Beatty Draft’s Opening of Biden’s Inaugural Address for BU Community Blog
Alexander Beatty (Pardee MA ’21) was selected by BU Today to take part in a community blog in which Boston University students, faculty, and staff drafted the opening of President-elect Joe Biden’s inaugural address.
While BU Today provided the first few words, students then wrote what they wanted to hear from Biden. In his opening, Beatty emphasized the importance of unification – both domestically and abroad – as well as the momentous challenges facing the incoming administration.
Beatty’s full opening can be read below:
Fellow Americans, and citizens around the world, I stand here today, not only before you, but before the immense tasks that tower over our great nation. This day, the first of our four years together, represents a turning of the tide, a change in the air. What was once the rumblings of diversity gave way to the thunderous clap of division and disjunction. When faced with adversity, we can cower in fear or we can unite, join together, and triumph. We must reconcile, neighbor with neighbor. We must connect, as individuals, and create a lasting monument to our solidarity. It will not happen today, nor will it happen tomorrow. But this day marks the first day of this unification. Brick by brick, conversation by conversation, we will continue to champion the change we see around us, the change we feel within us, and the change we make in our lives and communities. This is not merely a moment in our history as a nation. This is the beginning of a sustained, significant movement to repair the divisions in our society. It will not be uncomplicated, it will not be convenient, there will be no room for complacency, nor passivity. This future that we envision, as we unite in the name of healing and of progress, can only be our future if we all commit to change.
The full blog can be read on BU Today’s website.