President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris honored COVID-19 victims during a visit to the Lincoln Memorial the day before the inauguration.
“To heal, we must remember. It’s hard sometimes to remember, but that’s how we heal. It’s important to do that as a nation. That’s why we are here today,” Biden said.
He added, “Between sundown and dusk, let us shine the lights in the darkness along the sacred pool of reflection and remember all who we lost.”
Watch his comments below:
"To heal, we must remember"
— CNN (@CNN) January 19, 2021
President-elect Joe Biden paid tribute to the more than 400,000 people in the US who have died from Covid-19, during a memorial held by the Lincoln Memorial's reflecting pool. https://t.co/ZIvhVp5yQO pic.twitter.com/fcAV0eJLIW
Harris took to the podium to point out the significance of the memorial and how the nation can heal moving forward.
“For many months, we have grieved by ourselves. Tonight, we grieve and begin healing together. Though we may be physically separated, we the American people are united in spirit,” Harris said.
She continued, “My abiding hope, my abiding prayer, is that we emerge from this ordeal with a new wisdom… to cherish simple moments, to imagine new possibilities, and to open our hearts just a little bit more to one another.”
Watch her remarks below:
Hours after the US surpassed 400,000 Covid-19 deaths, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris reflected on the grief of those who have lost loved ones to coronavirus: “For many months, we grieved by ourselves. Tonight, we grieve and begin healing together.” https://t.co/NSIkBqnnQi pic.twitter.com/yKCI9EExCK
— CNN International (@cnni) January 19, 2021
The number of coronavirus related deaths in the United States alone reached 400,000 on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, 200,000 flags, as part of the “Field of Flags” public art display, were placed on the National Mall to represent those who will not be able to attend the inauguration in person due to the pandemic, as IJR previously reported.
Biden’s team will produce a celebrity-hosted prime-time television special for the night of his inauguration called “Celebrating America.”
It will air live on Jan. 20 from 8:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and MSNBC.
The program will be hosted by Tom Hanks and will feature performances by Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, Ant Clemons, and Jon Bon Jovi.