Originally published in BU Today on January 19, 2021.
We asked students, faculty, and staff to take on the role of presidential speechwriter and draft the president-elect’s highly anticipated opening remarks. Please see excerpts below written by members of the CFA community.
Harvey Young, dean, College of Fine Arts
Fellow Americans, and citizens around the world, we are witnessing the passing of a storm. It may have shaken our foundation. It may have rattled our core. However, it could not topple the United States of America. Today, we stand united and indivisible. But we have been tested. Our lives have been profoundly affected by a pandemic. We mourn the loss of family and friends. The echo of America’s original sin, slavery, can be heard. We proclaim Black Lives Matter as an act of redress, a reminder that our skin color should not determine our future. Not since the War Between the States have neighbors so loudly disagreed. Amidst the rancor, we remember that it is our love of country that transcends our differences. Our founders committed themselves 235 years ago “to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity.” Today, we recommit to these ideals. We strive for a more perfect union, justice for all, peace throughout our lands, security of nation, equity in the pursuit of a healthy and fulfilled life, and the promise that tomorrow will be better for our children. Storms come and go. The spirit of America will always endure.
Andre de Quadros, professor of music, College of Fine Arts
My fellow Americans and citizens around the world, I greet you on this inauguration day with sorrow, hope, and resolve. As this season of grief spins on, stealing mothers and fathers, children and elders from our midst with each passing day, we carry the weight of unimaginable loss—over two million lives around the globe since the pandemic began. May their loss compel us to step into this new season of repair and reconciliation. On this historic day, we take our first steps in acknowledging the trauma and injustice embedded in the fabric of our nation’s founding. The events at the Capitol two weeks ago are no mere reflection of modern political division that will simply go away with the passing of time. There will be no peace in this land until we tell the truth about who we are and the harm we’ve caused in the world. We must recognize that the modern nation state was founded through the colonization and genocide of Indigenous peoples. We must acknowledge that colonization and its primary tools—slavery, white supremacy, racialized capitalism, and war—have materially benefited those in power today and continue to wreak economic and environmental devastation around the globe. The work ahead is vast, but today and every day, we commit lovingly to the collective work of justice.