Brian Harward staff writer
Former Vice President Joe Biden spoke on Sunday, Oct. 22, as part of the Distinguished Speaker Lecture Series at the Saban Theater at an event that a group of Beverly students attended. He touched on today’s political climate before answering questions from the audience which ranged from gun control to the recent allegations of sexual assault in Hollywood.
Biden stressed the importance of mending the political divide that exists in America, as well as the need for Washington politicians to commit to the issues Americans are passionate about.
“Today, on every substantive issue, from marriage equality to infrastructure, there’s overwhelming support from 58 to 63 percent of the American people. We’re not divided ideologically, we’re divided politically,” Biden said to the attending audience.
Senior Benjamin Liker noted the tone of Biden’s speech, which he felt presented a vision of unity for the country.
“[His speech] was really the opposite of the divisive rhetoric that we’ve been hearing recently,” Liker said.
History teacher Joanie Garratt receives around 50 free tickets from the lecture series and brings students. She sees the program as an opportunity for students to learn about interesting people.
“I enjoy them all, I look forward to going to all of them, I like some of them better than others; his speech did not blow me away, but it was good to hear him and his opinions,” Garratt said.
Senior Liza Freiberg saw the experience as a positive one that is not always available to high school students.
“This opportunity enriched our community,” Freiberg said. “It showed us that what we see on the news may not be so far out of reach.”
The Distinguished Speaker Lecture Series continues with Bill Nye the science guy on Nov. 26 at 7:00pm at the Saban Theater. For more information or to request a ticket, email Ms. Garrat ([email protected]) or go to her room in V21.