Boston Teacher Shows Students History On Inauguration Day
BOSTON (CBS) - When Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in on the steps of the Capitol, the nation and the world were watching. So, too, was the history class being taught by Kennel Etienne of Boston's Snowden School.
Today's lesson? What happened at the Capitol on January 6. Was it unprecedented, as many have said? Mr. Etienne and his students discussed other events in American history that may have parallels, such as the Tulsa riots and the beating of Charles Sumner in his own Senate office in 1856.
When Biden was sworn in, then Harris, the students took note. Many of the students at the Snowden International School are minorities. So this day had special meaning for them when Kamala Harris placed her hand on a bible and took the oath.
"I'm honestly, like, excited because it's also a Black woman that's going to be in office," said 15-year-old Anna Patterson. "So it will be, like, a chance to finally have some representation."
But Anna was also apprehensive about the days to come. "With a Black woman (as Vice President), there's going to be a backlash," she said.