The sounds of three fighter planes, U.S. Military Academy glee club members and a choir of African American community members echoed throughout the Capitol area Monday as Louisiana welcomed its 56th governor.
Following his inauguration, John Bel Edwards made a promise to a crowd of thousands including newly elected state officials, state troopers and Baton Rouge students to “put Louisiana first.”
Political science sophomore Louis Gremillion said he believes the new governor to be the “champion” of higher education, which is why he felt it “necessary” to attend Monday’s ceremony.
Gremillion, who helped found the on-campus organization Students for John Bel Edwards, is currently the head intern for the Louisiana House Democratic Caucus. He served as a volunteer for Edwards’ campaign beginning April 2015.
“To have seen this process first hand over the last several months has been a remarkable experience,” he said. “I believed, and still believe, in John Bel Edwards’ mission, and I am glad I got to play a role in it all.”
Gremillion said he is not the only student who has gotten politically involved. Because of Edwards, Gremillion believes students have been given a voice in the legislature.
“We shouldn’t let that die,” he said. “We have a governor who will listen.”
Covington native Wanda Hill said she took off of work to attend the inauguration because she had voted in favor of Edwards as a registered Louisiana Democrat.
“I’m interested in what [Edwards] has to offer Louisiana…I hope to definitely see a better life made for single parents and more pay for single moms,” she said.
Andrea McDougal, a Baton Rouge resident, said she and her husband have attended a number of political inaugurations, including those for former governors Bobby Jindal and Kathleen Babineaux Blanco, as well as former president George W. Bush.
Witnessing Edwards swear in Monday was just as important to her, McDougal said, because it was a historic event that involved all of the people of Louisiana.
Her words echoed Edwards’ call for “full participation” in his address to the people, especially as he begins to rebuild Louisiana and face the challenges against minimum wage, healthcare, and higher education.
“Whether you vote for him or don’t vote for him, God puts men in office,” she said. “It was a powerful time [at the Capitol] today, and [my husband and I] were just honored to be here.”
