Leroy Garcia, the President of the Colorado Senate, delivered opening remarks yesterday, February 16, as the General Assembly finally opened its 2021 session — following a delay due to COVID-19 concerns. The speech is excerpted below. The full speech can be found, here.
Good Morning, it is an honor to be here, and once again, gather beneath the golden dome of our democracy.
While in many ways it is just a building, not unlike the countless others across our nation’s capitals, we are reminded of its symbolic significance and the sacrifice necessary to keep it standing.
Our forefathers once dreamt of places like this one. Trapped under the heel of totalitarian rule, they imagined a day when buildings would be erected to foster great debate of free people. They envisioned a nation where the limited circumstances of your birth would not dictate the magnitude of your destiny.
And now, some 250 years later, we are reminded that the liberty we hold dear is still in need of safeguarding.
Democracy and freedom may be the foundation of our country’s inception but they are not indestructible, they are not a guarantee. It takes ALL of us, every–single–day, striving to live up to the transcendent ideals of our republic, in order to keep it. This task has been handed down through the generations — in war times and in peace, in recession and in prosperity, in devastation and in growth.
Despite struggles or ease, this body is responsible for reaching beyond the hardships of our present moment towards a future of greater opportunity. We begin the 73rd General Assembly not as we hoped a year ago. Weathered by storms, we are a different body, a different state, a different nation than we once were. We are all sobered by the losses we have faced, and yet our devotion and commitment to the immense task before us remains unaltered.
I want to thank you all for the dedication you have shown during this harrowing time. Without the resilience of your resolve, our state would not be experiencing the improvements we are seeing today. I especially want to thank the Majority Leader, the Minority Leader, and each of you for your partnership and collaboration in navigating one of the most tumultuous legislative years to date. More importantly, I would like to take a moment to thank our frontline workers and community heroes who have braved this storm unflinchingly.
Battered by the relentless winds and torrential rains of this pandemic, nurses, doctors, emergency responders… teachers, grocery clerks, sanitation teams… postal workers, daycare providers, and elderly caregivers have selflessly served OUR community and country during one of the most heartbreaking times in our history – putting the wellbeing of others before their own and pressed forward even in the darkest of hours…
Meanwhile, a different battle has raged on another front, one of violence, division, and hatred. We are war-torn, not by the hands of a foreign adversary, but by the malice grown from within. Brother turned against brother, we have walked the treacherous tightrope over ultimate destruction — reminded once again of the dire consequences of a nation divided…
And somehow in the mess of it all, some leaders in government have decided that fanning the flames of hatred is more politically viable than standing up for what is right, good, and true. This selfish allegiance to political expediency, though newly inflated, has been around for generations, creating a system that props up the wealthy and penalizes the poor, an economy that siphons hard work by the many to create power for the few…
So let us be clear, our road to recovery and reconciliation is littered with daunting challenges. Challenges that will not be solved painlessly or mastered overnight. And yet, with a persistent and steady determination, they will be overcome…
Today, we gather to recommit ourselves to this task. We come ready and willing to not just recover from this pandemic and the civil discord that has gripped our nation – but build back a stronger, more just Colorado. A Colorado that upholds the principles of freedom, equity, and opportunity. A Colorado that dares to carry on our great tradition of bold leadership – because at our core we are pioneers – frontiersmen – the legacy of a daring few who braved the unknown in search of a brighter future. But it is no longer the rugged terrain that begs to be bested, it is the frontline of social, political, and environmental progress…
Over five thousand Coloradans have died from COVID-19 and hundreds more are currently hospitalized.
Too many people are still out of work and facing inconsistent and inadequate unemployment support.
Too many children go to bed hungry. Too many families face eviction. Too many businesses contemplate closure.
We must stop the bleeding. We must urgently respond to the needs of our state: rescuing Main Street from financial ruin, providing relief to anxious tenants in need of next month’s rent, replenishing community resources that serve the weary and jobless.
We must help schools reopen and address the mental health burdens of our residents
We must bolster vaccine distribution and ensure every Coloradan has access to this life-saving protection.
We must. And We Will…
We will turn the page of this disaster to one of replenishment and renewal.
We will eliminate the threat of this virus, returning to our loved ones and embracing our community.
We will revitalize our economy, creating jobs and planting seeds for new growth.
We will restore our community pillars – strengthening our schools and supporting our kids…
But this journey is not only about restoration. It is about reimagination.
From the ashes, we are presented with a precious gift. A gift of rebirth. An opportunity for transformation…
It is the illusion of separateness that clouds our judgment and pits us against one another. And yet it is our’s, individually, to remove.
And in so doing, let us begin again. Much like that fateful spring day, still marred by winter, on which our towering forefather spoke to a fractured nation. After so much bloodshed. After so much pain, he took to the podium to proclaim:
“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right… let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle…to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace.”
Today is the day that we reaffirm our commitment, gather our strength, and continue the work of rebuilding our great state.