We take back our country on January 20, 2021

HAPPY INAUGURATION EVERYONE! I know many of us were looking forward to putting 2020 behind us in the hope of a better 2021. The start of this year has already been challenging: I am still hopeful. We cannot let the events of January 6th erase the hard won victories of 2020. I also believe that the only way our country can move forward is by acknowledging and working to mend the division and inequities that exist. I think that a long-due moment of reckoning has arrived and the country is being forced into self-reflection. Before we get to the hard work of reconciliation, let’s take time to celebrate this historic event – the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

TAKE BACK THE FLAG ON JANUARY 20

The conservative movement in this country has co-opted the symbols of our freedom. In conversation, there is an implication that those who stand for inclusion and equity are not patriots. The images from the Capitol are a stark reminder of who should not be allowed to lay claim to the flag. On January 20, 2021, as we begin the process of taking back our country, let us also take back our flag. NOW New Jersey invites everyone to celebrate the moment by displaying the flag outside your homes, in your windows and on social media. Check out our social media starting next week for images you can share and use as display photos.

INAUGURATION WATCH PARTY

We invite you to join a diverse group of New Jersey women to watch the inauguration together. The event is being organized by Run Sister Run, a preconference session of Ready to Run^® Campaign Training for Women. Run Sister Run participants attend a half-day session that targets issues of particular interest to African American women running for political office. Lt. Governor Sheila Oliver will stop in with brief comments before the Inauguration begins. RSVP to NewJerseyWomen@gmail.com to receive the Zoom info. A suggested donation of $10 can be made here. Please select the Women of Power Scholarship Fund.

Other ways to join the celebration…

MLK Day of Service On Monday, January 18, there is a National Day of Service for the Inauguration of President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) is partnering with organizations across the country to host service events that focus on COVID-19 relief and address challenges that have been exacerbated by the pandemic, such as poverty, hunger, racial injustice, homelessness, mental health, and educational disparities. To find and join one in your neighborhood, click here.

COVID Memorial  The PIC will also be hosting a memorial to remember and honor the lives lost to COVID-19 in cities and towns across the country on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 at 5:30 p.m. A Washington, D.C. ceremony will feature a lighting around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. It will be the first-ever lighting around the Reflecting Pool to memorialize American lives lost. You can join in the countrywide moment of remembrance by lighting a candle in your window on January 19 at 5:30 p.m. ET.

Happy Inauguration Day!

In solidarity,  

Anjali Mehrotra

President, NOW New Jersey