We begin inauguration day by gathering here at the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley memorial in Annapolis to lay a wreath. It is here where two centuries ago, enslaved people arrived in this country against their will. Today I will be inaugurated as the first Black governor of Maryland on the steps of a state capitol built by their hands. Today is a testament to the fact that progress is not inevitable, but progress is possible. And as your governor I will work every single day to make Maryland the state that our ancestors hoped for and our children deserve.