On Nov. 7, President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris addressed a crowd of supporters outside their headquarters in Wilmington, DE. The speech that was delivered that night gave the American people a glimpse of what the next four years would be like. It was a speech that will be remembered for years to come due to its historical significance. The speech signaled the end of the Trump administration, which will go down in history as one of the most divisive administrations the U.S. has ever seen.
Vice President-elect Kamala Harris began the night by stating that the American people “chose hope and unity, decency, science and yes, truth” this election cycle.
She made sure to state that, although she is the first Black and Mixed race Vice President in history, she is “not the last” — a campaign slogan that will echo throughout time as a reminder to the American people. Shortly afterwards, she welcomed Biden on to the stage..
The words that Joe Biden would utter next would be addressed to a people who have suffered greatly for four long years due to a loosecannon president. With families torn apart, neighbors against neighbors, fighting and anguish in the streets, unrelenting warfare online, old friends made enemies, emotions manipulated, careers ruined, the country was locked in a cold civil war.
President Trump actively referred to his political opponents as his “enemies” and spread other toxic and dangerous rhetoric that riled up his supporters and those who disagreed with him.
He blamed Democrats, stating, “The crime was by the Democrats, folks. They’ve committed, in my opinion, many crimes.”
He used incendiary statements, such as “Our political opponents look down with hatred on our values and with utter disdain for the people whose lives they want to run. That’s the way they’ve been doing it.”
He even denied his own defeat, waging a pathetic and desperate battle to undo the will of the people while wondering why they did not vote for him. America anxiously awaited to hear what the 46 president-elect had to say.
Addressing the nation, Biden stated “I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide, but unify, who doesn’t see red states and blue states, but only sees the United States.”
He continued, thanking those who had supported him and for who he would fight for “Democrats, Republicans, independents, progressives, moderates, conservatives, young, old, urban, suburban, rural, gay, straight, transgender, White, Latino, Asian, Native American, African American [and more].”
The statement would make history as the first victory speech done by a president-elect to mention transgender individuals.
A smiles spread across the faces of the audience, there was still one issue: those who were not smiling, those who had voted for Trump.
This made all the difference. Instead of kicking them while they were down, as many Trump supporters had done over the four years, Biden set the tone when he took the high ground.
“For all those of you who voted for President Trump, let’s give each other a chance. It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again and listen to each other again and to make progress we have to stop seeing our opponents as our enemies. They are not our enemies, they are Americans,” Biden said.
There are sure to be those who ignore this message — I can hardly blame them, the last four years have been tough — but if enough people listen to this crucial part of Biden’s speech, we can be what he later called “a nation united, a nation strengthened, a nation healed.”
What matters most now is not if President-elect Biden can hold our hands and do it for us, but if we, the American people, can learn to unify ourselves, respect each other, forgive each other and reject divisive rhetoric wherever it may rear its ugly head.
It’s easy to hate based on views, but it’s harder and more noble to accept people regardless of them.
In the 2001 movie musical “Moulin Rouge,” it is sung, “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”
Over these four years, what I have learned is that, when you make room in your heart for love, there is no space for partisan hate.
