A Breath of Fresh Air

I am writing this with a renewal of hope. With the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris (wow it feels great to say that) today, I am reminded of a few things:

Today reminded me that good character is important and a vital part of leadership.

Today reminded me that women belong in Washington - especially women of color.

Today reminded me that democracy will not be delayed.

Today reminded me that we need to appreciate progress, no matter how far backward we feel we’ve fallen.

Today reminded me how great our country can be.

“A day of history and hope,” Joe Biden stated on the steps of the Capitol which merely 14 days ago was stormed and swarmed with darkness.

We must believe that America will rebuild.

We must believe that there is hope, and the only direction to move is forward.

And history was made today.

The first south-Asian black woman was sworn in as vice president.

Yes, all three of those adjectives are “firsts”.

No matter what the color of your skin looks like or what gender you are, this should bring all Americans great joy. To know a daughter of immigrants can sit in the White House and create change dismisses the idea that America is a country for white men to lead.

As I wrote the day after the election, our country is divided and polarized. Sadly, nothing has changed since November; however, our new President and Vice President call for unity now more than ever.

Unity to fight a raging pandemic that has taken over 400,000 American lives.

Unity to fight against nonsensical conspiracy theories that have left our political climate a mess.

Unity to fight against systemic racism and white supremacy.

Today history was made.

Today my hope in our country was renewed.

But our work is not done.

The fight is not over.

We can celebrate progress while not settling for anything less than true democracy and equality. The imprint of the last four years will not simply disappear. Disinformation and media bias plague our country. White supremacists have been empowered and are more outspoken now than ever before. Conspiracy theories are becoming more radical and extreme.

We must keep the faith. We must stand strong for what we believe. And we must not be distraught by the last four years.

I am excited to see what the future of our country holds. I am excited to see President Joe Biden rebuild and redefine our country’s morals. I can’t wait to see the impact of VP Kamala Harris.

Finally, as a nod to Kamala and my favorite musical Hamilton, “we’ve had quite a run, immigrants: we get the job done!”