January 9, 2021

Inauguration Day

By Melody Leibner

January 6th stopped our country in its tracks. America’s eyes were glued to the TV. Together we observed the horror of defiance on Capitol Hill unfold on live television. I found myself contemplating the historical impact of the grim day, as well as considering how our collective hopes and dreams for a new year were instantaneously crushed. On January 6th, America’s cherished patriotic blend of stars and stripes were stained and tainted with red and blue blurs of Trump 2020. For the first time ever, flashes of the confederate flag waved triumphantly, desecrating the halls, and the heart, of our democracy. On January 6th, domestic terrorists committed federal treason, and stomped over the sacred ground our people have spent two and a half centuries protecting. On January 6th, the history of our country was mocked, and the tyranny that American soldiers fought so hard to escape, flooded through the streets of Washington DC, with no masks or second thoughts. 

Should that be my whole essay? 

The passionate writer within me refuses to believe that there are no words left to say. January 6th must not be the end of our story. As an inherently positive person, I believe that a brighter light is imminent. 

With inauguration day approaching not nearly fast enough, let’s pause and consider what the word inauguration truly means. Defined by google, an inauguration is “the beginning or introduction of a system, policy, or period.” In just two weeks, we will have a new President, and our very first female Vice President of the United States. Wow. In the next few months, we will all face the vaccination process, hopefully burying the wrath of COVID-19 with all of the beloved lives it has taken this past year. Just one week ago, we counted down the very seconds to a new year that we believed would be different. Sadly, 2020 has many convinced that the “fresh start” promised with 2021 will not reset the reality of our world. 

Yet, we still face the inauguration. How can this be the beginning of a long anticipated new period in history, when it already seems worse than the last? The answer is simple: it isn’t. Regardless of a new year on our clocks, and in our minds, this is still the end of 2020. Last year we suffered so many casualties and viewed so much oppression that 365 days was starkly insufficient. The ashes of grief from 2020 have sprinkled into 2021, and will not let go without a fight. However, irrespective of the riots in the Capitol, and injustice we have faced as a nation, the dawn of inauguration day will quickly be upon us. I plan to embrace it. 

Let’s focus on the strides of progress and the myriad of cultural rebirths that 2020 ushered in. The BLM movement took to the streets, and millions stood in solidarity this past year, insisting that change is mandatory. It can no longer be a choice; George Floyd and Breonna Taylor would not die in vain. In 2020, people all over the globe protested for a better tomorrow. In 2020, we fought for new beginnings, new policies, and a new Presidential administration. In 2020, we began the fight for a true inauguration. 

Regardless of how you identify politically, who you voted for, or what your beliefs are, I think we can all agree that this past week was a step in the wrong direction. As a nation, we all felt hopeless as we fell into bed that night. Still, notwithstanding this major setback, I feel more motivated than ever to conquer each day. We cannot control the demons of yesterday, nor can we predict the actions of tomorrow. We can only choose to make each day a new beginning.  

Despite the clouds that enveloped the Capitol this week, 2021 already shows glimpses of silver linings. On the very same day that small-minded Trump supporters took steps backwards in Washington DC, visionary democrats leaped forwards, making American history. Georgia flipped Blue for the first time in twenty years. Reverend Raphael Warnock made history as Georgia’s first Black senator, and Jon Ossoff made history as Georgia’s first Jewish Senator. No matter how much the darkness of the past weighs us down, in the end, time will inevitably choose progress, humanity, and light. 

The swearing-in ceremony of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris upholds the traditional understanding of an inauguration. Nonetheless, I urge you to appreciate a broader interpretation. Why can’t we welcome every day with an inauguration? Together, we can inaugurate every day by celebrating small victories, using our voices, and wearing our hearts on our sleeves. We can begin to apply “inauguration” to our story right now – just a few pages away from something momentous, something new, and something extraordinary.