Jennifer Lopez shares unifying message during bilingual inauguration performance
Jennifer Lopez’s message was loud and proud when she performed at President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’s inauguration ceremony Wednesday morning, inserting a key phrase from the Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish, as well as a line from her own anthem “Let’s Get Loud,” into her medley of “America the Beautiful” and Woody Guthrie’s protest song “This Land Is Your Land.”
Standing on D.C.’s Capitol steps in a symbolic white suffragette pantsuit, Lopez began with a tender and subdued rendition of Guthrie’s folk classic, accompanied by members of the United States Marine Band, before joyfully crying out, “Una nación bajo Dios, indivisible, con libertad y justicia para todos!” — which translates to “One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” Her performance concluded with the hushed but powerful final line, “This land was made for you and me.”
Fans were thrilled to see J.Lo celebrate her heritage and the country’s Latinx population on such a huge platform, and they took to Twitter to celebrate with her.
Jennifer Lopez @JLo, as a Latin woman you had me crying when you sang in Spanish. Thank you😭#represent J-Lo
— DonyaRina 🗽 (@ItsChaosB_Kind) January 20, 2021
When Jennifer Lopez spoke Spanish? LOVED IT!! I hope Trump sees it as a big F-U to his failed wall and caging babies!
— ScoutsHonor (@ScoutsHonor) January 20, 2021
Obsessed with Jennifer Lopez speaking Spanish on national TV during the presidential inauguration...
— sarah marín (@sarahmarin26) January 20, 2021
Brought to tears today hearing Jlo speaking Spanish at the steps of the Capitol. Jennifer Lopez is forever a queen.
“...one nation, with liberty and justice for all.” 🤍 pic.twitter.com/XZSrN4u1ZK— Darlene Melendez (@DarleneMelendez) January 20, 2021
I know I don′t speak Spanish fluently, but I still know who I am. Thats why it was emotional for me to hear Jennifer Lopez speak our language at the very place ignorant racists made fools of themselves trying to keep this country ¨great.¨ Im not just talking about the breach.
— Jacob Padilla (@ajpadster) January 20, 2021
This isn’t the first time in recent pop memory that Lopez has made a sociopolitical statement about inclusivity and Latinx pride at a widely televised event. During her performance at last year’s Super Bowl — the first time in Super Bowl history that two Latina artists took the halftime stage together, when she co-headlined with Shakira — her daughter Emme and other children emerged from gilded cages as “symbols of the American dream,” and Emme then sang Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” while Lopez, who is of Puerto Rican descent, draped herself in a feathered Puerto Rican flag-cape.
Jennifer Lopez was the last major performance before the world shut down in 2020 and here's hoping her 2021 performance is the start of our world beginning to open back up again pic.twitter.com/c5wgJGA3A6
— Jarett Wieselman (@JarettSays) January 20, 2021
Other musical acts at the 46th president’s inauguration ceremony were Lopez’s fellow diva Lady Gaga, who delivered an exuberant rendition of the national anthem (and incidentally, performed “This Land Is Your Land” at the 2017 Super Bowl halftime show), and Garth Brooks, who performed a solemn “Amazing Grace,” asking both attendees and viewers at home to sing along in unity.
Get live inauguration updates here.
Read more from Yahoo Entertainment: