'There Are No Words That Can Describe It': LA Students React To Inauguration Of President Joe Biden
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Students across Los Angeles came together virtually to watch history in the making as President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were sworn in Wednesday.
Coming just two weeks after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the election results, students from the Los Angeles Unified School district and Immaculate Heart High School watched on Zoom with trepidation.
"Speaking for myself, I just hope this day goes perfectly, with no hiccups or backlash from anywhere else. I just want to have, like, one peaceful day," one student said.
The gravity of the moment isn't lost on high school students. They're aware the country is still struggling with a virus that has killed 400,000 people, deep political divisions and long-standing racial injustices, and on his first day, Biden will be facing several major issues on his plate that need immediate attention.
"How can he unify the country when he knows there are people that don't support him?" one student asked.
Another student was also skeptical of how much Biden will be able to accomplish, considering the state of the nation.
"I just don't know how long it's going to take him. How it's gonna happen. How he's going to get everyone on the same page," another student said.
One student, however, seemed resolute that whatever Biden is able to do in office, it will be up to her generation to be committed to progress.
"I think we need to continue our fighting for change that we saw in 2020, and I don't think this is the moment that we stop and relax. I think it's like a movement to keep going and to keep pushing for positive change," she said.
But despite the uncertainty of the immediate future, other students were still awed with seeing California's own Harris be sworn in as the first female, first Black and first Asian American vice president.
"I'm not Black, but I am Asian, and being able to have someone to look up to…there was no words that can describe it," one student said.
