Brandon Holveck and Jeff Neiburg, Delaware News Journal
Published
4:48 am UTC Jan. 21, 2021
Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. became the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday, sworn in to an office that had eluded him for decades at the site of a violent insurrection just two weeks before.
He took the oath of office with his history-making vice president, Kamala Harris, on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, where on Jan. 6 a violent mob stormed into the halls of Congress, creating a dark day in American history.
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U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden watch fireworks at the White House on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. Biden.
Published: 1/20/2021 1:00:30 PM
SOUTHAMPTON – On Tuesday evening, town officials and members of the community held a candlelight vigil outside the illuminated town hall and gazebo while others rang the bell of the nearby First Congregational Church for five minutes as a memorial tribute to those lost to the COVID-19 pandemic. The action was part of a nationwide pause to remember called for by President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris who led a similar ceremony at the same moment at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington.
After the bell ringing, select board chair Maureen Groden, who brought her own perspective as a nurse, said, “in this difficult political climate we must not forget that everyone who has died from COVID was someone’s mother, father, grandmother, neighbor.” Then Groden offered condolences with the reading of a short poem by Walter Rinder.
While we have our eyes on the future, history has our eyes on us, Gorman said on stage. This is the era of just redemption.
Gorman continues a tradition for Democratic presidents that includes such celebrated poets as Robert Frost and Maya Angelou. The latter s “On the Pulse of Morning, written for the 1993 inauguration of President Bill Clinton, went on to sell more than 1 million copies when published in book form. Recent readers include poets Elizabeth Alexander and Richard Blanco.
Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in memory, and she has made news before. In 2014, she was named the first Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, and three years later she became the country s first National Youth Poet Laureate. She has appeared on MTV; written a tribute to Black athletes for Nike; and has a two-book deal with Viking Children s Books. The first work, the picture book “Change Sings, comes out later this year.
UpdatedWed, Jan 20, 2021 at 9:11 am MT
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Preparations are made prior for a dress rehearsal of the 59th inaugural ceremony for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, who will be sworn in Wednesday. (Patrick Semansky, Pool/Associated Press)
Joe Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, and Kamala Harris will take the oath of office for vice president at 10 a.m. MST Wednesday.
The inauguration ceremony will take place on the U.S. Capitol s West Front, but attendance will be minimal because of the pandemic. Biden and Harris will then participate in an inspection of troops from all service branches on the Capitol s East Front.