Kamala Harris Praises ‘American Aspiration’ in Her First Speech as Vice President

Kamala Harris’s first speech as the new vice president of the United States struck a chord in the hearts of Americans. The Inauguration Day address was delivered during January 20th’s Celebrating America broadcast. Harris spoke in front of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool while making history as the first woman, Black, and South Asian American to ever hold the position.

“In many ways this moment embodies our character as a nation,” Harris said in her opening remarks. “It demonstrates who we are, even in dark times. We not only dream, we do. We not only see what has been, we see 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.”

She continued, “This is American aspiration. In the middle of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln saw a better future and built it with land-grant colleges and the transcontinental railroad. In the middle of the civil rights movement, Dr. King fought for racial justice and economic justice.”

Harris’s words echoed those of President Joe Biden’s inaugural address earlier in the day. She called for an end of the division in the country and gave a peek at the peace the Biden-Harris administration promises to represent. The tone of the new president and vice president’s remarks is a stark contrast to the recent speeches from former president Donald Trump. Biden and Harris’s Inauguration Day addresses are a symbol that America is not just beginning a new administration, but a new era.

Read the full transcript of Kamala Harris’s speech below: 

Good evening. It is my honor to be here, to stand on the shoulders of those who came before, to speak tonight as your vice president.

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. We not only see what has been, we see 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. In the middle of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln saw a better future and built it with land-grant colleges and the transcontinental railroad. In the middle of the civil rights movement, Dr. King fought for racial justice and economic justice. 

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. A great experiment takes great determination. The will to do the work and then the wisdom to keep refining, keep tinkering, keep perfecting.

The same determination is being realized in America today. I see it in the scientists who are transforming the future. I see it in the parents who are nurturing generations to come, in the innovators and the educators, in everyone everywhere who is building a better life for themselves, their families, and their communities.

This too is American aspiration. 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.

Thank you, and may God bless America.”

Originally Appeared on Glamour