THAT IT IS EVEN POSSIBLE IS A
TESTAMENT TO THE PROMISE OF OUR
DEMOCRACY AND THE COVENANT WE
SHARE WITH ONE ANOTHER AS
AMERICANS.
HE SAID, QUOTE, I’VE GOT MY
SHOES ON AND I’M READY TO GET TO
WORK.
JOINING US LIVE I’M PLEASED TO
SAY IS THE REVEREND RAPHAEL
WARNOCK, HOURS AGO SWORN IN AS
ONE OF TWO SENATORS FROM THE
GREAT STATE OF GEORGIA.
THANK YOU FOR TAKING A MOMENT TO
TALK TO US ON THIS ENORMOUS
NIGHT.
I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU BEING
HERE.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I’M STILL GETTING USED TO BEING
CALLED SENATOR.
WHAT A GREAT COUNTRY WE LIVE IN.
>> WELL, SENATOR, TALK TO ME
ABOUT HOW YOU ARE FEELING.
I MEAN WE WATCHED A LOT OF
HISTORY HERE.
YOU ARE GEORGIA’S FIRST BLACK
SENATOR.
SENATOR OSSOFF IS GEORGIA’S
FIRST JEWISH SENATOR.
SENATOR PADILLA, CALIFORNIA’S
FIRST LATINO SENATOR.
THE FIRST BLACK WOMAN, THE FIRST
ASIAN WOMAN TO SERVE AS VICE
PRESIDENT.
THAT IS A LOT OF HISTORY STACKED
ON ITSELF.
HOW ARE YOU FEELING ON THIS DAY?
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH. ON A DAY THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN MY
ON A DAY THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN MY
FATHER, REVEREND JONATHAN WARN
OKAY’S, 104th
WARNOCK’S, 104th BIRTHDAY, THE
GRAND SWEEP AND ARC OF OUR
AMAZING AMERICAN STORY IS WHAT
IS STRIKING TO ME.
HE KNEW A DIFFERENT AMERICA.
HE WAS ASKED ONE DAY TO GIVE UP
HIS SEAT TO A YOUNG WHITE BOY
THAT WAS 13, 14 YEARS OLD.
MY DAD WAS DRESSED IN HIS
MILITARY UNIFORM.
TODAY HIS SON WAS SWORN IN AS A
UNITED STATES SENATOR.
I BELIEVE FROM SOME BALCONY IN
HEAVEN HE IS REJOICING.
SO IT REMINDS US IN THIS DARK
MOMENT IN OUR COUNTRY THAT FOR
ALL OF OUR PROBLEMS WHAT MAKES
AMERICA GREAT IS THAT WE ALWAYS
HAVE A PATH TO MAKE OUR COUNTRY
GREATER.
WE SWORE IN TODAY THE FIRST
LATINO SENATOR FROM CALIFORNIA,
THE FIRST BLACK SENATOR, THE
FIRST JEWISH SENATOR OF GEORGIA.
AND AS I THINK ABOUT MY BROTHERS
WITH WHOM I SHARED THE OATH
EARLIER TONIGHT, IT GIVES ME A GREAT DEAL OF HOPE.
GREAT DEAL OF HOPE.
YOU KNOW, THE RABBI ABRAHAM WHO
MARCHED ALONGSIDE MARTIN LUTHER
KING SAID HE FELT LIKE HIS LEGS
WOULD BREAK.
WE ARE NOT THEM, BUT WE BENEFIT
FROM THE PATH THAT THEY LAID
OUT.
WE ARE ABLE TO SET -- WE ARE
ABLE TO TAKE OFF TONIGHT BECAUSE
THEY PAVE TUESDAYHE RUNWAY SO SM
I WANT TO STAND UP FOR THE
PEOPLE OF GEORGIA AND BUILD THE
MULTI RACIAL COALITION PEOPLE
NEED TO MAKE SURE WE GET COVID
RELIEF AND WE STAND UP FOR THE
DIGNITY.
>> I WANT TO TALK TO YOU A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CONNECTION
BETWEEN YOUR SERVICE IN GEORGIA
NOW.
YOU’RE SENIOR PASTOR OF EBENEZER
BAPTIST CHURCH IN ATLANTA,
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.’S FORMER
CHURCH.
THEY TRIED TO USE THAT AGAINST
YOU IN YOUR POLITICAL CAMPAIGN,
WHICH SEEMED LIKE AN INCREDIBLY
BAD IDEA TO ME, AND YOU WON THAT
CAMPAIGN.
I KNOW YOU HAVE SAID YOU INTEND
TO CONTINUE TO SERVE YOUR
CONGREGATION IN THE SENATE.
WHAT WILL THAT BE LOOK LIKE?
WILL YOU BE COMMUTING BACK TO
GEORGIA ON WEEKENDS?
WILL YOU BE ABLE TO DELIVER
SERMONS ON SUNDAY?
HOW DO YOU SEE THAT WORKING?
>> ALL OF THE FOLKS THAT WORK IN
THE CONGRESS, MY COLLEAGUES,
THEY ALL, YOU KNOW, MOSTLY GO
BACK TO THEIR HOME STATES FOR
THE WEEKEND.
YOU KNOW, I REALLY SEE MY
SERVICE IN THE UNITED STATES
SENATE AS THE CONTINUATION OF
WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING FOR A
LONG TIME.
YOU KNOW, THE LAST TIME I WAS IN
THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL I WAS
ARRESTED IN AN ACT OF CIVIL
DISOBEDIENCE.
WHAT WAS I FOCUSED ON?
I WAS FOCUSED ON HEALTH CARE.
WHAT WILL I BE FOCUSED ON AS A
UNITED STATES SENATOR?
I WILL BE FOCUSED ON HEALTH
CARE.
LAST TIME I CAME ENGAGED IN
PROTEST.
NOW I GET TO BE ENGAGED AS ONE
WHO CAN CREATE PUBLIC POLICY.
SO FOR ME THERE’S A CONTINUITY
OF SERVICE HERE.
I WILL RETURN HOME EVERY
WEEKEND, PREACH AND DELIVER
SERMONS AT EBENEZER, SERVE THE
PEOPLE THERE.
AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN
YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT IS
HAPPENING IN OUR POLITICS, WE
GOT A LONG RIDE NOW WITH A
PROFESSIONAL CLASS OF
POLITICIANS.
I THINK WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT
OURS IS A REPRESENTATIVE
DEMOCRACY, AND IN THIS GRAND
IDEA OF DEMOCRACY THERE IS A
SENSE THAT ORDINARY PEOPLE,
WHETHER THEY ARE TEACHERS OR
PREACHERS OR LAWYERS OR DOCTORS,
THEY GO AND THEY REPRESENT THEIR
CITIZENS, A KIND OF TOUR OF
DUTY.
BUT THE LAST THING I WANT TO DO
IS TALK TO POLITICIANS ALL DAY
EVERY DAY.
I AM AFRAID I MIGHT ACCIDENTALLY
BECOME ONE.
I HAVE NO INTENTIONS OF BECOMING
A POLITICIAN.
I INTEND TO BE A PUBLIC SERVANT.
>> REVEREND WARNOCK, HEY, IT IS
JOY REID.
HOW ARE YOU?
CONGRATULATIONS AGAIN ON YOUR
ELECTION AND BEING SWORN IN
TODAY.
THAT WAS ACTUALLY MY FAVORITE
MOMENT OF ALL OF THE DAY, WAS
WATCHING THE NEWLY-INSTALLED
VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED
STATES SWEAR THE THREE OF YOU
ALL IN.
I THOUGHT IT WAS A WONDERFUL
MOMENT.
YOUR ELECTION, AS RACHEL WAS
JUST SAYING, IT FELT LIKE PART
OF WHAT HAPPENED DURING THAT
CAMPAIGN WAS KIND OF A WAR ON
THE BLACK CHURCH AND ON THE
TEACHINGS OF THE BLACK CHURCH
THAT ARE ABOUT LIBERATION
THEOLOGY, WHICH IS A FUNDAMENTAL
PART OF THE CHURCH THAT, YOU
KNOW, YOU ARE A PART OF, THAT I
GREW UP IN.
SO I WONDER IF THIS IS A MOMENT
IN WHICH YOU ARE GOING TO SEE
THE BLACK EVANGELICAL CHURCH
REASSERT ITSELF IN OUR SOCIAL
POLITICS THE WAY IT WAS DURING
THE ERA OF DR. KING, AND ROWLEYE
REASSERT THE WAY YOU HAVE SEEN
REF SHARPTON DO BUT DO YOU THINK
THE CHURCH WILL BE PROMINENT ON
ISSUES LIKE COVID, ON ISSUES
LIKE HEALTH CARE, ON ISSUES LIKE
SERVICE TO THE POOR, ON ISSUES
LIKE LGBTQ EQUALITY, WHICH IS
SOMETHING YOU HAVE BEEN LEANING
FORWARD ON?
ARE WE GOING TO SEE THE CHURCH
LEAN IN?
>> WELL, THERE’S NO QUESTION
THAT OVER THE COURSE OF MY
CAMPAIGN, YOU SAW, JOY, AN
ASSAULT ON MY FAITH AND ON THE
FAITH OF THE BLACK CHURCH.
I THINK THE FOLKS WHO SIT IN THE
PEWS OF THE BLACK CHURCH, THEY
HEARD IT LOUD AND CLEAR.
IT IS PART OF WHAT I THINK
HELPED TO CONSOLIDATE THE STRONG
COALITION THAT WE BUILT AND THAT
SENT ME INTO VICTORY.
ABSOLUTELY.
I COME OUT OF THAT TRADITION.
IT IS THE TRADITION THAT SHAPED
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., WHO CAME
OUT OF THE EBENEZER BAPTIST
CHURCH.
HOWARD THURMAN SAID FIND SOME
AMAZING SPIRITUALITY, THAT THE
SLAVE UNDERTOOK THE REDEMPTION
THAT THE MASTER PROFANED.
IT IS THE PECULIAR ASSIGNMENT OF
THE BLACK CHURCH TO BEAR WITNESS
TO GOD’S LOVE AND JUSTICE IN THE
WORLD.
IT IS A SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION
THAT HAS HELPED TO MAKE AMERICA
BETTER.
DR. KING WAS JUST ONE ITERATION
AND ONE VOICE IN A GRAND AND
EPIC TRADITION, AND IT CAME
ALIVE DURING MY CAMPAIGN.
I THINK YOU SAW PEOPLE OF FAITH STAND UP AND SAY, NO, WE
STAND UP AND SAY, NO, WE
UNDERSTAND THAT REVEREND WORNARN
IS A MATTHEW 25 CHRISTIAN.
HE IS TRYING TO BEND THE ARC
TOWARDS JUSTICE AND I HOPE WE
WILL SEE IT AHEAD.
>> SENATOR, AGAIN,
CONGRATULATIONS.
A LOT OF PEOPLE’S HOPES NOT JUST
IN GEORGIA BUT AROUND THE
COUNTRY I THINK ARE RESTING ON