Inauguration Day 2021

A painting by Cincinnati artist Robert S. Duncanson was selected as the 59th Inaugural Painting. Duncanson is considered the most well-known African-American artist of the Civil War era.

The group of women who've met for 25 years watched the event with tears and cheers. Some are, like Kamala Harris, graduates of Howard University and/or members of Harris' Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

The 22-year-old composed a poem, "The Hill We Climb," that acknowledges the recent insurrection attempt, but turns resolutely toward hope. "The new dawn blooms," she writes.

The flags represent people from all 50 states, the five U.S. territories and Washington, D.C., who cannot attend because of the coronavirus pandemic and tight security in the nation's capital.

President Trump was impeached for inciting his supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol. The violence and its aftermath will be an enduring symbol of his four years in the White House.