President-elect Biden arrived at the nation’s capital on Tues. Jan. 19, to a planned a mix of remembrance and celebratory events to mark the eve of the 59th Presidential Inauguration celebration. Beginning Tues. evening at 4:30 p.m. CT, both President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris will be in attendance at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool to honor those who have fallen from COVID-19.
Their first priority will be honoring the nearly 400,000 people who have died during the coronavirus pandemic. Along with their families, Biden and Harris will be present as 400 lights are turned on to illuminate the perimeter of the Reflecting Pool. Each light is meant to represent approximately 1,000 Americans who will have perished from the virus at the time of his swearing-in.
Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the archbishop of Washington, will deliver the invocation at the Lincoln Memorial event. Tuesday’s inaugural events will then take a more upbeat tone following the lighting ceremony. The Biden team will honor the nation’s minority groups with three separate inaugural balls.
At 6 p.m. CT, Asian American and Pacific Islander communities will be celebrated, highlighting the multitude of contributions they make to our country.
An event for Black Americans, called “We Are One” will be held at 7 p.m. The ceremony will honor and celebrate all within the Black Community and African Diaspora, featuring powerful speakers, inspiring stories, and entertaining performances. The event will be hosted by Terrence J and feature appearances by Leslie Jones, Frankie Beverly, Stacey Abrams, and more. It will also feature a special performance by Tobe Nwigwe, in addition to performances by DJ D-Nice, The O’Jays, Rapsody, and other artists.
The event will also include a Battle of the Bands, featuring Florida A&M University Marching 100, Grambling State University World Famed Marching Band, Jackson State University Sonic Boom of the South, Louisiana Leadership Institute All-star Marching Band, South Carolina State University Marching 101, Southern University Human Jukebox Marching Band, and the Tennessee State University Aristocrat of Bands.
Latino communities will bring in the night of celebrations, beginning at 8:30 p.m. The event will be hosted by Eva Longoria and feature appearances by Lin-Manuel Miranda, John Leguizamo, and other prominent Latino figures. They join in the inaugural tribute to tell the story of Latinos’ contributions to our nation.
All four of the evenings events can be live-streamed from here: https://bideninaugural.org/schedule/.
Coverage starts at 10:30 a.m. on Wed. Jan. 20, where President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris will be sworn in on the West front of the U.S. Capitol building. After they take their oaths of office, President-elect Biden will deliver an inaugural address laying out his vision to defeat the pandemic, build back better, and unify and heal the nation.