Cindy Jenks, president of the National Society of Democratic Women, said she thought Wednesday’s inauguration went well and she appreciated the safety measures taken.
Due to concern over the coronavirus, the inauguration was smaller, with fewer in attendance, and those there more spread out.
“There’s a lot of people complaining that they didn’t get to go,” Jenks said, of Ripley County. “It’s for their own good health that they did the social distancing and wearing the mask. I think that was a very responsible action to take to limit the number of attendees and social distance.”
The virus is the first big thing on the new administration’s agenda, she said.
Biden signed several executive actions Wednesday afternoon addressing the virus. One calls on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to extend an evictions moratorium, set to expire on Jan. 31, until the end of February. Another imposes a mask and social distancing requirement in federal buildings, on federal land and by all federal employees. He also placed members on the Coronavirus Task Force, which is comprised of medical experts. Jeff Zients, who is coordinating the administration’s response to the pandemic, will report to Biden, according to the New York Times.
Additionally, he rejoined the World Health Organization.
Jenks said Biden is looking at a major challenge with the virus when it comes to vaccine release and the death rate, which passed 400,000 nationwide Tuesday.
“I think he’s going to take that on right away,” she said, “and try to get vaccines distributed to all the states so that all the people who want to get one can have one. I think that is the biggest thing on the agenda right now because that affects the economy and everybody’s life. Most people know somebody who’s had it or passed from it. I do believe he’s going to take that on right away.”
Biden’s address, Jenks said, was encouraging, especially when he talked about working together and bringing the nation together.
“It’s a way to unify the country,” she said. “We are all Americans. We may disagree on policies and things, but as he said, that does not make us enemies. This makes us have different points of view. We do need, for our country’s sake, to work with each other for the good of our country.”
Another challenge Jenks sees Biden facing is equal justice. Jenks said the video of George Floyd’s death in May opened people’s eyes to the situation many Black Americans face when interacting with law enforcement.
“We don’t want that to go on,” she said.
While the inauguration of the 46th president is significant, Jenks said the biggest historical significance about the incoming administration is the vice president.
Kamala Harris is the first female to hold the office, the daughter of immigrants and the first person of color in the position.
“That is what America started on was immigrants,” she said. “And of course being president of the National Federation of Democratic Women, we’re just thrilled to have broken that glass ceiling and have Kamala Harris as our vice president.”
Jenks said she expects to see a lot of leadership from Harris over the next four years, especially with her experience as a prosecutor.
“She knows how to look at both sides,” she said. “I just think she’s going to be a wonderful teammate with our president Biden, and I think our country is blessed to have them.”