“We have come so far. But we still have far to go.”

– President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., Inaugural Address 2021

On January 20, 2021, Americans witnessed an important event that only occurs every four years: Inauguration Day. With speeches from President Biden himself, Amy Klobuchar, Silvester S. Beaman, and Roy Blunt, an inaugural poem recited by Amanda Gorman, and performances by Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez, it was an unforgettable moment in history. The Inauguration displayed a peaceful transfer of power, which was something much-needed by the population because of the divisive and violent circumstances that transpired recently.

In the comforts of their homes, Americans around the world avidly listened to President Biden’s inaugural address as he explained his vision for the United States for his next four years in office. His goals could be summarized in one single word: unity.

First, Biden acknowledged the many growing challenges that America must face to prevail and succeed. These include the devastation of death and unemployment due to the eminent Coronavirus, racial injustice, white supremacy, political bigotry, and domestic terrorism. Consequently, the division and unhappiness fostered from these factors led to a broken America.

However, President Biden suggests a solution despite its admitted ideality: “We must meet this moment as the United States of America…We have never, ever, ever failed in America when we have acted together.” He encouraged Americans to join forces by being respectful, compassionate, and accepting towards one another; only then, he claims, can America move forward towards amelioration. Although, as mentioned previously, the unification of all Americans is something of a reverie, it is necessary to battle the current arduous period and come out the other side in the light together.

To gain the trust of the country that lays before him, Biden then asserted and promised that from this unification in addition to his adherence to the Constitution, principles of democracy, and mindset of the public good, a better and stronger America will emerge for future generations to live in. In other words, by the end of his term, he wishes to restore what America once stood for: “opportunity, security, liberty, dignity, respect, honor, and truth.”

President Biden’s inaugural speech drew to a conclusion by addressing his devotion to immediately resolving the tasks that lay before him. This commitment has already been seen with the executive actions (regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, racial equality, immigration, climate change, and LGBTQ+ rights) which Biden has already signed within a few weeks of his inauguration. Albeit the fact that these are mere steps in the right direction, and more adversities must be faced, Americans are reminded by the youth poet Amanda Gorman that “there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it” (“The Hill We Climb”).