WASHINGTON — Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, released the following statement from Executive Director Rick Chavez Zbur following the historic inauguration of President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and Vice President Kamala D. Harris:
“Today, the United States of America swore in the most pro-equality president and vice president in the 244-year history of our republic. President Joe Biden took the first step on our nation’s long overdue path toward healing, invoking our shared history of overcoming struggle and citing the words of President Lincoln in an emphatic appeal for unity. A president with unmatched compassion forged through unimaginable grief picks up the nation’s torch at a time when we need him most. Just a day after the country reached a grim milestone of 400,000 lives lost to a global pandemic and two weeks after an attempted insurrection at the Capitol, the 46th president of the United States spoke of renewal, optimism and the power of truth. And his late son Beau smiled down on him and a hopeful nation. “From Fannie Lou Hamer to Shirley Chisholm, Geraldine Ferraro to Hillary Clinton to today, the inauguration of Vice President Kamala Harris is an historic feat in the long struggle to break through the hardest, highest glass ceiling in our American democracy. A Black, South Asian daughter of immigrants ascending to the nation’s second highest office — the first woman to do so — will forever inspire children across the country and around the world. Her inauguration sends the most powerful message that no dream is too big, no obstacle too high, no challenge too great. “Today’s historic transfer of power is a reminder of the resilience of our union. A nation founded on ideals, always imperfect but forever striving to live up to its original promise, stands today in defiance of any who would seek to divide us and all who doubt our commitment to democracy. The road ahead of us is not easy. But together — united in purpose and bound by destiny — I know that we will restore the soul of our nation and create a world that is healthy, just and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people. “God bless President Biden, Vice President Harris and their families. God bless the hundreds of thousands of families mourning loved ones lost to COVID-19 and the millions more struggling during this crisis. God bless the United States of America.”
“Today, the United States of America swore in the most pro-equality president and vice president in the 244-year history of our republic. President Joe Biden took the first step on our nation’s long overdue path toward healing, invoking our shared history of overcoming struggle and citing the words of President Lincoln in an emphatic appeal for unity. A president with unmatched compassion forged through unimaginable grief picks up the nation’s torch at a time when we need him most. Just a day after the country reached a grim milestone of 400,000 lives lost to a global pandemic and two weeks after an attempted insurrection at the Capitol, the 46th president of the United States spoke of renewal, optimism and the power of truth. And his late son Beau smiled down on him and a hopeful nation.
“From Fannie Lou Hamer to Shirley Chisholm, Geraldine Ferraro to Hillary Clinton to today, the inauguration of Vice President Kamala Harris is an historic feat in the long struggle to break through the hardest, highest glass ceiling in our American democracy. A Black, South Asian daughter of immigrants ascending to the nation’s second highest office — the first woman to do so — will forever inspire children across the country and around the world. Her inauguration sends the most powerful message that no dream is too big, no obstacle too high, no challenge too great.
“Today’s historic transfer of power is a reminder of the resilience of our union. A nation founded on ideals, always imperfect but forever striving to live up to its original promise, stands today in defiance of any who would seek to divide us and all who doubt our commitment to democracy. The road ahead of us is not easy. But together — united in purpose and bound by destiny — I know that we will restore the soul of our nation and create a world that is healthy, just and fully equal for all LGBTQ+ people.
“God bless President Biden, Vice President Harris and their families. God bless the hundreds of thousands of families mourning loved ones lost to COVID-19 and the millions more struggling during this crisis. God bless the United States of America.”
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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization. We bring the voices of LGBTQ people and allies to institutions of power in California and across the United States, striving to create a world that is healthy, just, and fully equal for all LGBTQ people. We advance civil rights and social justice by inspiring, advocating and mobilizing through an inclusive movement that works tirelessly on behalf of those we serve. www.eqca.org
