her pants, loose and sequined, contrasted with the rigidity of her tweed coat. Looks aside, Twitter users collectively lost their minds when the performer summoned a sampling of her 1999 hit, "Let's Get Loud," during her rendition of "This Land Is Your Land."

Cole Emhoff (left) and Ella Emhoff, the stepchildren of Vice President Harris, arrive for the inauguration at the Capitol. Win McNamee/AP hide caption

Cole Emhoff (left) and Ella Emhoff, the stepchildren of Vice President Harris, arrive for the inauguration at the Capitol.

Ella Emhoff, stepdaughter to Vice President Harris, turned out in full 20-something art-student-from-Brooklyn glory ( or so some social media users observed). She arrived at the Capitol wearing a dramatic tweed coat from Miu Miu adorned with a frilly oversized collar. Underneath was a Batsheva dress — reminiscent of the prairie-chic style dominating Instagram Explore pages . Emhoff's stylists, Jill Lincoln and Jordan Johnson , completed the look with chunky black boots and a thin hairband.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a former presidential candidate, looks toasty in the bleachers before Joe Biden is sworn in. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a former presidential candidate, looks toasty in the bleachers before Joe Biden is sworn in.

Appearing to hold down his socially distanced 6-foot perimeter, Bernie Sanders gave onlookers an unobstructed view of his take on " grumpy chic ."

The Vermont senator's understated look stood out among the formal-clad masses. Staying loyal to his Green Mountain State roots, he wore a hefty parka from Burton, a Vermont-based snowboarding brand. As astute Tweeters noted, Sanders wore the same coat in a now famous "I am once again asking" meme that originated from a video in which he asks for donations back when he was on the campaign trail. Burton Snowboards took it as an opportunity to offer fans a Bernie-inspired budget-friendly look .

Bernie Sanders And His Mittens Win The Inauguration Day Meme Game

It was also hard to overlook the senator's repurposed sweater-wool mittens — gifted to him a couple of years ago by Jen Ellis, a teacher in Vermont , a backstory noted by Buzzfeed reporter Ruby Cramer.

Despite all appearances, his inauguration presence was not a pit stop on an errand run, as some on Twitter suggested . Where Sanders comes from, he told CBS in an interview following the ceremony, "We're not so concerned about good fashion — we want to keep warm. And that's what I did today."

Similarly, Janet Yellen prioritized comfort over fashion in freezing-cold temps. The former chair of the Federal Reserve, and Biden's pick for Treasury secretary, was nestled inside of her black puffer jacket. She draped a blue blanket over her knees for added toastiness.

Janet Yellen, U.S. Treasury secretary nominee for President Biden, wears a disposable mask while attending the inauguration. Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

Janet Yellen, U.S. Treasury secretary nominee for President Biden, wears a disposable mask while attending the inauguration.

Biden's granddaughters arrived at the Capitol looking like an all-woman supergroup, according to several Twitter users who said they thought the pop rock-band Haim arrived to perform at the inauguration. They were decked out in monochromatic outfits, down to their masks and gloves. Plus, the combination of pink, camel and white struck some as the human embodiment of Neapolitan ice cream .

Not least of all, Vice President Harris made history while outfitted in a bold purple coat and matching dress by Christopher John Rogers, a young Black designer who hails from Louisiana.

CNN journalist Abby Phillip remarked that purple is a special color to Harris as a "nod to Shirley Chisholm ," the first Black woman elected to Congress and whom the vice president has cited as inspiration for her political career. It's also a color of the women's suffrage movement, as NPR reported .

Opting for a plum pantsuit, former first lady Michelle Obama, too, stuck to the color theme that, as a blend of colors red and blue, has also traditionally signaled bipartisanship or unity.

Farah Eltohamy is an intern on NPR's Digital News desk.

In 'Celebrating America' Biden, Harris Urge Nation To Rise Together

by  Vanessa Romo

Katy Perry performs during the Celebrating America event on Wednesday, following the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States. Biden Inaugural Committee/AP hide caption

Katy Perry performs during the Celebrating America event on Wednesday, following the inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States.

A maskless President Biden addressed the nation Wednesday night standing at the feet of Abraham Lincoln Memorial during a televised and star-studded celebration of the historic inauguration.

"We're good people," he reassured viewers, before picking up the theme of his earlier speech on the steps of the Capitol.

"Unity forces us to come together in common love that defines us as Americans," Biden said.

The 46th president urged the public to come together, saying it's "the only way we'll get through the darkness around us."

President Joe Biden addresses the nation during Celebrating America

He noted that the obstacles facing the nation — including the pandemic currently ravaging communities across the country, racial injustices and the climate crisis — are "threats to our very democracy."

"Will we meet the moment like our forbearers have?" Biden asked.

"I believe we must and I believe we will," he said. "You, the American people are the reason why I have never been more optimistic about America than I am this very day."

He added: "America is built of decency and dignity of love and healing of greatness and goodness. Of possibility."

The inaugural program, called Celebrating America , featured several tributes to the extraordinary efforts by nurses, doctors, teachers and other frontline workers who have stepped up throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

In her first remarks to the nation as vice president, Kamala Harris echoed the president's call to unite in the days ahead.

"In many ways this moment embodies our character as nation," she said in a brief address to the audience.

"Even in dark times, we not only dream, we do. We shoot for the moon and then we plant our flag on it," Harris said. "We are bold, we are fearless and ambitious. We are undaunted in our believe that we shall overcome that we will rise up."

She added: "A great experiment takes great determination. The will to do the work and then the wisdom to keep refining, keep tinkering, keep perfecting."

Although much of the program hit several somber notes, the two-hour show was interspersed with several performances by a variety of singers, musicians, artists and actors. Among them, John Legend sang Nina Simone's Feeling Good.

John Legend performs at Celebrating America

Justin Timberlake and Ant Clemons performed Better Days.

Justin Timberlake & Ant Clemons performing at Celebrating America

Puerto Rican singers Ozuna and Luis Fonsi sang their respective mega-hits, Taki Taki and Despacito , in Spanish.

And Katy Perry's Firework, served as the soundtrack to a stunning firework show over the White House and the National Mall that capped off the celebration.

Katy Perry singing at Celebrating America

Senate Confirms Avril Haines As Director Of National Intelligence

by  Barbara Sprunt

Avril Haines, seen here during her confirmation hearing Tuesday, was confirmed by the Senate as director of national intelligence. Joe Raedle/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Avril Haines, seen here during her confirmation hearing Tuesday, was confirmed by the Senate as director of national intelligence.

The Senate has voted to confirm Avril Haines to be director of national intelligence, making her President Biden's first Cabinet-level official to receive Senate confirmation. The vote was 84-10.

Her confirmation comes after Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., briefly held up the process, asking for a written response from her about a question during her confirmation hearing a day earlier.

"I no longer object," Cotton said Wednesday evening, noting that Haines had provided him with a response.

My statement on the confirmation of Avril Haines: pic.twitter.com/GxXRcn13IT — Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) January 20, 2021

"In her open session yesterday, she gave an answer in response to Sen. [Ron] Wyden that suggested the intelligence community might reopen investigations into detention interrogation programs from 2001 to 2006," Cotton said. "She clarified in the private setting that she had no intention to open up those investigations and expose operations officers inside the CIA to criminal prosecution, or adverse employment action, or even holding it against them in potential future promotions or placements."

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., had tweeted earlier Wednesday that he wasn't attending Biden's inauguration to work to expedite a vote on Haines' nomination.

"It's important we do this as soon as possible," he wrote.

Haines' confirmation prevents a situation where Biden would begin his presidency with no members of his national security team firmly in place, as is customary .

During her Tuesday confirmation hearing , Haines began her opening statement with tacit criticism of President Trump.

"When it comes to intelligence, there is simply no place for politics, ever," she said.

She pledged to declassify an intelligence report about the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and promised an "aggressive response" to China to counter its "illegal and unfair practices."

Haines, 51, previously was deputy national security adviser. She also was deputy chief counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2007-2008 when Biden was chairman.

In 2013, President Barack Obama named her deputy CIA director, the first woman to hold the job.

She now makes history again as the first woman to hold the top job in U.S. intelligence.

When Biden announced Haines in November as his pick to lead the intelligence community, she vowed to "speak truth to power."

"I've worked for you for a long time, and I accept this nomination knowing that you would never want me to do otherwise and that you value the perspective of the intelligence community," she said at the time. "And that you will do so even when what I have to say may be inconvenient or difficult, and I assure you, there will be those times."

Toxic Pesticide Faces New Scrutiny From Biden Administration

by  Dan Charles

Pesticide warning sign in an orange grove. This sign, bilingual in English and Spanish, warns that the poisonous pesticide Lorsban has been applied to these orange trees. Photographed in Woodlake, in the San Joaquin Valley, California, USA. Jim West/Science Source hide caption

Pesticide warning sign in an orange grove. This sign, bilingual in English and Spanish, warns that the poisonous pesticide Lorsban has been applied to these orange trees. Photographed in Woodlake, in the San Joaquin Valley, California, USA.

President Biden's initial wave of planned executive actions includes an order to reexamine one controversial, but widely used, pesticide called chlorpyrifos. The Trump administration had stepped in to keep the chemical on the market after Obama-era officials tried to ban it.

It's just one in a long list of science-related Trump administration actions that the incoming Biden team will now revisit. In a statement, Biden promised to take a close look at all policies "that were harmful to public health, damaging to the environment, unsupported by the best available science, or otherwise not in the national interest."

Farmers use chlorpyrifos to control insects on a wide variety of crops, including corn, apples, and vegetables. It is among the most toxic pesticides. Workers exposed to it can experience dizziness, headaches, and nausea. Most indoor uses of the pesticide were halted in 2001.

More recently, however, researchers at Columbia University studied health records from women who'd been exposed to this chemical before that ban, and found evidence that exposure to tiny amounts of chlorpyrifos harmed the brains of their developing fetuses and young children. Those studies, along with lawsuits filed by environmental advocates, convinced the Environmental Protection Agency to move ahead with a ban during the final months of the Obama administration.

When the Trump administration took office in 2017, the new EPA leadership put that decision on hold and later reversed it. This was due in large part to the agency's decision to exclude evidence from the Columbia University studies, because university researchers refused to turn over raw data from those studies. The researchers maintain that this would violate the confidentiality of the women whom they'd studied.

California , meanwhile, moved ahead with its own regulations. It banned sales of chlorpyrifos in the state in early 2020. Starting this year, California's farmers no longer can spray the chemical.

The Biden administration now will take a fresh look at chlorpyrifos, as well as the EPA's rules that justified excluding the Columbia University studies. In addition, the incoming administration will revisit a Trump administration decision to shrink the buffer zones around fields that have to be free of people when pesticides are applied. Farmworker advocates have challenged that decision in court.

Stocks Close On Record Highs After Biden Inauguration

by  Camila Domonoske

Stocks hit record highs on Wednesday after President Biden's inauguration. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Stocks hit record highs on Wednesday after President Biden's inauguration.

Updated at 8:23 p.m. ET

The Dow, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq all hit new records as markets closed on Wednesday afternoon.

The achievement was notched right in the middle of Inauguration Day celebrations, as the Biden administration played a montage of dancing and singing across America. There just may have been some celebratory shimmies on Wall Street, too.

The Dow rose nearly 1% to 31,188. The tech-heavy NASDAQ closing nearly 2% higher at 13,457, while the broader S&P 500 rose 1.39% to end the day at about 3,852.

The stock market has been surging for months, despite the economic anguish caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The Nasdaq has more than doubled since its pandemic low point back in March.

Overall, stock market performance was very strong during the Trump presidency — annualized returns were almost as high as they were during the Obama administration. (Under President Bill Clinton, stock values soared even more.)

More than any other president, Trump pointed to stock markets gains as his own personal success, although he did not seem to consider stock market losses in the same light .

He repeatedly warned that a Biden win would cause markets to crash.

A market crash is never out of the question, and some analysts worry we're in or approaching a bubble.

But so far, Biden's win has not sent investors into a tailspin. Instead, many on Wall Street seem to believe that the veteran politician, famous for striking legislative deals, can work with Congress to push significantly more stimulus spending , which could boost stocks even higher.

Of course, stock markets respond to many forces outside a chief executive's control, and neither Trump nor Biden can take full credit for the stock markets recent rise.

Biden Moves To Have U.S. Rejoin Climate Accord

by  Nathan Rott

President Joe Biden is directing the U.S. to rejoin the international Paris Climate Agreement, which aims to cut global greenhouse gas emissions. Here, activists rally on Dec. 12, 2015. Francois Guillot/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

President Joe Biden is directing the U.S. to rejoin the international Paris Climate Agreement, which aims to cut global greenhouse gas emissions. Here, activists rally on Dec. 12, 2015.

Updated 5:45pm Eastern Time

In one of his first acts in the Oval Office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order to have the United States rejoin the Paris climate agreement, the largest international effort to curb global warming.

The U.S. officially withdrew from the accord to limit climate-warming greenhouse gas emissions late last year, after President Donald Trump began the process in 2017. It is the only country of the nearly 200 signatories that has withdrawn. Biden vowed to sign on Inauguration Day the documents needed to rejoin the agreement.

The U.S. played a large role in creating the 2015 agreement. It aims to avoid the most catastrophic climate change scenarios by keeping average global temperatures from rising no more than 2 degrees Celsius, and preferably less than 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100, compared to pre-industrial times. Global temperatures have already increased by a little more than one degree Celsius.

"The window for meaningful action is now very narrow – we have no time to waste," said Dr. M. Sanjayan, chief executive of Conservation International, an environmental advocacy group. "President Biden's action today is certainly a step in the right direction."

It will take 30 days for the U.S. to officially rejoin the agreement, but meeting its targets is going to be a taller order. The U.S. is the second-largest producer of carbon emissions, behind China, and has contributed more to global climate change over time than any other country.

As a candidate, Biden made a bold pledge to cut all greenhouse gas emissions from the nation's electric sector by 2035 and to make the country carbon-neutral by 2050. Carbon emissions have been decreasing from the country's electricity sector as coal plants have been retired over the last decade and utilities ramp up their reliance on renewable energy sources like wind and solar.

Industrial and transportation sources of carbon emissions are going to be harder to curtail. In 2017, transportation overtook electricity generation as the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

Biden is expected to stiffen auto emissions standards, but writing new rules takes time.

Still, Biden's move to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement signals to the world that the U.S. is serious about addressing climate change again, and that it will have a seat at the table when world leaders meet in Glasgow to make new climate pledges later this year.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed the American re-entry into the climate agreement. In an emailed statement, he wrote: "We look forward to the leadership of United States in accelerating global efforts towards net zero."

Brown Girls Book Club Comes Together To Celebrate And Watch Historic Inauguration

by  Melissa Block

The women of the Brown Girls Book Club could not miss the opportunity to join together for this historic moment: the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. Melissa Block/NPR hide caption

The women of the Brown Girls Book Club could not miss the opportunity to join together for this historic moment: the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

They gathered long distance via Zoom, garlanded with pearls in homage to Kamala Harris's signature neckwear, and with champagne bottles ready to pop.

Eight Black women, who for the past 25 years have belonged to what they call the Brown Girls Book Club, could not miss the opportunity to join together for this historic moment: the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, who becomes the first woman, first African American, and first Asian American vice president.

"I need this moment for me," said Vivian Wallace-Llodra, 50, a senior content strategist with JP Morgan Chase in New York, who sported a T-shirt reading "Kamala and Joe" (because "first, her!" she explained) and a cobalt blue pantsuit in tribute to Hillary Clinton.

"What's that song, 'It's been a long time coming?' " Wallace-Llodra asked. "Change gonna come! " chimed in Rachel Giordani, 49, an instructional coach in New York, proudly decked out in a red Howard University sweatshirt.

Many of those in the group are alumnae of Howard, Harris's alma mater, or fellow members of her sorority, Alpha Kappa Alpha, and they felt a special connection to this day.

As they waited for the ceremony to begin, the women said the joy they felt was shaded by the damage done during the Trump presidency.

"I feel like today and in the days that are coming, we're all going to be recovering from PTSD," said Wallace-Llodra. "Joe Biden and Kamala Harris is a return to normalcy."

The group turned euphoric when former first lady Michelle Obama appeared on the stage in a belted burgundy ensemble, her hair in a sleek, wavy blowout. "Go ahead, Michelle!" they shouted. "Look at Shelly!" "Today we fierce!" "That's a helluva belt buckle!" "Forget it, she snacks from head to toe!"

When Harris emerged from the Capitol in a royal purple coat and matching dress, the women erupted in jubilant cheers, which quickly turned to sobs as they absorbed the weight of the moment. "Oh my god," they said, wiping away tears. "Wow."

Monica Brady, 49, a middle school principal in New York City, called the new vice president "a kick-ass woman who would very easily fit in this set ... [We] see us reflected back to us, not just in her brownness, but her fierceness. She is a fierce woman! And everybody on this line is as well."

After Harris and Biden were sworn in, the women whooped and raised their glasses high in a toast, some with champagne, others with sparkling water and iced coffee. "I love you guys," Giordani told her friends, before adding, "We have a lot of work to do."

The women sipped as they listened to President Biden speak of unity and healing in his inaugural address, urging Americans to "hear one another, see one another, show respect to one another."

Afterward, reflecting on his words, Wallace-Llodra said, "I know a lot of people are a little offended by these calls for unity. I'm not, you know? Unify. Embrace them. They'll either come along or they won't."

She added, "Now personally, the cynic in me thinks that they won't come along because they haven't. But there's nothing wrong with trying."

The QAnon 'Storm' Never Struck. Some Supporters Are Wavering, Others Steadfast

A man wears a QAnon shirt while boarding a shuttle bus in Londonderry, N.H., on Aug. 28, 2020. Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

A man wears a QAnon shirt while boarding a shuttle bus in Londonderry, N.H., on Aug. 28, 2020.

Former President Donald Trump did not declare martial law in his final minutes in office; nor did he reveal a secret plan to remain in power forever. President Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were not sent to Guantánamo Bay. The military did not rise up and arrest Democratic leaders en masse.

Instead, Biden took the oath of office and became the 46th U.S. president on Wednesday.

For some supporters of QAnon, this was an earth-shattering turn of events. Or rather, nonevents.

QAnon is less a baseless conspiracy theory than an umbrella of many baseless conspiracy theories, but it centers on a belief that there is a shadowy cabal of pedophilic, satanic world leaders. For years, a mysterious figure called Q has issued promises that this cabal is on the verge of being exposed and defeated by Trump in a cataclysmic event that QAnon calls "the Storm."

The baseless, often bizarre claims have gained a shocking amount of traction with the public. A recent NPR/Ipsos poll found that 17% of Americans believe that a group of Satan-worshipping, child-enslaving elites is trying to control the world, and another 37% aren't sure about the false allegation. And two women who have expressed some support for QAnon, Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor Greene , are now sitting members of Congress.

What Is QAnon? The Conspiracy Theory Tiptoeing Into Trump World

Even If It's 'Bonkers,' Poll Finds Many Believe QAnon And Other Conspiracy Theories

Now that Trump has left office, some QAnon supporters are baffled — or even giving up.

New York Times tech columnist Kevin Roose tweeted out screenshots from groups on Telegram — a popular messaging service for QAnon supporters — on Wednesday, after the transfer of power was officially complete. "Been played like fools," one wrote .

Roose noted that one particularly prominent QAnon figure publicly announced that supporters need to "go back to our lives as best we are able," rather than continue trying to overthrow Biden's presidency.

Will Sommer, who tracks conservative media and is working on a book about QAnon, wrote in the Daily Beast that even late on Wednesday morning, QAnon groups were still hopeful that the mass arrests would materialize. But after noon, "the mood changed quickly," Sommer wrote, with supporters saying they felt fooled by Trump and felt sick.

Feeling fooled may not lead to a return to normalcy. One researcher told NBC News that frustrated, disappointed Q followers could be prime targets for radicalization by other extremist groups, like neo-Nazis.

And, of course, not every Q follower is giving up the faith (an appropriate word — some argue that Q is best understood as a religious movement ).

Consider This from NPR

Their family members are qanon followers — and they're at a loss what to do about it.

The Times' Roose noted Q fans arguing with each other, with some declaring the movement over while others insisting the Storm was still coming. NBC's Ben Collins and Brandy Zadrozny took a look at one of the largest QAnon Telegram groups, which briefly shut down on Wednesday and reopened with "a range of reactions: confusion and realization that QAnon was in fact a hoax, as well as renewed commitment to the conspiracy theory, despite its unreliability."

Researcher Travis View told The Washington Post that it was only a "minority ... facing reality," while others are simply shifting their expectations.

It's a process they're familiar with, after all: A multitude of Q predictions has failed to materialize, and that has never stopped the conspiracies from spreading.

Like apocalyptic cults that persist despite a noteworthy lack of apocalypse, QAnon may survive the failed prophecies around the inauguration just like it has survived other failed prophecies before.

Biden To Move Quickly On Climate Change, Reversing Trump Rollbacks

by  Lauren Sommer

President Biden has vowed quick action on climate change, appointing the largest climate staff of any president. Alex Edelman/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

President Biden has vowed quick action on climate change, appointing the largest climate staff of any president.

President Biden is moving quickly on climate change on his first day in office, saying he plans to sign a sweeping executive order to undo many of the Trump administration's environmental rollbacks.

Biden's pledge to rejoin the international Paris climate accord tops his list of immediate steps. Former President Donald Trump announced the U.S. withdrawal from the landmark agreement in 2017, which was completed in November . The Trump administration also weakened or undid other, lesser-known climate and environmental policies that Biden has vowed to restore.

Biden will instruct federal agencies to review more than 100 policies, many crucial to curbing heat-trapping emissions, including fuel economy standards for cars and pollution limits on the oil and gas industry .

"A cry for survival comes from the planet itself, a cry that can't be any more desperate or any more clear," Biden said in his inaugural address Wednesday.

'This Is America's Day': Biden's Inaugural Address, Annotated

The Trump administration systematically loosened Obama-era environmental standards that range from energy-efficiency standards for appliances and buildings to air quality standards designed to protect public health.

Some of those rollbacks, such as fuel economy standards for cars and trucks, went further than the industry wanted. Under President Barack Obama, automakers had negotiated efficiency standards that gradually became tougher year after year. Federal agencies under Trump instead froze the standards, leading some automakers to agree voluntarily to continue with the tougher rules.

Fuel efficiency of cars and trucks in the U.S. fell for the first time in five years in 2019, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Transportation is the country's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions.

What Biden Plans To Do His First Day As President

Biden Order Blocks Keystone XL Pipeline

The Biden administration will also instruct the federal government to consider the long-term economic impacts of climate change when making new regulations, what's known as the "social cost" of carbon . Under Obama, those costs were weighed against the immediate cost a new regulation might pose to an industry, given that climate impacts are increasingly costing billions across many economic sectors. The Trump administration did away with that practice in 2017. Biden is reestablishing the working group to issue those guidelines, including weighing "environmental justice and intergenerational equity" considerations.

The planned moves were applauded by environmental groups, who warn the U.S. has little time to act to cut emissions. Scientists say the world is on track to exceed 1.5 Celsius degrees of warming, which will lead to higher sea level rise and more extreme heat waves and hurricanes.

"The sweeping nature of these executive orders are an important down payment in addressing the tatters left behind by President Trump," Kathleen Rest, executive director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in a statement. "They seek to reverse policies that fly in the face of science, harm public health and degrade the environment."

Defined By Scandal At Voice of America, CEO Resigns At Biden's Request

by  David Folkenflik

Trump appointee Michael Pack resigned as the head of the federal agency over the Voice of America and other broadcasters at President Biden's request. U.S. Agency for Global Media hide caption

Trump appointee Michael Pack resigned as the head of the federal agency over the Voice of America and other broadcasters at President Biden's request.

Updated at 9:37 p.m. ET

Michael Pack resigned Wednesday as the CEO of the federal agency over the Voice of America and other federally funded international broadcasters after a turbulent seven-month tenure. He leaves the U.S. Agency for Global Media with a Trumpian legacy of ideological strife, lawsuits and scandal, his departure effective just two hours after the swearing-in of President Biden, who requested him to leave.

Biden has named senior VOA news executive Kelu Chao as acting CEO.

Pack came to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media with the support of former President Donald Trump; his appointment was delayed more than two years in the U.S. Senate by lawmakers who feared he was too ideological and also who questioned his finances. The soft-spoken conservative documentary maker proved to be an ideological warrior in the mold of his patron , taking to one conservative news outlet after another to denounce his own staff, all in the name of fairness.

In his resignation letter, Pack said he was "solely focused upon reorienting the agency toward its missions." And he attacked the request for his resignation as "a partisan act," saying the leadership of the agency and its networks "is meant to be non-partisan, untethered to alternations in the political regime."

He added, "I had no political agenda coming into USAGM, and I still do not have one."

NPR conducted scores of interviews over the controversies Pack's actions engendered. And few at the agency or its broadcasters agreed with Pack's characterization of his mission or performance, instead characterizing him as seeking political control over their coverage. Just last week, a VOA reporter's insistent questions to then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and VOA Director Robert R. Reilly over the siege on Congress after a public event led to her demotion and an investigation.

Pack routinely accused journalists of anti-Trump bias, sought to fire top executives as part of a "deep state," ominously accused the networks of being receptive to foreign spies and denied requests for visa extensions from his own staffers who are foreign nationals.

He initiated investigations over the bias claims, reaching into Voice of America's newsroom in ways a federal judge said broke the law and the First Amendment. Pack hired a Richmond, Va., law firm to investigate top U.S. Agency for Global Media executives after already seeking to oust them; new allegations, backed by correspondence reviewed by NPR, suggest he paid more than $2 million to that firm to conduct such reviews. (The lead partner on the investigation, John D. Adams, was a law clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, the subject of a sympathetic 2020 documentary by Pack.) Pack even fired White House aides assigned to help him by the Trump administration, suspecting them of disloyalty.

Throughout, he kept all but a small circle of advisers in the dark as to what he was doing. Former U.S. Agency for Global Media general counsel David Kligerman said the agency would have to work hard to put a "terrible chapter" behind it. Kligerman, who resigned late last month, had been suspended by Pack in August, along with other senior executives after Pack was unable to fire them more immediately.

"Pack seemed only to know how to destroy," Kligerman wrote in a statement to NPR, citing the CEO's record of "firing or otherwise pushing out so many talented journalists, network heads, grantee board members, and civil servants."

"It was wanton destruction, and shocking disregard for the most basic civility or norms," Kligerman wrote. "Political staff targeted and terrorized career staff and others. It is hard to overstate the climate of fear and dread that existed at the Agency. It is then particularly ironic that in his letter of resignation Pack warns of future politicalization of the Agency: it is hard to see how one could have attempted to do more to politicize the Agency than Pack."

Pack sought to ensure his influence endured after his departure by forcing the networks the agency funds but does not own to accept new boards of directors stocked with conservative activists and writers. The networks include Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks. (VOA and Radio/TV Marti are owned by the federal government.)

The new board members, announced this month, include Roger L. Simon, a columnist for the pro-Trump and conspiracy-theory recycling newspaper The Epoch Times who has written he believes the Jan. 6 attack on Congress by a pro-Trump mob was actually done by leftists in disguise, and Christian Whiton, a conservative foreign policy expert who has defended Russia's annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

According to three people with knowledge, the new Biden team appears poised to bring suspended executives back into the agency fold, replace the network chiefs appointed by Pack last month and to appoint new boards. The Biden administration did not immediately comment on Pack's departure. A permanent CEO for the U.S. Agency for Global Media will require approval by the Senate, now led by Democrats rather than Republicans, though Pack inspired an outcry on both sides of the aisle.

Disclosure: This story was reported by NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik and edited by NPR media and technology editor Emily Kopp. Because of NPR CEO John Lansing's prior role as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, no senior news executive or corporate executive at NPR reviewed this story before it was published.

With New Georgia Senators Sworn In, Democrats Officially Control The Senate

The Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, seen here during a campaign event in Georgia on Jan. 4, were sworn in as U.S. senators by Vice President Harris on Wednesday afternoon. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images hide caption

The Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, seen here during a campaign event in Georgia on Jan. 4, were sworn in as U.S. senators by Vice President Harris on Wednesday afternoon.

Updated at 5:06 p.m. ET

Democrats officially took control of the Senate as Georgia's two new Democratic senators-elect were sworn in Wednesday afternoon, cementing a 50-50 split, with Vice President Harris serving as the tiebreaking vote in her new role as president of the the Senate.

Harris administered the oath of office to Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff hours after her own swearing-in.

The pair of Democratic victories in the Jan. 5 Senate runoff elections gave the party control of both the White House and Congress, with the thinnest of majorities in the upper chamber.

Harris also swore in Democrat Alex Padilla, the former California secretary of state, to fill Harris' own Senate seat. He was appointed by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat.

"The chair lays before the Senate ... a certificate of appointment to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former Sen. Kamala D. Harris of California," she said, laughing, before adding, "Yeah, that was very weird."

With the new senators' swearing-in complete, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., becomes the Senate majority leader and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the minority leader. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. , became the new president pro tempore of the Senate, placing him third in the line of succession to the presidency. He previously held this position from 2012 to 2015.

Details of a power-sharing agreement are still being developed by Schumer and McConnell to lay out practical issues about the chamber's operations going forward.

A Democratic majority, however narrow, will enable the party to set the chamber's legislative agenda and make it easier to confirm President Biden's Cabinet picks.

Georgia's Secretary of State's office certified the results of the runoff elections the day before Biden's inauguration.

Biden was the first Democratic presidential candidate to win Georgia since 1992. Ossoff and Warnock's wins were also history-making. Ossoff is the state's first Jewish senator and Warnock is Georgia's first Black senator and the first Black Democratic senator from the South.

Padilla's appointment is also historic: He is the first Latino to represent California in the U.S. Senate.

As President Biden Awaits Cabinet Confirmation, White House Announces Interim Leaders

President Joe Biden signs three documents including an inauguration declaration, cabinet nominations and sub-cabinet nominations in the President's Room at the US Capitol after the inauguration ceremony, Wednesday. Jim Lo Scalzo/AP hide caption

President Joe Biden signs three documents including an inauguration declaration, cabinet nominations and sub-cabinet nominations in the President's Room at the US Capitol after the inauguration ceremony, Wednesday.

President Joe Biden has picked a slate of nearly two dozen acting officials to temporarily lead agencies as he waits for Congress to confirm his Cabinet .

According to a list of officials issued by the White House on Wednesday, most of the temporary leaders are career civil servants.

Biden Administration: Here's Who Has Been Named So Far

Still, the 46th president entered the White House on Inauguration Day with no Cabinet members yet confirmed by the Senate, making him the first president in recent history to take charge of the nation without key advisors in place.

Here's a full list of those who will be assisting in the next phase of the transition of government:

• Central Intelligence Agency, David Cohen
• Department of Defense, David Norquist
• Department of Energy, David Huizenga
• Department of Health and Human Services, Norris Cochran
• Department of Homeland Security, David Pekoske
• Department of Justice, Monty Wilkinson
• Department of Labor, Al Stewart
• Department of State, Dan Smith
• Department of Treasury, Andy Baukol
• Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Lora Shiao
• General Services Administration, Katy Kale
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Steve Jurczyk
• National Endowment for the Arts, Ann Eilers
• National Endowment for the Humanities, Adam Wolfson
• Office of Management and Budget, Rob Fairweather
• Office of National Drug Control Policy, Regina LaBelle
• Office of Personnel Management, Kathy McGettigan
• Small Business Administration, Tami Perriello
• Social Security Administration, Andrew Saul
• U.S. Agency for International Development, Gloria Steele
• U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, Dev Jagadesan
• U.S. Mission to the United Nations, Rich Mills
• Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Maria Pagan

Five of Biden's Cabinet nominees faced Senate panels on Tuesday in the first step of the confirmation process.

Among them were Janet Yellen, selected to lead the Treasury Department; Alejandro Mayorkas, Biden's choice to head the Department of Homeland Security; Antony Blinken to helm the State Department; retired Gen. Lloyd Austin for Secretary of Defense; and Avril Haines, to lead the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

Prior to his swearing in, Biden pledged he'd hit the ground running on a number of his top priorities , ranging from reversing former President Trump's travel ban on Muslim-majority nations to rejoining the Paris Climate Accord, and taking the reigns on plans to curb the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the nation.

Biden is expected to sign 17 executive actions within the first few hours of his presidency.

Senate Begins Biden Cabinet Confirmation Hearings As Impeachment Trial Looms

Biden receives presidential escort to the white house.

by  Alana Wise

President Joe Biden stands with first lady Jill Biden as they prepare to walk into the White House after being sworn in as the 46th president. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

President Joe Biden stands with first lady Jill Biden as they prepare to walk into the White House after being sworn in as the 46th president.

President Biden, Vice President Harris and their families received a presidential escort to the White House on Wednesday afternoon, hours after the new administration was officially sworn into office.

Biden's ride to the White House came as part of a day of inauguration activities, including the swearing in ceremony at the Capitol and a wreath-laying event at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.

Biden's motorcade was met by a military procession as he made his way to his new home at the White House. Joining in with supporters and a marching band, the new president got out of his vehicle just outside of the executive mansion to greet well-wishers and the media, including Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and famed weatherman Al Roker. He completed the rest of the trip to the White House on foot.

Biden plans to get an early start on his presidential duties, including the planned signing of 17 executive orders aimed at tackling the coronavirus pandemic, the climate crisis, racial justice and the economy, among other issues.

The president is expected to hold events well into the evening, including virtually swearing in presidential appointees and an appearance on the Blue Room Balcony.

Sen. Bernie Sanders sits in the bleachers on Capitol Hill before Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president. Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Sen. Bernie Sanders sits in the bleachers on Capitol Hill before Joe Biden is sworn in as the 46th president.

Inauguration Day wouldn't be complete without a meme or two to mark the occasion.

The creation of memes on the day when past presidents and lawmakers watch as a new president takes the oath of office has become somewhat of a hallmark in recent years.

Who can forget, for example, former President George W. Bush's trials with a rain poncho during former President Trump's inauguration?

Wednesday offered several viable contenders for the most celebrated meme of the day.

There's several dedicated to former First Lady Michelle Obama's stunning burgundy Sergio Hudson ensemble, and the change in expression on her face from the last time she attended a presidential inauguration.

how it started how its going #Inauguration2021 #Inauguration #Inaugurationday pic.twitter.com/C12n9cnC7A — B E A N Z The Games Whisperer (@BeanzGotGamez2) January 20, 2021

And Lady Gaga, who sang the national anthem, had fans comparing her outfit with that of the character Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games .

pic.twitter.com/D3TG99qdFL — Marc (@MarcSnetiker) January 20, 2021

No doubt, Jennifer Lopez, who also performed during the inaugural ceremony, and her fiancé Alex Rodriguez' elaborate U.S. Capitol photo shoot will lead to some promising memes as well.

But it was Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a former presidential contender himself, whose expression and cozy coat stole the show.

“This could’ve been an email” pic.twitter.com/kn68z6eDhY — Ashley K. (@AshleyKSmalls) January 20, 2021

Some had praise for his choice of mittens.

In all the inauguration fashion news, let us not overlook Senator Bernie Sanders’ mittens pic.twitter.com/BlZivZ8cMP — Vanessa Friedman (@VVFriedman) January 20, 2021

Still others were amused at the senator's outfit selection and curmudgeonly expression.

Bernie dressed like the inauguration is on his to do list today but ain’t his whole day. pic.twitter.com/wCRyoxU3V2 — Reeezy (@MsReeezy) January 20, 2021

Others appreciated the sensible choice of outerwear on a chilly day in D.C.

Some pointed out that the jacket, which appears to be from Burton, a snowboarding company based in his home state of Vermont, is the same one Sanders wore in his now-famous "I am once again asking" video .

pic.twitter.com/5QLI0azj9Z — Mike Ciandella (@MikeCiandella) January 20, 2021

Still more speculated at what was in the envelope the 79-year-old senator was carrying.

Bernie looks fully prepared to leave this event early to mail his taxes and cash a cashier's check pic.twitter.com/mKJHshDs5T — Boxrec Dot Com's Grey (@BoxrecGrey) January 20, 2021

And others lifted the image of the senator and placed him in various locations.

'Defend The Truth And Defeat The Lies': Biden Moves Past Trump's War On Media

President Biden delivers his inauguration speech Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol. Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

President Biden delivers his inauguration speech Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol.

President Biden invoked what he called seven "common objects we, as Americans, love" in Wednesday's inaugural address. Biden's embrace of the seventh — "the truth" — offered a pointed critique of his predecessor (though never by name), the media and the nation itself.

"Recent weeks and months have taught us a painful lesson," Biden said in an event carried by every major broadcast news outlet in the country and many abroad. "There is truth and there are lies. Lies told for power and for profit. And each of us has a duty and a responsibility, as citizens, as Americans, and especially as leaders, leaders who have pledged to honor our Constitution and protect our nation, to defend the truth and defeat the lies."

Biden was overlooking the National Mall from the balcony of Congress as he made his remarks. And the "painful lesson" he referred to came from the role of lies and false claims amplified, in part, by conservative media outlets in inspiring the deadly and destructive assault on the U.S. Capitol building two weeks ago.

Fox News hosts, commentators and guests were among those most prominently and falsely claiming that former President Donald Trump had been cheated of victory in the November election. And many of them also inflamed passions ahead of the Jan. 6 demonstration that turned into a riot, calling for a physical response to show Congress and then-Vice President Pence that they would not accept the certification of Biden's win.

"Look, I understand that many of my fellow Americans view the future with fear and trepidation. I understand they worry about their jobs," Biden said in his speech Wednesday, invoking his own father's fears about paying for mortgage and medical costs. "I promise you, I get it. But the answer is not to turn inward, to retreat into competing factions, distrusting those who don't look like you. Or worship the way you do. Or don't get their news from the same sources you do."

Fox's coverage on Wednesday was largely affirming and laudatory of the new president's oratory and performance. The network has not publicly accounted for its own role in the divisions and wild conspiracy theories of the past five years, often circulated by Trump's associates and given true flight on Fox.

Yet Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace declared Biden's inaugural address the best he had ever heard. And Wallace had a caution for his colleagues and rivals.

"I think that it was a call to all of us," Wallace told viewers , "whether it's us on the air on cable or broadcast, whether it's us in social media, on our Twitter accounts, understanding that we have to deal from facts, from the truth, to hear each other out, as he said. A right to disagree, but not a right to violence."

'What We Needed': Several Republican Senators Praise Biden's Call For Unity

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, arrives Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol for the inauguration of President Biden. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, arrives Wednesday at the U.S. Capitol for the inauguration of President Biden.

Several Republican lawmakers reacted Wednesday to President Biden's inaugural address with optimism that both parties will be able to work together and find common ground as the new administration begins.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the speech was "very well-done."

"I thought it's what we needed," she told Capitol Hill reporters following the address.

Murkowski said that "everything is possible" when it comes to the Republican Party working with the Biden administration.

"We're going to have some issues that we just fundamentally disagree with. But I think, to the president's words, you can still disagree from a policy perspective and you can do so in ways that are still respectful and allow you to continue to work toward other goals."

Murkowski was the first Republican senator to call on former President Donald Trump to resign in the wake of the deadly Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol.

Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, another Republican critic of Trump, called Biden's words "strong" and "very much needed."

"We as a nation come together if we are told the truth and if we have leaders who stand for enduring American principles," he said.

Romney's statement about telling the truth echoes comments he made the night of Jan. 6 after a violent mob of pro-Trump extremists breached the Capitol and forced lawmakers to delay by several hours their task of tallying the Electoral College votes.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine., told reporters Biden's speech "struck the right themes of unity, a call for us to come together, to stop viewing one another as adversaries but rather as fellow Americans."

Regarding working with the Biden administration going forward, Collins expressed optimism.

"Many of us have long-standing relationships with him," she said. "I served with him for many years as fellow senators, and I worked with him when he was vice president. So I stand ready to work with him to advance common goals. We'll see what his agenda is."

Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., also tweeted his support for Biden, writing , "I commend President Biden for his call for national unity, and his assurance to those who did not support him that he will nevertheless be president for all Americans."

With a razor-thin Democratic majority in the Senate, Biden will likely need some Republican support for his legislative agenda.

Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., told reporters he thinks it's "important to unite the country," but that he has reservations over some of Biden's impending executive orders.

"My concern is, of course, some of the executive orders that are coming, specifically in regard to the Keystone XL pipeline," he told reporters Wednesday afternoon.

Biden is revoking a cross-border presidential permit needed to finish the Keystone XL pipeline, which likely means the end of the $8 billion project.

Up Next On The Inaugural Agenda: A Virtual 'Parade Across America'

Members of Howard University's marching band walk the abbreviated parade route following the inauguration of President Biden on Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C. Stephanie Keith/Getty Images hide caption

Members of Howard University's marching band walk the abbreviated parade route following the inauguration of President Biden on Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C.

The traditional inaugural parade was not an option this year, given security fears and the coronavirus pandemic.

So instead, the Biden Inaugural Committee is throwing a "Parade Across America" — a virtual celebration involving dancers, drum lines, singers and athletes from across the United States.

It might sound like a stretch. But the Democratic Party had a surprise hit on its hands when it convened a remote roll call during the Democratic National Convention, which turned out to be more popular than you might have guessed.

The Picture Show

Photos: historic inauguration will not look like the past.

Biden Transition Updates

Biden's inauguration is going to look very different. here's what to know.

The University of Delaware and Howard University, the alma maters of President Biden and Vice President Harris, respectively, did send drum lines that are physically in Washington, D.C., and will perform live. Otherwise, the parade will be remote.

The Parade Across America will be hosted by Tony Goldwyn, and the names in the lineup include Jon Stewart, the reunited New Radicals (of "You Get What You Give" fame), Earth, Wind & Fire and, as the Biden Inaugural Committee puts it, "everyday Americans."

Watch Live: Inauguration Day Ceremony And Events

It will also feature figure skaters, Olympians, at least one skateboarder, representatives of every branch of the military, a wheelchair basketball program, a doctor who's big on TikTok, an 80-year-old performer from Idaho, a 12-year-old trumpeter from Georgia, marching bands, flag twirlers, a clogging group, Boy Scouts and a Dance Across America led by Kenny Ortega.

You can view the full lineup here .

President Biden And Predecessors Attend Wreath-Laying Ceremony At Arlington Cemetery

by  Brian Naylor

President Biden and Vice President Harris participate Wednesday in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

President Biden and Vice President Harris participate Wednesday in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va.

President Biden traveled from the U.S. Capitol across the Potomac River to Arlington National Cemetery after his inauguration ceremony Wednesday afternoon to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

He was joined by Vice President Harris as well as former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, along with their spouses and members of their families.

Biden and Harris each touched the wreath, and Biden made the sign of the cross before saluting. A military bugler then played taps.

The nation's 46th president arrived at the ceremony in an armored presidential limousine with the license plate reading "46" after driving along the security fence-lined streets of Washington, D.C.

'We've Got A Steep Road Ahead': Americans Focus On The Future

by  Tanya Ballard Brown

President Biden delivers his inaugural address after being sworn in as the 46th president. Patrick Semansky/Pool/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

President Biden delivers his inaugural address after being sworn in as the 46th president.

Updated at 5:40 p.m. ET

As President Joe Biden took the oath of office on Jan. 20 with his history-making vice president , Kamala Harris, people across the nation seemed cautiously optimistic.

Biden and Harris take office in the wake of a violent and deadly attempt by supporters of President Donald Trump to block Congress from certifying Electoral College votes on Jan. 6. In the two weeks since the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, federal law enforcement officers have made arrests and charged people from across the nation with participation in the riot.

On Wednesday, as Biden told Americans that democracy had prevailed and called for a day of renewal and resolve, people across the country talked about a return to normalcy.

Biden Celebrates 'Triumph' Of Democracy In Inaugural Address

"I'm happy if he can do his agenda," Kay, a 57-year-old Trump supporter told KCUR reporter Frank Morris. "I mean, he seems like he's a level-headed guy, and I hope that's the truth. I hope that that's what he follows. Cause then America would be better, but I'm worried that it's gonna swing too far left."

Kay, who lives in the suburbs of Kansas City, Mo., and declined to share her last name, said she hoped that the Biden administration would reunite Americans.

"That's all I want. I want America first," she said. "I just want our country back to normal."

Sherry Webster, a 71-year-old from Kansas City, Mo., told Morris she thought the United States had turned a corner, but there was still a lot of work needed to bring the country together.

"We've got a steep road ahead, [a] really steep road ahead, but I think Biden through all his tragedy in his life, has gained a lot of wisdom," Webster said. "I think he's somebody that can reach out to both sides and it really speaks to people. So I think we're headed in a good direction."

Kelsey Nix watches a television airing the Inauguration Day ceremony at Manuel's Tavern in Atlanta. Jessica McGowan/Getty Images hide caption

Kelsey Nix watches a television airing the Inauguration Day ceremony at Manuel's Tavern in Atlanta.

New York City was quiet during the inauguration Wednesday. Outside Trump Tower, where so many demonstrations have been held over the past four years, there were notably few people. One couple stopped by with their signs and hats from the first Women's March in 2017.

"It wasn't even a conscious feeling I woke up feeling energized. I feel the relief of not having to monitor second by second terrible decisions," 53-year-old Wendy Brandes told WNYC's Stephen Nessen.

Nearby, 21-year-old Diana Hernandez who works in Times Square said that during Trump's term, tourists often felt emboldened to yell anti-immigrant slurs at her. She hopes that era is over now.

"I feel better ... knowing that there's a better president and a female co-president in the White House," Hernandez said. "I have a good feeling for the future and the generation to come, because it shows that we have more opportunities for women."

Even some Trump supporters in the city said they would give Biden a chance to show what he can do to improve the country.

“I voted for Trump, but it’s time to move on. We’re just going to have to see and find out how things will transpire. I’m going to give Mr. Biden a chance, even though I didn’t vote for him.” - Sean Rickards, 42, Queens Village pic.twitter.com/N0C0NRdw3m — Just your friendly neighborhood transit reporter (@s_nessen) January 20, 2021

Reaction to the inauguration was also muted in more conservative parts of the country.

Jason Smith stood in line at a DMV in rural Southwest Idaho as Biden was sworn in. Not that he would have probably watched the new president's address anyway.

More than 60 court cases challenging the election results in swing states were thrown out because the Trump campaign couldn't provide evidence of widespread fraud, but Smith doesn't think Biden was fairly elected.

"We just want to be left alone in this country," Smith told NPR's Kirk Siegler. "Trump was our president, and for most of us, he still is our president. We still follow him."

Matt Gnojek of Denver usually wears his Capt. America outfit when he travels the country to raise money for pediatric cancer. But he was outside the Colorado State Capitol on Wednesday urging Americans to come together and believe in democracy.

"I just decided that a little more love, a little more smiles might be useful to more than just the kids, but maybe to some of the adults out there facing hardship as well," he told reporter Bente Birkeland of Colorado Public Radio.

Gnojek thinks democracy is thriving rather than failing.

'Not Broken But Simply Unfinished': Poet Amanda Gorman Calls For A Better America

"But we have to trust it. You have to trust each other," he said. "The claims of widespread voter fraud, it's a big beast to tackle. But if I had to venture a guess, I would say that the reason that they feel the way that they do about voter fraud is because their love for country, their love for each other was in fact manipulated by forces that wanted to see us divided."

Outside the state Capitol building in Harrisburg, Pa., one Trump supporter seemed ready to let go of the false claims of election fraud.

"It's over. There is nothing they can do about it. It is what it is. I accept that," Ryan Stevenson of Carlisle, Pa., told WITF's Sam Dunklau. "I am not interested in finding out what the facts were, the truth was. It doesn't matter to me. It's over."

For Matt Conberry, a Biden supporter from Wallingford, Pa., moving on sounds like a good idea.

"It's a very simple message. A lot of this country thinks the election might have been stolen. Or that democracy doesn't work," he said. "You know, it's the best we got. You know what I mean? If you don't trust the results of the election, I don't know what else we will do as a country."

Biden To Extend Order Limiting Pandemic Evictions

by  Chris Arnold

Tenants' rights advocates protesting evictions during the pandemic in Boston this month. They want the Biden administration to not only extend, but also strengthen, an eviction order from the CDC aimed at keeping people in their homes during the outbreak. Michael Dwyer/AP hide caption

Tenants' rights advocates protesting evictions during the pandemic in Boston this month. They want the Biden administration to not only extend, but also strengthen, an eviction order from the CDC aimed at keeping people in their homes during the outbreak.

President Biden plans to extend a nationwide pause on evictions through the end of March.

The federal eviction moratorium, implemented through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is intended to help tenants who have been battered economically by the pandemic.

"Without this action by President Joe Biden, millions of renters could have lost their homes during this surge in COVID-19," says Diane Yentel, president of the National Low Income Housing Coalition. But, she adds, the moratorium itself is insufficient and allows some landlords to evict tenants despite the protections.

The Coronavirus Crisis

Why the cdc eviction ban isn't really a ban: 'i have nowhere to go'.

For example, she notes that no federal agency is enforcing the order's penalties for unlawful evictions.

NPR has reported on families getting evicted despite the CDC order, which, in spirit, directs landlords not to put people out in the street for nonpayment of rent and into living situations where they can catch and spread the coronavirus.

Already, one study has attributed thousands of deaths in the U.S. to evictions during the pandemic because displaced families have been forced into more crowded living conditions.

Despite A New Federal Ban, Many Renters Are Still Getting Evicted

COVID-19 Relief Bill Could Stave Off Historic Wave Of Evictions

Housing advocates say the CDC order is not an automatic eviction ban. Many renters don't know how to take advantage of it. Tenants must sign a CDC declaration and provide it to landlords and, in some cases, to local housing courts.

The recent COVID-19 relief bill passed by Congress provides billions of dollars to pay landlords for back rent and future rent payments as millions of Americans remain unemployed and struggling to pay their bills. The hope is that too will prevent evictions since landlords only get compensated if tenants remain in place on the property.

Biden is also expected to extend deadlines for moratoriums aimed at protecting homeowners from foreclosure.

President Biden Extends Student Loan Payment Freeze Through Sept. 30

by  Elissa Nadworny

Updated Jan. 21 at 3:10 p.m. ET

Following President Biden's executive action signed Wednesday, the Education Department extended pandemic relief for about 41 million federal student loan borrowers through Sept. 30.

"Too many Americans are struggling to pay for basic necessities and to provide for their families," the Education Department said in a statement. "They should not be forced to choose between paying their student loans and putting food on the table."

In March 2020, borrowers were granted a reprieve on their loan payments — interest was set to 0% and collections of defaulted federal student loans were paused. Congress initiated this relief in the CARES Act. Both President Donald Trump and, later, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, extended it.

Before Biden's executive action, the relief was set to expire on Jan. 31.

The back and forth on deadlines has been a challenge for borrowers. Research from the Pew Charitable Trusts conducted in August and September found that, among borrowers who said the relief applied to them, about 40% did not know when their loan payments were set to resume. That research also found that borrowers are struggling financially due to the pandemic: Almost 6 in 10 borrowers with paused payments reported to Pew that it would be difficult to begin making their payments if they had to do so in the next month.

With the extension for the next eight months, borrowers and loan servicers now have a longer runway to prepare for when repayment starts.

"The extension of the payment pauses provides much needed relief to borrowers during the pandemic in the short-term," says Sarah Sattelmeyer, director of the Pew Charitable Trust's Student Borrower Success project. The big question now is what happens next.

Many hope that temporary pandemic relief for borrowers will open the door to more permanent loan forgiveness. But it's unclear to what extent the Biden administration would do that. On Jan. 8, David Kamin, the incoming deputy director of Biden's National Economic Council, repeated Biden's support of Congress canceling up to $10,000 in federal student loans per borrower in response to the pandemic. But many Democrats want him to go further.

In September, Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Chuck Schumer unveiled a plan calling for the next president to cancel up to $50,000 of outstanding federal student loans per borrower. Biden has yet to signal interest in this plan. In his campaign proposal, he outlined a number of changes to paying back loans, including canceling $10,000 in debt for students who work in national or community service.

by  Jeff Brady

The Keystone XL pipeline was set to have passed near the White River in South Dakota. President Biden plans to block the controversial pipeline in one of his first acts of office. Andrew Burton/Getty Images hide caption

The Keystone XL pipeline was set to have passed near the White River in South Dakota. President Biden plans to block the controversial pipeline in one of his first acts of office.

As part of his ambitious plan to address climate change, President Biden is revoking a key cross-border presidential permit needed to finish the controversial Keystone XL pipeline

This likely means the end of the $8 billion pipeline, a years-long project that would have carried oil sands crude from Alberta, Canada, to the American Gulf Coast. The pipeline has come to signify the debate over whether fossil fuels should be left in the ground in order to rein in greenhouse gas emissions and avoid the worst damage from climate change.

President Barack Obama rejected the project in 2015. President Donald Trump revived it as one of his first actions in office.

Construction on Keystone XL began last year , and the company says about 300 miles of the pipeline has been built so far. TC Energy says in a statement that "advancement of the project will be suspended" and that the company likely will take a hit to its first quarter earnings.

While the company's announcement was straightforward, oil industry groups that supported the project decried the Biden decision.

"Killing 10,000 jobs and taking $2.2 billion in payroll out of workers' pockets is not what Americans need or want right now," said Andy Black, president and CEO of the Association of Oil Pipe Lines.

Those jobs were temporary construction jobs and included workers from an Oklahoma union being sued by its Black members for discrimination.

Environmentalists opposed the pipeline because of the oil sands crude it would have carried. Producing that oil requires extra processing that emits more of the greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. Those groups praised Biden's decision along with his vow to rejoin the Paris climate agreement after Trump withdrew.

"It makes the United States once more part of the global climate solution — not the problem," responded Mitchell Bernard, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said the pipeline was a key priority for him. The province of Alberta, which is an investor in the project, has said it will work with the company to pursue legal remedies.

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Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 3680 Walnut St.

Earth Week 2024

This is a campuswide week of events, lectures, and volunteer opportunities designed to educate and inspire action related to environmental justice, climate, and nature-based solutions. This year’s theme is Restore & Regenerate.

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Inauguration Day: History, meaning, and significance

David eisenhower, professor at the annenberg school and grandson of the former president, offers his observations on the historic occasion.

From the chaotic election cycle to the events of the past few weeks, the 2020 presidential election has felt anything but traditional. Penn Today asked David Eisenhower , director of the Institute for Public Service at the Annenberg School for Communication , to give the long view of the significance of Inauguration Day. It’s something Eisenhower is uniquely positioned to do. Not only does he teach a course at Annenberg about the U.S. presidency, but he’s attended three inaugurations himself: his grandfather Dwight D. Eisenhower’s in 1957; John F. Kennedy’s in 1961; and his father-in-law Richard Nixon’s in 1973.

“The good thing about an inauguration is it’s an opportunity to start fresh,” Eisenhower says. “Let’s hope the American people will take that opportunity.”

Here are his observations and thoughts on things to keep in mind about this historic occasion.

Families, music, and speeches

These are the three things that stand out in my mind, as somebody who’s participated in several inaugurations.

We won’t have it this time, but seeing the outgoing family has always made a big impression on me. The Kennedy inauguration of 1961 was one of the great highlights of the 20th century, but for me it was a very somber day. It was the day my grandfather left office—and when my Secret Service detail disbanded. For outgoing presidents and their families this is a very bittersweet day, and I always feel great compassion for them.

Another thing that I notice, particularly in the ceremony, is the music. My favorite is from President Barack Obama’s second inauguration—the rendition of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” by the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. It has to be one of the musical highlights of any inauguration I’ve ever seen.

The third thing that stands out is the speech. Something comes over people under those circumstances if you’re nearby during the inaugural speech. It is unforgettable; it’s the supreme moment, and one definitely gets a sense of that in person. Watching the transfiguration of a new president or reelected president is something memorable.

Power of the speech

One of the things I say to classes at Annenberg, is that speech is an art, not a science. What happens in inaugural speeches is that they tend to come together at the last minute; that’s something we’ve determined through the scholarship we’ve done. In fact, the Kennedy’s 1961 and Franklin Roosevelt’s 1933 inauguration speeches both came together at the last minute, and I mean the last 36 hours. They tend to come together as the deadline approaches, and they have a sort of eerie timelessness about them.

The speech has to do several things. First, it stands as an appraisal of the new president’s interpretation of that political moment, encompassing the meaning of the recent election and where that election points the nation.

Second, a president faces a choice, and that is whether to lead or to unite. Leadership can be divisive in a way, particularly if you’re changing course. Inaugurations have to strike a balance between those two things. We’ll all be tuning in and watching very carefully to see how Biden does that because this is obviously a moment of division in America.

Sometimes people will not hear the magical, unifying formulas that they expect to. But there is a philosophy that what unifies America in the final analysis is success, and successful policies. If you have a very policy-laden speech, the odds are that the president sees issues as being far more prominent than the immediate task of unifying an audience.

Presidents are elected because they bring something unique to address our national problems, and that is why I accord them a lot of deference. People will be listening very carefully to how Biden prioritizes the problems facing the country.

Model inaugurations

There are presidential inaugurals that stand as sort of models. Thomas Jefferson's first inaugural is the classic appeal for unity, and it really does not get beyond that. It sets the standard for inaugurals.

A speech that partitions the audience in anticipation of a great struggle would be Abraham Lincoln’s first. That speech acknowledges divisions and promises eventual reconciliation, with the idea that the resolution of the slavery issue is what will unify America ultimately. He didn’t try to seek some sort of lowest common denominator between the parties but says ultimately a policy decision will unite the nation.

Franklin Roosevelt’s was a sort of mix of the two. He’s very powerful in his criticism of the old order in his 1933 speech, but he’s not directing his criticism at very many people.

Kennedy’s team claimed they modeled his speech on the Jefferson speech, and it is a very stirring declaration of Americanism, but it’s also very definitely a leadership speech. It combines unifying America with a leadership theme in a very powerful way, which propelled Kennedy to years of astronomical approval ratings of the high 60s and low 70s.

Meaning, hopes, and impact

What we talk about in my class is the significance of the occasion, what the new president hopes to achieve by it and what an inauguration can mean. Inaugurations can mean huge things.

I really think that Franklin Roosevelt’s 1933 speech, in many ways, turned the national psychology around. That is a momentous speech—the “All we have to fear is fear itself” speech—but the impact of that speech on American confidence was so profound that, literally, he gives a fireside chat about eight weeks later telling everybody to calm down, the problems aren’t solved yet. It accomplished a terrific start for that administration.

Another one that comes to mind of course is Kennedy’s speech, when America was at the pinnacle, in many ways. The impact of that inauguration was also profound. It certainly inspired a generation of people to go into public service, and I think it was intended to do exactly that, and so it succeeded.

I think a lot can come of a successful inauguration. That is the task Biden faces and I think we all wish him the best.

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Food & drink, relationships & family, how to write an inaugural speech, more articles.

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An inaugural speech captures the triumphs and hopes for the future in the winner of a political campaign. After a long and tiresome journey to the top of the political heap, you now can rejoice and let others in on your victory. But before you put that pen to paper or those fingers to the keyboard, you may want to learn a few important tips on what makes an inaugural speech great and how to inspire the citizens you preside over to create change.

Reflect on the moments that led to your victory. Think of the setbacks and the struggles you endured to finally reach this office. You will want to jot down a few distinct memories that touched you in terms of your fight to gain the position you now have. Try to add to your notes as much detailed information of such memories so that you will write more easily when you begin.

Recognize a theme that symbolizes your platform, as well as your fight to gain office. A recurrent theme of President Obama’s campaign was “hope,” and in his inaugural speech, he presented that theme by discussing the trials American people have faced through the years and how they always overcame them through determination and hope (see Ref 1, 3).

Craft an outline that has at least three parts; an introduction, a body and a conclusion. In your outline, use the notes and theme to create an organized list of what you want to say in your speech (see Ref 2).

Start the speech by writing a powerful opening that draws your audience in, making them want to hear more. You can begin with a line that sums up what your supporters feel; in Obama’s speech, he stated that “I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors.” Yet you can also begin with a story that mirrors the trials and tribulations you faced and will soon take on as a newly elected leader. Whatever you decide, just make sure it captures your audience’s attention.

Write the following paragraphs addressing your citizens’ desires and fears. You can use figurative language to describe your positions on subjects, but it is best to be direct and simplistic when discussing more serious events or situations. You, as a leader, have received the office because people believed that you represented the future so you should keep them believing that, while also remaining honest and somewhat stoic. Becoming too emotional will not give you an air of leadership, so keep that in mind when writing the speech.

End the speech with a call to arms for your fellow citizens. Let them know that you will do your best but that you can only achieve great things with their help. Bring the speech full circle by addressing your theme in a subtle way, and leave your audience with an inspirational last sentence.

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Gerri Blanc began her professional writing career in 2007 and has collaborated in the research and writing of the book "The Fairy Shrimp Chronicles," published in 2009. Blanc holds a Bachelor of Arts in literature and culture from the University of California, Merced.

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Close-up of President's Face on a dollar bill image by PaulPaladin from Fotolia.com

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Inaugural Address

Exploring for the Global Good

President Wim Wiewel October 5, 2018

Good afternoon. Let me echo our Board Chair in welcoming our distinguished speakers and all of you—our distinguished community and guests.

Thank you for being here, and for your kind words.

It’s a privilege to be with you today. It’s also humbling.

We are gathering for this official ceremony some 16 months after the Board voted to name me president. Sixteen months is a long time, and perhaps this ceremony feels a bit like having the wedding long after we’ve already been living together. 

But let me turn back in time to Meriwether Lewis and William Clark for some historical context.

Almost exactly 213 years ago, on October 7, 1805, their expedition pushed five new dugout canoes into the Clearwater River near what is now Orofino, Idaho.

This was about 16 months after they left St. Louis—and it was the first time since then that they went with, rather than against, a river’s current.

So, after 16 months, it’s all downstream, right?

Well, as you probably know, the Corps of Discovery would encounter even more difficult circumstances as they made their way to the Pacific.

Even knowing from experience that calm waters may quickly become turbulent, I will tell you that I am more eager and excited than ever to lead our college community.

Of course, I did not reach this point by myself, and I will not move forward by myself. So I will take a moment for some important thank you’s.

First of all, of course, Alice, who from the beginning encouraged me to pursue this opportunity, and agreed to postpone our sabbatical dreams.

Yes, there were some days in the dark and damp of February that those months we were planning to spend in Spain seemed very attractive!

But neither of us has any regrets, and Alice, and our daughter Kelly, who just started in our Student Affairs program at the Graduate School, have fully embraced being part of the Lewis & Clark family. 

I want to thank Trustee Jon Jaqua, who co-chaired the search committee and was a relentless champion.

Life Trustee John Bates, who was the first Lewis & Clark person I met, back in 2008; thanks, John for your continued friendship!

Board Chair Stephanie Fowler and the other Trustees, thank you. Whenever I mentioned it would be fun to come here Stephanie would point out it would be a lot of hard work. I told her that if it wasn’t fun, I wasn’t coming. Stephanie, I’m having fun, and I hope you are too!

And, of course, generations of faculty, students, parents, alumni, trustees, donors, and friends have brought us to this day.

So, too, have past presidents like Morgan Odell, Jack Howard, Jim Gardner, Mike Mooney, Tom Hochstettler, and Barry Glassner.

I am deeply touched that Presidents Gardner and Hochstettler are here, as well as Interim Presidents Paul Bragdon, Jane Atkinson, and David Ellis. Please join me in recognizing them.

Thank you, as well, to all who have participated in today’s events: the academic discussions, the music, and this installation ceremony.

Call this day the liberal arts in microcosm—we’ve brought together people of different backgrounds and disciplines to expand our common understanding through exploration.

Exploring for the Global Good—the theme of this inauguration and our new Strategic Plan—is a declaration of who we are and what we do at Lewis & Clark and as Lewis & Clark.

I started last year as the college was celebrating its sesquicentennial—150 years since its founding in Albany, Oregon, in 1867.

We formally closed the commemoration during Alumni Weekend in June, but today I will cite our history yet again.

When our college began, one of its founders, the Reverend Edward Geary predicted that it would “one day be a beacon light to the whole Northwest.” A beacon light.

And when the school wholly relocated to Portland in 1942, its new president, Morgan Odell, also envisioned what was possible.

The college, he said, “can be a citadel of light and learning, of faith and knowledge, for young people and the world they can serve.” A citadel of light. 

Perhaps, in these words of Geary and Odell, you hear echoes of Emma Lazarus, whose words are inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty.

“Give me your tired, your poor,

your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

I first came to the United States as an 18-year old exchange student.

I wasn’t tired or very poor, but I vividly remember sailing past the Statue of Liberty’s signature torch welcoming me from Old Amsterdam to New Amsterdam. It was the start of an amazing year. 

I had to return to the Netherlands, but my time and education here were so transformative that I later came back to earn my doctorate and to make my life in this country.

I had been welcomed, and I had seen opportunities that existed nowhere else.  So I pursued the promises and possibilities inherent in that welcome.

And, if the pomp and circumstance of this day are any indication, I have done well by those opportunities, and I hope I have reciprocated.

I am also keenly aware that, half a century now after my first visit, we are living in a different time.

Immigration—a touchstone of the American experience and a foundation of the American character—has become one of many flashpoints in our politics and civic life. Because of strident rhetoric and public policy, so much progress in so many areas is under attack.

Kim Stafford has described this tectonic shift well. He is now in his fourth decade of teaching at Lewis & Clark and was recently named Oregon’s poet laureate. After the last presidential election, he wrote:

“Fog filled our national arena, and campaign divisions we had endured only deepened. …Ideals I had known as bedrock for our beloved country—the integrity of fact, a habit for truth, the honorable treatment of fellow citizens, and a growing affection for our fragile Earth—all went under threat.”

From where I stand, the threat has become a clear and present danger. For recourse, I turn to higher education.

I believe that higher education in this country still offers the greatest opportunities for people to break through the fog and realize their dreams.

It still provides the best and most rigorous methods for separating facts from fiction.

It is still the place where a habit for truth and the honorable treatment of all are our daily discipline. 

As I see it, higher education, especially a liberal arts education, has three core purposes: to encourage lifelong exploration of the self and one’s own values; to develop the skills needed to embark on meaningful careers; and to prepare for full—and these days I add “civil”—to prepare for full and civil participation in public life.

So “Exploring for the Global Good” describes what we do here, how we do it, and why .

Exploring hearkens back, of course, to our namesakes. But more, it speaks to the heart of the liberal arts: the ideas of discovery, thinking critically, questioning received truths, being open to new understanding, to learning that the old things aren’t always the way you thought they were. You might say this is “how” we do education, the method. 

Global speaks to our need to understand and appreciate the differences and the commonalities that exist across cultures, races, ethnicities, gender, and histories.

To recognize borders even as we embrace the borderless. This ultimately involves knowing and understanding science and mathematics, the humanities, the arts, and the social sciences; it is the “what” of education, the content.

And the Good , which is the ultimate “why” of education: our commitment to improving life, our communities, and the world.

The need to work with others to solve challenges. The recognition that dedication to lives of purpose and the common good can lead to both public benefit and personal well-being.

You may say, “Fine, but how do you make all this real?” Our answer: by recommitting to the power and relevance of the liberal arts and sciences and serious professional studies based on them.

I realize that we make this commitment at a time when many people are questioning the value of higher education in general and the liberal arts in particular. But we choose to double down. Actually, with our three schools, we are tripling down.

Each of our three schools is distinct, but all share a common purpose: to empower our graduates to make a positive impact on the world.

We gain a distinct advantage when we harness the collective thinking and experience of all three schools.

For example, just a year ago, our community sponsored a symposium on free speech at Lewis & Clark. Faculty, students and staff from all three schools made presentations and led discussions. I had officially been in office for 11 days, and I came away thinking, “If this is what I’ve gotten myself into, give me more!”

We must continue to infuse our curriculum and pedagogy with an ever more expansive worldview—a recognition that the dominant narratives are incomplete. They do not capture or convey the wholeness and complexity of history and human experience.

That complexity also informs our own history. For example, the same Edward Geary who was one of our founders also served as secretary to the superintendent of Indian Affairs in the early 1850s.

In that capacity, he played a role in removing the Native peoples of the Willamette Valley to the Grand Ronde reservation.

And even as we honor our namesakes for their exploration and discovery, we acknowledge their expedition was one of many factors that ultimately drove the tribes of the Oregon Country from their lands.

Truth, even when it hits hard and close to home, must be acknowledged.

All of what we do takes place in the world as it is, and as it is becoming. 

So, we must also be innovative in our pedagogy. Not everyone learns at the same pace or in the same way.

Our Graduate School of Education and Counseling addresses this reality every day in preparing tomorrow’s teachers, counselors, and leaders in education.

And in our undergraduate college, a grant from the Andrew Mellon Foundation supports the Teaching Excellence Program that brings faculty together across disciplines to strengthen their skills and to develop techniques that are even more engaging, inclusive, and innovative.

And the world is not confined to our campuses. During the last academic year, law school students made nine trips to two immigration detention centers in Texas, putting in 10 to 12 hours of pro bono work each day.

Last December, they prepared more than 100 women for political asylum interviews, and conducted some 300 Know-Your-Rights trainings for mothers.

And like very year, hundreds of our students studied abroad in faculty-led trips to deepen their understanding of the world.

The world demands adaptability and reinvention. Our John and Susan Bates Center for Entrepreneurship and Leadership brings faculty, students, expertise, and resources from all three of our schools together to think and develop creative actions that address social challenges, market failures, and economic opportunities.

All of these are examples of what Exploring for the Global Good looks like.

While this College has grown up in Portland, we are now a national and international community.

This growth was wonderfully expressed, by the way, by the late and beloved professor emeritus of history Nas Rassekh.

Some years ago, Nas recalled a day in 1961when he was having coffee with a group of students in Templeton.

He asked where they came from. “Most were from Portland or the suburbs. One, however, declared, ‘I come from back east.’ Intuitively Nas asked, ‘Boston?’ ‘No,’ the student said. ‘Bend!’

Today our undergraduates come from Bend, Boston, and Beijing, from 47 states and 54 different countries.

Still, we embrace our location on this beautiful campus in a dynamic city that is ever-changing. Over the years, Lewis & Clark has served and partnered with Portland and its people in many ways.

Our undergraduate college, for example, provides a variety of student-learning opportunities with organizations throughout Portland, including those that serve Latino and Native American communities, the homeless and the hungry, and elementary school students working to improve literacy skills.

Students in our Graduate School of Education and Counseling spend nearly 200,000 hours each year in schools and mental health agencies.

Our Law School’s clinics, centers, and institutes provide essential legal services to a broad spectrum of organizations and individuals, with a particular focus on emerging and underserved populations. 

We take pride in our many deep connections to the life of the city. But we can and will do even more.

While working in public research universities in Chicago, Baltimore, and Portland, I’ve focused on how institutions of higher education can make cities economically strong, culturally vibrant, and socially just.

In fact, elements of this construct mirror our vision as stated in the new Strategic Plan: “Lewis & Clark will be a national leader in higher education that prepares students for meaningful careers, civic engagement, and lifelong discovery. Together we seek a just and sustainable society here in Portland and around the world.”

But a vision without a plan of action is a daydream. And action without a vision is a nightmare.

I’m not a big fan of either afternoon reveries or sleepless nights. So, over the last year, our community has been developing a strategic plan that will put our vision, purpose, and values into action.

What do we need and what will it take to get there? Our Strategic Plan lays out six key goals.

First , we have to make sure we offer academic programs that meet the needs of our students and the world. It means developing new programs that build on our strengths related to sustainability, entrepreneurship and leadership, and, very importantly, the sciences.

I’ve been very impressed with our faculty’s collaboration with students in the sciences, and I want to see us enhance that further.

We need to expand our overseas and off-campus study programs. From my own history, I am absolutely clear on the transformational effect that study abroad has. Right now, about 60 percent of our students do that. I want it to be as close to 100 percent as we can get it.

And I’ve already mentioned that we should increase the opportunities for our students to learn from and contribute to the Portland area, as well as bring more people from the community to the campus for classes, lectures, performances and games. 

Second , we need to continue attracting, enrolling, and graduating students who will succeed here. Strategic enrollment management does not sound like an inspiring clarion call, but it is essential to success in a very competitive higher education market. 

This also includes drawing more international students.  We can do more in recruiting abroad  Those 54 different countries I mentioned a moment ago? That’s down from 72 last year.

Yes, the nationalistic rhetoric coming out of Washington is working against us, but it moves us to be even more resolute to succeed.

At the same time, we need to attract even more great students from diverse backgrounds domestically, including those very bright students who cannot afford to come here without financial assistance.

To keep and graduate our students we also need to have a stronger student life program. Students come to us now with more challenges than ever before, and we have to support them academically, emotionally, socially, and in the many dimensions of personal growth.

That includes a strong role for athletics. I grew up in a country where athletics was not at all relevant to college life. Here, it is, and we need to build on that and take advantage of that.

Third, we need to have a campus infrastructure that is fully worthy of our great faculty, students, and staff.  This means buildings—some new, some enhanced. It includes student housing, STEM facilities, a renovated student center, and making the Corbett Mansion useful for more than furniture storage, as well as addressing problems in our spaces for music, theatre, and athletics.

Fourth , we will strengthen our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. The overarching goal is to create an institutional culture of belonging, where all community members can fully participate.

Fifth , we need to reward and keep the high-quality faculty and staff we already have, expand our diversity in recruiting new faculty and staff, and give all of them the opportunities and resources to continue growing as leaders in their fields. 

Last, but at the root of everything, is to conduct a comprehensive campaign. We must succeed— will succeed—for our students, faculty, and community now and for generations to come.

We launched the leadership phase of this seven-year campaign last fall and raised more than $22 million in the first fiscal year. 

I’m happy to announce today that we just received, in a charitable trust, $8.4 million dollars for scholarships! That puts the total over $34 million; we are on our way!

Exploring for the Global Good makes me remember my own journey to America. What would it take to extend—to those who journey here now, to everyone trying to succeed in America—the welcome embrace that I received? What would it take, especially, for those who are not white, not of European descent, not privileged?

What will it take? Empathy for people we do not know but whose dire circumstances we cannot ignore.

It will take a deep knowledge of history and cultures and social dynamics and political imperatives—the many forces that are converging to create the present moment.

It will take expertise in the sciences, the arts and humanities, the law, and in the professions that inspire people to teach and to help others to work toward wholeness and healing. 

What will it take? All of us, working together.

The values that power us at Lewis & Clark are not about winning for the sake of winning.

They are about being collaborative. About pursuing innovation even while respecting our deep sense of place and purpose.

About crossing borders, breaking through walls, and building understanding. Our values are about people collectively believing that things can be better and then working together to create progress, to make the “better” happen.

Beacon light. Citadel of light and learning. The lamp beside the golden door. These are more than metaphors, more even than voices from the past. They are calls to present action.

Now, it is our turn to make aspirations real. We are keepers of the light. Together we will amplify the power of that light and extend its reach.

This is how we explore for the global good.

Thank you—now let’s get to work! 

The Office of the President is located in Frank Manor House on the Undergraduate Campus. MSC: 33

email   [email protected]

voice   503-768-7680   fax   503-768-7688  

President Robin Holmes-Sullivan

The Office of the President Lewis & Clark 615 S. Palatine Hill Road   MSC 33 Portland   OR   97219

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Anchoring Script for an Inauguration Function – School, College, or University Inauguration Day

Are you, formally, moving into your new school, office, or your own place? If so, then a celebration of some sort is indeed on the way. Your friends, family, or colleagues are probably asking you for an inauguration party if you have recently bought a new house. And you are moving into it. Or if you are moving into your new school building or office building, traditionally, an inauguration celebration is a must for your office or school to have. Then, anchoring script for an inauguration function on this page can help you celebrate your day to its fullest.

Thus, in the article below, we will cover what is an inauguration day, some cool inauguration day quotes, and an anchoring script for inauguration day.

What is Inauguration Day?

Originally, the word “ inauguration ” has been derived from the Latin word “ inauguration” which refers to the rituals of ancient Roman priests seeking to foretell whether or not it was the will of God for an official person to shoulder the office responsibilities. As far as the definition goes, according to Wikipedia , inauguration day is such a day when the assigned person officially swears into his office and takes charge of his responsibilities. Also, inauguration days are usually an event held to announce the process.

Anchoring Script for an Inauguration Function

Inauguration days are special. They are the start of a new journey. Whether it is your school’s new building’s inauguration or a new start-up, they play a vital role in your journey. Thus, to make it more memorable, we have written an anchoring script for the inauguration function to help you have the best of your day at your school’s function. However, the anchoring script for the inauguration day is written for a school inauguration. You can still use it for any sort of inauguration celebration anchoring.

Opening Lines

The opening lines are important as they help you grab your audience’s attention. Therefore, try to be warm and polite. You can start your function in different ways. You can click here to learn some of the most powerful ways of opening a speech or anchoring. Either way in the following script, we have chosen a poem to start the function.

SEQUINNED IN THE NIGHT SKY, AS THE STARS SHINE. THEY TELL A MILLION STORIES, SOME OF YOURS AND A FEW OF MINE.

SPARKLING GEMS ADORN THE SKY, AND YOU WISH TO BE LIKE THEM. A DAZZLING SPLENDOR TO BEAUTIFY, AND A LONG ROAD TO EXEMPTION.

AS YOU LOOK UPON AT NIGHT, YOU FEEL THE WIND SO CALM. ASSUMING A TOMORROW SO BRIGHT, YOU EMBELLISH THE INNERMOST CHARM.

AS THE NIGHT ENCHANTS ITS BEAUTY AND MAKES US FEEL BEAUTIFUL. ITS SIDE BY SIDE PERFORMS HER DUTY, BY MAKING OUR EVERY NIGHT HOPEFUL

“Good Morning/ Good Evening, ladies and gentlemen to this magnificently glorious day. The galaxy of intellectuals, honorable guests, benevolent teachers respected parents, and beloved students, how lovely is this day. The scent in the air smells of liberty, kindness, humanity, and everything precious and beautiful.

The dearest audience, hold on to your hearts because you may eventually discover the beauty of this beautiful day as the event eventually starts to blossom. Because as you know, our school (insert name of the school here) has been serving the nation since the year 1987 successfully. It has, thus, decided to start a new branch in your city to continue serving and educating our youth and future builders.”

Welcoming Guests

“Moreover, on this glorious day, we have gathered here to commemorate and honor the contribution and the struggles of our dear school and school authorities and team. I, (insert your name here), on behalf of our school principal, Mr. (name of the principal), and my team, would like to present a gracious welcome to you all.

Besides, I am extremely privileged to welcome Mr. (name of the guest), our chief guest. Thank you, Sir. for giving us your precious time. I am also honored to welcome dear parents and my fellow students. Thank you all for joining us on this auspicious day! ”

“Today’s event is a small celebration of inaugurating the new and small steps we have taken towards spreading knowledge. Thus, you will be entertained with some tableau performances, a speech about the importance of education in modern society, and a drama performance by our students on the struggles of getting an education in an undeveloped area. Then, we will conclude today’s function with respect (insert name of the principal of your school) the principal of (insert name of the school). So, I wish you a happy time!”

Related :  Anchoring Script for Welcoming Guests in the Function

Lord’s prayer

AT MY LOWEST GOD IS MY HOPE

AT MY DARKEST GOD IS MY LIGHT

AT MY WEAKEST GOD IS MY STRENGTH

AT MY SADDEST GOD IS MY COMFORT

“Let us begin today’s auspicious event with the praise of the most merciful and the most benevolent. For that reason, I would like to call upon (insert name of the student here) from grade XYZ.”

After the Lord’s Prayer

Thank you, (insert name of the student here). It was all very heart-touching.

National Anthem

“I believe any school function is incomplete without the national anthem. Thus, moving forward, I would like to call (insert name of the student here) and his team to sing the national anthem. Also, May I please bother you all to stand up in honor of our national song?”

After the National Anthem

“Thank you, (insert name of the singer and his team here). This was choreographed by (insert name of the choreographer here). Thank you, (insert name of the choreographer here).”

Welcome Tableau

“BETWEEN STIMULUS AND RESPONSE, THERE IS A SPACE. IN THAT SPACE IS OUR POWER TO CHOOSE OUR RESPONSE. IN OUR RESPONSE LIES OUR GROWTH AND OUR FREEDOM.”

– VICTOR EMIL FRANKL (AUSTRIAN NEUROLOGIST AND PSYCHIATRIST)

“Finally, this is time for you to have some fun and enjoy the sparkling dance performance of our little angles of grade XZY. So, please give them a big round of applause.”

After the Tableau Performance

“Wow! It was such a beautiful performance. Taking the opportunity, I would like to thank (insert the name of the choreographer here) for choreographing this dazzling performance of our young angles of grade XYZ.”

“ Quit worrying about hell or dreaming about heaven, as they are both present inside this very moment. Every time we fall in love, we ascend to heaven. Every time we hate, envy, or fight someone, we tumble straight into the fires of hell.”

“Dear audience, it is time for our speaker to share his/her thoughts on today’s topic, the importance of education in modern society. So, please put your hands together for him.”

“Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today.”

“Thank you, (insert name of the speaker here) from grade XYZ.”

Also Read:   Annual Day Speech Sample for Teachers

Drama Performance

DON’T WASTE WORDS ON PEOPLE WHO DESERVE YOUR SILENCE. SOMETIMES THE MOST POWERFUL THING YOU CAN SAY IS NOTHING AT ALL.

― MANDY HALE

“After a hard time deciding what, and how to do, we decided what better way than to perform some drama to show our appreciation and honor the struggles of getting an education in an undeveloped area. So, please put your hands together for our drama performers.”

After the Drama Performance

“Thank you, guys. You did a spectacular job.”

Calling the Principal on Stage

“I feel very privileged to invite the respected principal (insert the name of the principal of the school here) of (insert name of the school here) on the stage. Sir, you merely require an introduction. We are all proud of you and your extinguished hard work in the field of education and health. May we please have you on the stage?”

Also Read:   Principal Speech

After the Principal’s Speech

“Thank you, Sir. for your kind words.”

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for your time and patience. We are extremely privileged to have you all here today. Furthermore, we appreciate the valuable time and patience you have shown today. Additionally, I would like to thank our guests (insert the name of the guest here) for giving their valuable time to sparkle our event. Furthermore, I would love to thank my team for their hard work in arranging this event.

Coming to the end of the day, we wish you every happiness, prosperity, and peace!

10 Powerful Inauguration Day Quotes

• “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” — John Quincy Adams
• “I walk slowly, but I never walk backward.” — Abraham Lincoln
• “What if the mightiest word is love, love beyond marital, filial, national? Love that casts a widening pool of light. Love with no need to preempt grievance. In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air, anything can be made, any sentence begun. On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp — praise song for walking forward in that light.” ―  Elizabeth Alexander
• “Once you say you’re going to settle for a second, that’s what happens to you in life.” — John F. Kennedy
• “Let it be told to the future world that in the depth of winter when nothing but hope and virtue could survive, the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet it.” ―  Barack Obama
• “The only man who makes no mistake is the man who does nothing.”  — Theodore Roosevelt  
• “For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.” ―  President Barack Obama
• “It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break; the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.” ―  Barack Obama
• “We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.” ―  President Barack Obama
• “I feel grateful every day. Even in the darkest of days, to be able to speak and be heard. To be able to leverage whatever I have to help others get heard. To challenge people and ask questions.”

Wrapping Up!

So, that is it for the anchoring script for an inauguration function. If you have any questions or suggestions, let us know down below. Besides, we have anchoring scripts for every occasion. So you check out at the search box above. If you could not find the one you are looking for, you can comment it down below, we will soon, make one for you.

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• International

Parents of Michigan school shooter sentenced

By Antoinette Radford and Maureen Chowdhury , CNN

Parents of school shooter sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison. Here's what happened in court today

From CNN staff

The  parents of the teenager who killed four students  in the 2021 school shooting in Oxford, Michigan, were each sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison Tuesday, weeks after being convicted of manslaughter.

James and Jennifer Crumbley, who each had faced up to 15 years in prison, have already been imprisoned for more than two years since their arrest in a Detroit warehouse days after the shooting. Though they were tried separately, their sentencing took place together in an Oakland County courtroom.

They are the first parents to be held criminally responsible for a mass school shooting committed by their child as the nation continues to grapple with the scourge of gunfire on campus and mass shootings.

Here's what everyone said in court today:

• Several family members of the four students killed in the shooting delivered emotional victim impact statements before the judge handed down the sentencing. The mother of Justin Shilling said "the ripple effects of both James and Jennifer's failures to act" to prevent their son from carrying out the deadly shooting " have devastated us all ." The father of Hana St. Juliana said the Crumbleys continue to deflect blame , adding his daughter's death "destroyed a large portion of my very soul."
• Jennifer Crumbley began her statement to the court on Tuesday by expressing her condolences to the victims and their families. She also said a previous statement that she made on the stand in her own defense  during her trial in Februar y was "completely misunderstood." Jennifer Crumbley previously said, “I’ve asked myself if I would have done anything differently, and I wouldn’t have.” Now, before sentencing, she said if she knew her son was capable of the crimes committed, her answer would have "absolutely been different."
• James Crumbley apologized to the victims , something he said he had not been able to do yet. He said he was not aware his son was planning a school shooting, and he asked the judge, "sentence me in a fair way."
• Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald urged the judge to exceed the sentencing guidelines for the Crumbleys and to consider the "devastating impact of their gross negligence that was foreseeable." In separate pre-sentencing memos, the attorneys for the parents asked for them  to be sentenced  to less than five years in prison.
• Judge Cheryl Matthews said the decision should be a deterrent to try to stop school shootings in the future. She pointed to James and Jennifer Crumbley's lack of action, saying, “These convictions confirm repeated acts or lack of acts that could have halted an oncoming runaway train."

Crumbley case sets a precedent on who can be held accountable for a mass shooting

From CNN's Celina Tebor

The historic trials, and stunning verdicts, of James and Jennifer Crumbley  tested the limits of who can be held responsible for a mass shooting.

The prosecution of both parents, and an uptick in other criminal prosecutions and civil lawsuits tied to mass shootings, indicates attorneys are increasingly seeking to hold responsible people — and companies — who didn’t pull the trigger .

Prosecutors over the past few years have been slowly, but steadily, expanding the notion of who can be held accountable for a mass shooting, CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig, a former federal and state prosecutor, said last month.

While he cautioned each case rests on its own merits, "we’ve seen groundbreaking prosecutions of parents and security personnel," he said, "and I’d expect that trend to continue."

The question remains whether prosecution of non-shooters will be effective in reducing the number of mass shootings in the United States. But undoubtedly, it has expanded prosecutors’ tool boxes, according to Ekow Yankah, law professor at the University of Michigan.

“It gives different prosecutors something to aim at – it gives them a new theory, it gives them something to try,” he told CNN. “It gives prosecutors who are frustrated, are facing a devastating crime, a mass shooting that’s hurt their community, some set of actions that they can take.”

Read about some other high-profile prosecutions of non-shooters in recent years.

Prosecutor says she is disappointed James and Jennifer Crumbley did not express remorse

From CNN’s Nicki Brown 

The lead prosecutor in James and Jennifer Crumbley's criminal trials said it was "disappointing" that the parents didn't express remorse.

"Feeling bad is natural, and we don't dispute that they feel bad ... that's not what's important to victims of crime," Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald said to reporters after the Crumbleys' sentencing Tuesday. "What they want and need most of all is remorse, which means acknowledgment of the wrongdoing and some sort of reconciliation or apology for that — and that didn't come."

The prosecutor said she didn't think that the case would set a precedent for parents of other school shooters.

"There's a difference between precedent-setting and rare, and this is really a rare set of facts, it really is," McDonald said. 

"Most of us know that you have to exercise reasonable care at least to prevent other people from the dangers that you know are foreseeable," she added.

She said her team did the "absolute best" they could, and the victim's families know that.

"It's really hard ... to remark about how hard we work and how hard it's been when you're looking in the eyes of these parents every day, who get up in unbelievable pain and grief and see this play out every day and they still go on," she said. "And so, my focus is there."

James and Jennifer Crumbley each sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison

James and Jennifer Crumbley, the parents of the teenager who killed four students in a 2021 school shooting in Oxford, Michigan, were each sentenced Tuesday to 10 to 15 years in prison, respectively, weeks after they were convicted of manslaughter.

They will receive credit for 858 days already served.

Sentence for Crumbleys should be a deterrent, judge says

From CNN's Elise Hammond

The judge presiding over the sentencing of James and Jennifer Crumbley said the decision should be a deterrent to try to stop school shootings in the future.

"Opportunity knocked over and over again, louder and louder, and was ignored," Judge Cheryl Matthews said. "No one answered and these two people should have and sure didn’t."

She said she is "aware of my job in this situation” and promised not to be “swayed by public opinion” when handing down the sentencing decision.

Talking to the families in the courtroom, Matthews said she could never understand the pain they are experiencing, but reassured them, “I saw what you saw and I heard what you heard” during the trials.

Prosecutor urges judge to consider the "devastating impact" of the Crumbleys' "gross negligence"

From CNN's Nicki Brown

Oakland County Prosecutor Karen McDonald urged Judge Cheryl Matthews to exceed the sentencing guidelines for James and Jennifer Crumbley, asking the judge to consider the "devastating impact of their gross negligence that was foreseeable."

"I want to be clear, remorse does not sound like, 'I feel really bad.' I'm sure they do. I don't dispute they feel bad, I don't dispute they have grief. That's not the kind of remorse and accountability these victims are looking for," McDonald said in court Tuesday.

She continued, addressing the judge:

"When fashioning a sentence, it is absolutely critical that you listen and consider the impact of what that gross negligence caused. So we're asking you to exceed the guidelines because I believe all of the factors pursuant to the case law, with the necessary consideration of the impact of these crimes, justifies you to do. We're asking you, the people are asking you, to consider the devastating impact of their gross negligence that was foreseeable."

James Crumbley apologizes to the families of his son's victims

From CNN's Antoinette Radford

James Crumbley, the father of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley, addressed the courtroom, opening his statement by apologizing to the victims, something he said he had not been able to do yet.

"I want to say I can't imagine the pain and agony ... for the families that have lost their children and what they are experiencing and what they are going through. As a parent, our biggest fear is losing our child or our children, and to lose a child is unimaginable. My heart is really broken for everybody involved," he said.

"I really want the families of Madisyn Baldwin, Hana St Juliana, Tate Myre and Justin Shilling to know how truly sorry I am, and how devastated I was when I heard what happened to them," Crumbley said.

Crumbley added that he was not aware his son was planning a school shooting, and he asked Judge Cheryl Matthews to "sentence me in a fair way."

Jennifer Crumbley says previous statement made in court was misinterpreted

From CNN's Maureen Chowdhury

Jennifer Crumbley began her statement to the court by expressing her condolences to the victims and their families.

"I sit here today to express my deepest sorrows for the families of Hana, Tate, Madisyn, Justin and to all those affected on November 30, 2021," she said.

Crumbley said that a previous statement made on the stand was "completely misunderstood."

When she took the stand in her own defense during her trial in Februar y, she had said, “I’ve asked myself if I would have done anything differently, and I wouldn’t have.”

On Tuesday, Crumbley said that she did not foresee the actions of her son and therefore would not have done anything different, and that is how she interpreted the question.

"With the benefit of hindsight and information I have now, my answer would be drastically different," she said.

Crumbley added that if she knew her son was capable of the crimes committed, her answer would have "absolutely been different."

 Father of Hana St. Juliana says Crumbleys "choose to blame everyone but themselves"

James and Jennifer Crumbley continue to deflect blame, the father of a victim of the 2021 Oxford High School shooting said at the Crumbleys' sentencing Tuesday.

"The defendants, through their choices, through their indifference and gross negligence, enabled their son to murder my daughter Hana and three other children," Steve St. Juliana, the father of Hana St. Juliana, said in a victim impact statement Tuesday.

"They chose to stay quiet. They chose to ignore the warning signs. And now, as we've heard through all of the objections, they continue to choose to blame everyone but themselves," he said.

Steve St. Juliana said his daughter's death "destroyed a large portion of my very soul."

"I will never think back fondly on her high school and college graduations. I will never walk her down the aisle as she begins the journey of starting her own family. I am forever denied the chance to hold her or her future children in my arms," he added.

St. Juliana said his position on the Crumbleys' sentencing evolved throughout the trial as the defendants' "defiance" increased. "Hana, Madisyn, Tate, and Justin are the ones who have lost everything — not the defendants," he said before requesting the parents receive the maximum possible sentence.

Buck Myre, the father of victim Tate Myre, gave his impact statement following Steve St. Juliana. He was the last person to give an impact statement.

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New school introduces 5 departments, inducts inaugural alumni class

• April 8, 2024

What happens when the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Communication and Information ( SCI ) throws its first open house? The results are more than 160 RSVPs to lively mini workshops attended by College of Social Sciences ( CSS ) students and alumni; an all-encompassing presentation about the five related but distinctive departments within SCI ; and a networking reception honoring the first five SCI distinguished alumni for their exceptional leadership and significant contributions to the community.

It all happened on April 5, at George Hall and the Architecture Building at the SCI event spotlighting the programs of communication , communicology , journalism , library and information science , and the Matsunaga Institute for Peace . Now one of the largest academic units at UH Mānoa, SCI has 24 faculty members, 305 undergraduate majors and 76 graduate students, with a total of more than 4,000 UH Mānoa students taking 220-plus SCI classes over the course of an academic year.

Communication competence, information literacy and communication technology literacy are foundational skills that our students need to succeed in today’s world.—Hye-ryeon Lee

“The open house aimed to showcase the new school’s core values of communication, connection and community, and to foster relationships with alumni and community partners for collaborative growth and development,” said Hye-ryeon Lee, SCI chair and communicology professor. “Communication and information are at the core of our existence. Communication competence, information literacy and communication technology literacy are foundational skills that our students need to succeed in today’s world. The SCI is the core unit that provides this important education at the university.”

Announced at the presentation were the five inaugural recipients of the 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award. They are Ruth Horie, retired catalog librarian at UH Mānoa; Nyle Sky Kauweloa, director of UH Esports and faculty specialist in interdisciplinary studies; Anne Marie Smoke, administrator of the Hawaiʻi State Judiciary’s Center for Alternative Dispute Resolution; Jennifer Sur Matayoshi, lead deputy Title IX coordinator and senior investigator at UH Mānoa; and Suzanne Puanani Vares-Lum, president of the East-West Center.

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Pepperdine University Announces Leah Fullman as Inaugural Dean of Speech-Language Pathology Program

MALIBU, California – Pepperdine University has appointed Dr. Leah Fullman to serve as the first dean of the School of Speech-Language Pathology in the newly established College of Health Science . Dr. Fullman, the founding dean of the College of Health Sciences at Faulkner University and trustee of the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, will begin her appointment April 1, 2024. 

"Dr. Fullman brings a wealth of experience and a clear vision for the future of speech-language pathology. Her dedication to fostering academic excellence and her alignment with Pepperdine’s Christian mission to serve and lead with purpose makes her the ideal choice to spearhead this vital program,” said President Jim Gash.

During her tenure as the founding dean of the College of Health Sciences at Faulkner University, Dr. Fullman guided the strategic planning and development of seven health science programs, including a bachelor's in health sciences, master's in speech-language pathology, master's in physician assistant studies, doctor of physical therapy, and doctor of occupational therapy. She also led the creation of an online master's in speech-language pathology and PhD in health sciences.

“Joining Pepperdine University as the dean for speech-language pathology is a tremendous honor,” shared Dr. Fullman. “I look forward to contributing to a program that integrates rigorous academic training with the Christian values of service and leadership, preparing students to make a meaningful difference in their communities.”

Dr. Fullman, a distinguished alumna of the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, brings to Pepperdine a rich blend of academic leadership and clinical expertise. Her leadership was instrumental in developing comprehensive health science programs that have significantly contributed to the field. She has become a sought-after accreditation consultant for developing programs in the health sciences and a legal consultant for cases within her scope of practice. 

About Pepperdine University Founded in 1937, Pepperdine University is an independent, Christian university located 30 miles west of Downtown Los Angeles in scenic Malibu, California. The University enrolls approximately 10,300 students across its flagship liberal arts school, Seaver College ; the Caruso School of Law ; the Graziadio Business School ; the Graduate School of Education and Psychology ; and the School of Public Policy . Pepperdine is committed to the highest standards of academic excellence and Christian values, where students are strengthened for lives of purpose, service, and leadership. Follow Pepperdine on Facebook , Twitter , Instagram , and LinkedIn .

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Parents of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley both sentenced to 10-15 years for involuntary manslaughter

PONTIAC, Mich. — The first parents to ever be charged , then convicted, in their child’s mass shooting at a U.S. school were both sentenced Tuesday to 10 to 15 years in prison after they faced the victims' families at a sentencing hearing in a Michigan courtroom.

James Crumbley, 47, and his wife, Jennifer, 46, were sentenced one after another by Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Matthews as they appeared together for the first time since they attended joint hearings before their landmark trials were separated last fall. Their son, Ethan, now 17, pleaded guilty as an adult to the 2021 shooting at Oxford High School in suburban Detroit and was sentenced to life in prison.

Matthews' sentencing decision was in line with what Oakland County prosecutors had asked for after both parents were found guilty on four counts of involuntary manslaughter, one for each of the students their son killed.

Matthews told the Crumbleys that the jury convictions were "not about poor parenting" but about how they repeatedly ignored warning signs that a "reasonable person" would have seen.

"These convictions confirm repeated acts that could have halted an oncoming runaway train," she said.

The couple will get credit for time served in an Oakland County jail since their arrests in the wake of the shooting on Nov. 30, 2021. The pair sat apart at the defense table with their lawyers beside them as the families of the four students who were killed asked before sentencing for the maximum terms to be imposed.

"When you texted, 'Ethan don't do it,'  I was texting, 'Madisyn I love you, please call mom,'" Nicole Beausoleil, the mother of shooting victim Madisyn Baldwin, 17, told the Crumbleys. "When you found out about the lives your son took that day, I was still waiting for my daughter in the parking lot.

"The lack of compassion you've shown is outright disgusting," she added through tears.

Jill Soave, the mother of another slain student, Justin Shilling, 17, said the parents' inaction on the day of the shooting "failed their son and failed us all."

Justin's father, Craig Shilling, said he was troubled by Jennifer Crumbley's testimony during her trial in which she said she would not have done anything differently, even today.

"The blood of our children is on your hands, too," Craig Shilling said.

James Crumbley wore an orange jumpsuit and headphones to help with his hearing, and Jennifer Crumbley wore a gray-and-white jumpsuit. He did not look at his wife, while she glanced in his direction.

In Michigan, prosecutors said, felonies that rise out of the same event must run concurrently, so the most Matthews could have imposed is 15 years in total. And while prosecutors wanted the parents to receive sentences that exceeded the advisory guideline range, Matthews had the ultimate discretion, weighing factors such as past criminal behavior and the circumstances of their crimes.

Before she was sentenced, Jennifer Crumbley told the court that she felt "deep remorse, regret and grief" about the shooting, but she also deflected some of the blame onto school officials and took offense to the prosecution's strategy portraying her as a neglectful mother .

"We were good parents," Crumbley said. "We were the average family. We weren't perfect, but we loved our son and each other tremendously."

James Crumbley also addressed the court, explaining to the judge that he did not know beforehand about his son's planned attack on his school and telling the victims' families directly that he would have acted differently on the day of the shooting.

"Please note that I am truly sorry for your loss as a result of what my son did," he said. "I cannot express how much I wish I had known what was going on with him or what was going to happen."

Matthews said during Tuesday's sentencing that the family would not be housed together and that the state Corrections Department has indicated James and Ethan Crumbley specifically will not be in the same facility given their relationship. Ethan is being held in a state prison 17 miles from Oxford High School. Jennifer Crumbley would be sent to the state's only women's prison.

James and Jennifer Crumbley have not been able to communicate as part of a no contact order since their arrests.

In both parents' cases, prosecutors wrote that their "gross negligence changed an entire community forever."

They both could have prevented the shooting with "tragically simple actions," prosecutors wrote, adding that they "failed to take any action when presented with the gravest of dangers."

Legal experts had suggested James Crumbley could have faced a harsher sentence than his wife after prosecutors said he made threats in jail.

During his trial, Matthews restricted his communication to only his lawyer and clergy.

The sentencing memo for James Crumbley referred to allegations that he made threats against the prosecutor and said that "his jail calls show a total lack of remorse" and that "he blames everyone but himself."

The memo details the expletive-ridden threats he is alleged to have directly addressed to the prosecutor on multiple recorded jail calls. In one call before the trial, he said, "Karen McDonald, you're going down," according to prosecutors. In other calls, he threatened retribution, they said.

James Crumbley’s lawyer, Mariell Lehman, wrote in court documents that the calls did not include threats to physically harm the prosecutor but that he expressed his desire to ensure that McDonald is not able to continue practicing law as a result of her actions in the case.

"It is clear Mr. Crumbley is venting to loved ones about his frustrations related to the lack of investigation done by the prosecution prior to authorizing charges," Lehman wrote, saying her client is understandably angry at his situation.

The prosecution's memo also says James Crumbley asserted his innocence in a pre-sentence report, indicating a lack of remorse.

"I feel horrible for what happened and would do anything to be able to go back in time and change it! But I can't. And I had nothing to do with what happened," he wrote, according to the prosecution memo. "I don't know why my son did what he did. HE is the only one who knows."

Lehman has not said whether she plans to appeal James Crumbley's verdict, while a lawyer for Jennifer Crumbley, Shannon Smith, has written that she will.

Two separate trials

James Crumbley did not take the stand during his trial. His wife testified that she placed the responsibility of securing the 9 mm semiautomatic handgun used in the shooting on her husband.

Asked whether she would have done anything differently, Jennifer Crumbley told jurors, "I don't think I'm a failure as a parent."

Prosecutors argued that she knew of her son's deteriorating mental health and social isolation and that he had access to a gun but that she cared more about her hobbies and carrying on an extramarital affair than about being present at home.

Her defense lawyer attempted to portray her as a caring mother, albeit one who did not know her son was capable of such violence — suggesting instead that his school failed to fully inform her of his troubles and that her husband was responsible for the weapon.

Smith continued to defend her client in her sentencing memo.

"Criticizing Mrs. Crumbley for being 'rarely home' is a sexist and misogynistic attack on a mother," Smith wrote.

In a pre-sentence report, Jennifer Crumbley said she has the hindsight now to know she would have handled things differently.

"With the information I have now, of course my answer would be hugely different," she said. "There are so many things that I would change if I could go back in time."

Both her and her husband's trials centered on the day of the shooting.

A day after Thanksgiving, prosecutors said, James Crumbley bought their son the handgun, while Jennifer Crumbley took him to a gun range that weekend.

On Tuesday, a teacher said she had found a note on Ethan's desk with a drawing of a gun and a person who had been shot, along with messages including: "The thoughts won't stop. Help me."

That discovery prompted the school to summon the parents for a meeting, but school officials testified that they declined to bring him home because they had to go back to work.

The officials also said that if the parents had informed them that their son had access to a gun, they would have been more authoritative to ensure immediate safety.

Ethan would go on to commit the school shooting later that afternoon, killing Baldwin; Shilling; Tate Myre, 16; and Hana St. Juliana, 14.

Victims' families want accountability

In the aftermath of the trials, the victims' families have demanded further accountability. They are seeking changes to governmental immunity laws that protect schools from being sued and want to see a requirement for independent reviews after any mass shooting.

Oakland County prosecutors have said they do not plan to charge anyone else in connection with the massacre.

Buck Myre, the father of Tate Myre, said during Tuesday's sentencing that families still want a government-led investigation.

"It's time to drive real change from this tragedy," he told the judge.

Later, James Crumbley stood and addressed Buck Myre directly when he was given the chance to speak.

"It is time that we all know the truth," he said. "I, too, want the truth, because you have not had it."

Selina Guevara and Maggie Vespa reported from Pontiac and Erik Ortiz from New York.

Selina Guevara is an NBC News associate producer, based in Chicago.

NBC News Correspondent

Erik Ortiz is a senior reporter for NBC News Digital focusing on racial injustice and social inequality.

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Africa’s Youngest President Takes Office, Promising ‘Systemic Change’

Senegal’s new president, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, took the oath of office in Tuesday’s ceremony. Close behind him sat the popular opposition leader who had clinched the win.

By Ruth Maclean

Reporting from Diamniadio, Senegal.

Still reeling from a whirlwind campaign, young people in Senegal threw jackets over their worn election T-shirts on Tuesday to attend the inauguration of an opposition politician who went from political prisoner to president in less than three weeks.

Their new leader, Bassirou Diomaye Faye — at 44, Africa’s youngest elected president — took the oath of office promising “systemic change,” and paying homage to the many people killed, injured, and imprisoned in the yearslong lead-up to the West African country’s election.

“I will always keep in mind the heavy sacrifices made so as to never disappoint you,” Mr. Faye said, addressing a vast auditorium in which African heads of state and dignitaries sat at the front. From the back, hundreds of supporters of Mr. Faye and his powerful backer, the opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, shouted for joy.

Hours later, Mr. Faye appointed Mr. Sonko prime minister in the new government, according to a post on the president’s official account on X.

It was the culmination of months of drama, after the former president, Macky Sall, canceled the election with just weeks to go, citing irregularities at the constitutional council — and then, under intense domestic and international pressure, agreed to hold it after all.

Mr. Sall’s handpicked candidate was resoundingly beaten by Mr. Faye, a tax inspector and political rookie who got more than 54 percent of the vote, despite having only 10 days of freedom in which to campaign . He had been jailed on charges of defamation and contempt of court, and was awaiting trial when Mr. Sall announced the adoption of an amnesty law and was released.

“You’re Senegal’s uncontested and dazzling choice,” said the president of the constitutional council, Mamadou Badio Camara, presiding over the inauguration.

But Mr. Faye was not the only politician that Senegal had effectively endorsed. Mr. Sonko, the man whose support helped get Mr. Faye elected, was sitting in the second row.

“Thank you, Sonko, thank you,” yelled his supporters at key moments in Tuesday’s ceremony.

Mr. Sonko, until now Senegal’s foremost opposition leader, was also in jail until three weeks ago, barred from running for president himself after convictions on charges of defamation and “corruption of youth” in relation to accusations brought by a young massage parlor employee .

When he was released, he immediately went on the campaign trail with Mr. Faye, telling his supporters that a vote for Mr. Faye was a vote for him.

Mr. Faye made no mention in his speech of Mr. Sonko, who cut a low profile in a black hat and tunic. But Mr. Sonko was a constant presence. He hobnobbed with the African presidents who waited for the ceremony to begin in an antechamber of a conference center in Diamniadio, a new city still under construction and a pet project of Mr. Sall.

Then, in the hangar-like room where Mr. Faye would take his oath, Mr. Sonko took his place in the second row, just behind the two first ladies — wives of the polygamous new president. And Mr. Sonko got the biggest cheers of the day, every time his face appeared on the large screens at the front of the auditorium.

Much cheering also rang out for the military president of Guinea, and the representatives of Mali and Burkina Faso, three West African countries whose governments were overthrown in coups in recent years and are now ruled by juntas. The rhetoric of those juntas — focused on sovereignty from France, the former colonial power perceived by many West Africans as continuing to meddle in their affairs — mirrors that of Mr. Sonko and Mr. Faye.

“The youth of Senegal is connecting with the youth of those countries, over these issues of sovereignty,” the president’s uncle, also named Diomaye Faye, said in an interview on Tuesday.

Mr. Faye and Mr. Sonko have pledged to drop or change the terms of the CFA, the regional currency backed by France, and renegotiate Senegal’s contracts with foreign-owned companies to extract newly discovered oil and gas.

In his speech, Mr. Faye stressed that Senegal would remain open to relations with other countries that are “respectful of our sovereignty, consistent with our people’s aspirations, and in a mutually winning partnership.”

After the swearing-in, a motorcade carried him to the presidential palace. Last week, Mr. Sall had welcomed him and Mr. Sonko, his former archrivals, in a stiff but determinedly friendly meeting — official photographs of which were later given to the media.

On Tuesday, Mr. Sall, a two-term president who had served for 12 years, welcomed Mr. Faye once more, who arrived this time with a presidential guard.

After sitting chatting for a while and handing over the important documents, Mr. Sall climbed into a Toyota, pulling out of the palace gates and leaving for good.

Ruth Maclean is the West Africa bureau chief for The Times, covering 25 countries including Nigeria, Congo, the countries in the Sahel region as well as Central Africa. More about Ruth Maclean

Lunch debts in the Wausau and D.C. Everest Area school districts are over $20,000. This fundraiser aims to help.

Yauo yang started a gofundme fundraiser to raise $20,000 to pay off the negative lunch balances at the wausau and d.c. everest area school districts..

WAUSAU − Yauo Yang knows the struggles some families face trying to make ends meet and putting food on the table.

Yang was born in 1980 in a refugee camp in Thailand and his family moved to Wausau as refugees in 1987. He said they faced many challenges when they arrived.

Since then, Yang, who is a pastor at The Cross Church in Schofield, has devoted his life to service, making a difference and paying it forward.

Yang and his wife, Mayla, are parents to eight children, six of whom are students in the Wausau School District, and from time to time, Yang said he receives voicemail messages from the three schools his children attend letting him know that his children have negative school lunch balances.

"For the most part, I look at my bank account balance, and my wife and I are able to pay it," Yang said. "But, I was thinking there are other families who have these lunch debts who have situations where they probably aren't able to."

Yang reached out to the Wausau and D.C. Everest Area school districts and learned there was over $20,000 in student lunch debt between the two districts. The Wausau district said its current lunch debt balance is at $10,925; the D.C. Everest school district did not respond to a reporter's request for its current balance.

After he learned this, Yang started a seven-day GoFundMe campaign to raise $20,000 to pay off the lunch debts in both districts. As of Friday afternoon, the online fundraiser had raised over $4,800 from more than 110 donors.

"I'm just really humbled that people are willing to donate," Yang said. "If people do a little bit, we can go a long way."

April is both Hmong Heritage Month and Global Pay it Forward Month, and Yang will be speaking at Wausau East High School on Wednesday about his life of service, making a difference in the community and paying it forward.

He also plans to donate the fundraiser proceeds during the week.

How do school districts address negative lunch balances?

Karen Fochs, the director of nutrition services for the Wausau School District, said the current lunch debt balance is typical for the district over the last five years, but prior to that, the negative balances were closer to $5,000 at this point in the school year.

Fochs said automated calls from the district go out to families with a zero or negative balance, and families are encouraged to complete a free and reduced meal application, if eligible. Emails also are sent to families when negative balances reach higher amounts such as $100 or more, Fochs said.

The Wausau School District does not offer alternate meals to students with negative balances, as they require extra labor and might not provide optimal nutrition. Students in elementary school are never denied a meal. Middle and high school students with negative lunch balances are not allowed to purchase a la carte items such as chips, second entrees or ice cream, and once they reach a negative balance of $20 or more, they are asked to bring a cold lunch from home, Fochs said.

Casey Nye, superintendent of the D.C. Everest Area School District, said "helping ensure students’ basic needs are met − including healthy meals − is crucial to providing students the best opportunity to learn in the classroom. ... Sometimes − especially when families experience unexpected economic hardship − school lunch balances can suffer. Regardless, our students receive one of the healthy options on our menu."

Nye did not provide additional details on how D.C. Everest addresses negative lunch balances.

"I believe that it's important for children to be able to go to school and have a dignified meal provided for them so they can learn," Yang said. "These kids already know that their families are struggling financially, and to then be treated differently because you can't pay for your school lunch."

Yang said he knows negative school lunch balances will be an ongoing issue in both districts, and if the fundraiser is successful, he hopes to repeat it in the future. Anyone who is interested in helping him continue the effort, can email him at [email protected] .

'We are thankful to live in a generous community'

This isn't the first time the local school districts have received donations to help pay down lunch debts.

"The (Wausau School District) has received donations in prior years and continues to receive donations in varying quantities," Fochs said. "Some donors remain anonymous, some ask for donations to be applied toward negative accounts at certain schools with the district. Most recently a notable donation of $3,000 was made by a local pub stating that the money was collected from its staff and patrons and noted, in their letter to the district, 'no child should go hungry.'"

Nye said over the years, many individuals have reached out to the D.C. Everest district asking to specifically apply funds to negative school lunch accounts, and they have welcomed those efforts.

"We are thankful to live in a generous community that has long demonstrated their support by helping families in need − whether it’s unsolicited donations of clothing, materials or funds applied to school lunch debt."

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Editor Jamie Rokus can be reached at  [email protected]  or follow her on Twitter at  @Jamie_Rokus .