President Joe Biden is an American hero. Yes, when I listened to him deliver his July 24 speech, I realized how much he had declined physically since the January State of the Union speech, when he gave a commanding performance. Well, he is an aging American hero.

This morning, reading anything about Biden, I just get weepy. I am moved by his personal courage in so many ways. We are in the midst of the passing of a generation of leaders. The best of them have listened to the people, taken hold, and done their best to steer us through. Biden has been a public servant for 50 years. He will leave us honorably in six months, having passed the test of our republic, listening to the people, and now choosing to pass the baton peacefully on to a younger generation of leaders.

Eight years after the Women’s March on Washington, I continue to be inspired by it, even if it didn’t immediately rid us of Trump. I keep remembering how our two busloads from Addison County pulled into a rest stop about 40 minutes outside of DC. As we pulled into the plaza and rubbed our sleepy eyes, we began to register what we were witnessing. There was an exhilaratingly endless parade of buses entering the plaza! We disembarked from those buses with pink hats and signs, chattering and laughing, unified in our readiness to march on Washington and to speak out.

We are the people of a democracy, and we will continue to speak out. Biden has been a strong representative of the people. We can thank him by voting for a candidate for president who will honor our republic. Let’s honor Joe Biden by rolling up our sleeves and working hard to elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States.

Theresa Gleason

Middlebury