Politics

Harris urges US to ‘see beyond crisis’ in 1st address as vice president

Washington, Jan 20 (EFE).- In her first public address since taking office Wednesday, the United States’ new vice president Kamala Harris called on Americans to “see beyond crisis.”

Harris, who made history by becoming the first woman, the first Black woman, and the first person of Asian descent to hold the US vice presidency, spoke during the “Celebrating America” inaugural prime-time program hosted by actor Tom Hanks.

“In many ways, this moment embodies our character as a nation. It demonstrates who we are. Even in dark times, we not only dream, we do,” said Harris, who was sworn in by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.

She added that Americans see not only what has been, but “what can be.”

“We shoot for the moon, and then we plant our flag on it. We are bold, fearless, and ambitious. We are undaunted in our belief that we shall overcome, that we will rise up. This is American aspiration,” she said, citing as an example former president Abraham Lincoln, whom she said “saw a better future and built it.”

She also referenced Black civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr’s fight for racial and economic justice, and said that the “American aspiration is what drove the women of this nation throughout history to demand equal rights and the authors of the Bill of Rights to claim freedoms that had rarely been written down before.”

She added that it is that aspiration that has inspired scientists, parents, innovators and educators, families and communities.

“This is what president Joe Biden has called upon us to summon now. The courage to see beyond crisis, to do what is hard, to do what is good, to unite, to believe in ourselves, believe in our country, believe in what we can do together,” she concluded.

The inauguration ceremony for Biden, who became the 46th president of the US, was held amid tight security. The events passed without the presence of the usual huge crowds due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the Jan. 6 assault on the US Capitol by followers of former president Donald Trump. EFE

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