After the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, Willis Tower and Soldier Field were illuminated in red, white and blue.
The lights marked the end of a historic day that saw Biden take the helm of a divided nation as the 46th president of the United States along with Harris, who became the first Black woman and person of South Asian descent to hold the position of vice president.
Across the city, Chicagoans watched the inauguration ceremony from their homes or offices; they reacted with cheers, tears, sighs of relief and cautious optimism.
“It gave me chills, a beautiful thing, truly beautiful,” said Kelli Rockwell, 44, who watched the ceremony from her desk at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
The Willis Tower glows in red, white and blue after the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021.
Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
The columns of Soldier Field glow red, white, and blue for the inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021
Tyler LaRiviere/Sun-Times
