Vice President Kamala Harris gave her first speech in her new role on Wednesday evening, speaking on the National Mall in front of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, about the need for Americans to come together.
"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," Harris said.
"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," the former congresswoman continued. "We are undaunted in our belief that we shall overcome, that we will rise up. This is American aspiration."
Harris, who made history as the country's first woman, first Black and first Asian vice president, spoke about the need for Americans to acknowledge the current crises but still look ahead to brighter days.
Harris went on to speak about how visionaries throughout American history were able to push forward during times of duress and envision a more heartening future.
She referenced former President Abraham Lincoln's work during the Civil War and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s foresight during the Civil Rights Movement as examples of Americans who were still able to aspire for great things during difficult situations.
"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," Harris said.
"The same determination is being realized in America today," she continued. "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."
The speech took place during the Celebrating America broadcast event to honor the new administration of President Joe Biden. The upbeat, forward-looking tenor of Harris' speech was part of an effort to make the country feel a bit better about the variety of problems the administration is now faced with.
The United States set a record for the number of COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday with 4,357 lives lost in just one day, according to The New York Times. Some of the first actions Biden took as the president sought to address the pandemic, and he said his first full day in office will largely be focused on how the government can address COVID-19 and speed up the disbursement of the vaccine.
On Thursday, officials within the new Biden administration said they were alarmed to find that former President Donald Trump had effectively no plan for how the federal government should distribute the vaccine, leaving states to largely figure it out on their own, according to CNN.
"There is nothing for us to rework. We are going to have to build everything from scratch," a source told CNN.
Despite the problems facing the current administration, Harris ended her speech by calling on all Americans to see the current crisis as a reason to band together.
"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," Harris said.
