https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZAe02qarUFkThe new era in Washington is best exemplified by three women. Oakland born Kamala Harris is the first woman to be sworn in as Vice President.
Lady Gaga whose musical fame is known worldwide gave a stirring rendition of the Star Spangled Banner to those assembled at the Capitol and a worldwide audience.
Amanda Gorman, 22, is the first Youth Poet Laureate in American history. Her presentation at the inaugural was stunning.
Following are three clips.
Kamala Harris being sworn in as Vice President
https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2021/01/20/kamala-harris-inauguration-swearing-in-vpx.cnn
Excerpted from Billboard Magzine 1.20.2021
Former senator and two-term vice president Joe Biden stepped into history on Wednesday (Jan. 20) alongside his historic Vice President Sen. Kamala Harris as they were inaugurated on the steps of the U.S. Capitol. And while some of the usual pomp and circumstance — not to mention the typically huge crowds — were curtailed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and security concerns in the age of the violent assault on the Capitol by supporters of former president Donald Trump on Jan. 6, Lady Gaga was on hand to ensure that the event felt like a proper celebration.
The singer took center stage just before noon to sing The National Anthem in a striking, billowing floor-length red skirt and long-sleeved black top accented with an oversized gold peace dove brooch and black leather gloves, accompanied by the President’s United States Marine Band. After greeting Biden and Harris, Gaga composed herself, grabbed a gold-colored microphone and belted out a powerful rendition of the notoriously difficult “Star-Spangled Banner” with her typical theatrical panache, ending with her hand over her heart and nods to Biden, Harris and former President and First Lady Barack and Michelle Obama on her way back to hear seat.
The stirring performance came one day after Gaga sent her Little Monsters a message of hope to usher in the new administration. “I pray tomorrow will be a day of peace for all Americans,” Gaga tweeted. “A day for love, not hatred. A day for acceptance not fear. A day for dreaming of our future joy as a country. A dream that is non-violent, a dream that provides safety for our souls. Love, from the Capitol.”
New York Times 1.20.2021
When Amanda Gorman was writing her inaugural poem, “The Hill We Climb,” she faced a challenge unlike any of her predecessors.
Gorman set out to craft a poem that was both hopeful and realistic, one that reflected the political divisions that have fractured the country, but also the promise of greater unity. She finished writing the poem just after rioters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6.
“I’m not going to in any way gloss over what we’ve seen over the past few weeks and, dare I say, the past few years. But what I really aspire to do in the poem is to be able to use my words to envision a way in which our country can still come together and can still heal,” she said in an interview with The New York Times. “It’s doing that in a way that is not erasing or neglecting the harsh truths I think America needs to reconcile with.”
At 22, Gorman, who lives in Los Angeles, is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. She was brought to the Inaugural Committee’s attention by first lady Jill Biden, who saw her recite a poem at the Library of Congress, and was struck by her performance and her bold yellow dress (Gorman wore a bright yellow blazer at the inauguration).
https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/20/politics/trump-presidency-ends/index.html
Amanda Gorman – Youth Poet Laureate Delivers at Presidential Inaugural
Lee's Perspective 