By no means is the inauguration of an incoming president indicative of what they will accomplish in their term.

However in this case, with the transition of power following four years of threats to our democracy, the messages of unity and honesty were just what we needed to redirect.

On the morning of January 20, newly-elected President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris approached the front of the Capitol with a red carpet-like entrance, surrounded by former presidents, family, senators, Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez.

Though there was a range of people all with different backgrounds and positions, the group still managed to have a commonality— the idea of unity and resilience that was evident in their speeches, songs, promises and poems.  

The message of integration was first evident with who was chosen to speak, including Roy Blunt, a Republican Senator, and Amy Klobuchar, a Democratic Senator. 

Klobuchar made it a focus of her speech to indicate that we are all responsible, regardless of political affiliation, to protect the 244 year-old democracy that the nation was built on. 

“Now it falls on all of us, not just the two leaders we are inaugurating today, to take up the torch of our democracy, not as a weapon of political arson, but as an instrument for good,” Klobuchar said.  

While both senators had different takes on the day due to their party alignment, there was a message of united progression from both of them. With them speaking, both ends of the current political spectrum were represented, supporting the message Biden encourages of an administration for all. 

The terrorist attacks on the capital just two weeks prior to the inauguration were a final attack on democracy from the Trump administration, something speakers recognized on inauguration day.

“The assault on our Capitol at this very place just two weeks ago reminds us that a government designed to balance and check itself is both fragile and resilient,” Blunt said. 

Amanda Gorman also touched on a more inspirational part of the morning through her poetry.

The significance of Kamala stepping into the role of the first woman, black and Indian vice president and her exemplary rise to the role will forever imprint on younger generations who see themselves in her.

If nothing else, I hope that people take with them the message that we are finally at a point where diversity is seen not only in the country but in the White House as well.

The incoming administration did a commemorable job when it came to hosting a bipartisan inauguration ceremony. Even former Vice President Mike Pence attended, which is a standard practice usually, but this year he did so without the accompaniment of former President Trump.

Simply having members from both parties attending and participating seem to expel the motivation of division that the previous administration fueled. 

This attention to small details throughout the event stood out to me the most, especially contrasted with the carelessness that the Trump administration practiced. I appreciated, for example, the inclusion of sign language that Andrea Hall used during her speaking of the pledge of allegiance, in respect to her late father who was deaf and J. Lo’s use of Spanish during part of her song. 

While these personal touches don’t mean much to some, they are important moments of inclusion, and that spreads with small gestures such as these.

When watching along with my own family at home, I felt a familiar connection to the people who added personality to the event, promoting further this idea of togetherness in a unique way.