Amanda Gorman - Who is she?
Who is Amanda Gorman? Why is she an Inspiration to Women Everywhere?
Gorman’s Backstory
Amanda Gorman, a 22-year-old poet, recanted her ground-breaking poem, The Hill We Climb, at President Joe Biden’s Inauguration on January 20, 2021. This raises the question of how did Gorman become the youngest inaugural poet ever? What did she do to achieve this?
Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Gorman has spent her entire life writing. She dedicated her life to speaking on topics such as feminism, empowerment, racism, and oppression. In 2014 she was chosen as an inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, and then went on to study Sociology at Harvard University and graduated with a Bachelors of Arts in 2020. Gorman made history in 2017 after she was chosen as the first National Youth Poet Laureate in the United States and she was also given the OZY award that same year. Later in 2018, Gorman was selected to be one of Glamour magazine’s College Women of the Year, and following this, she was named a “Young Futurist” on The Root’s list in 2019.
The Hill We Climb
In 2021, at a mere 22 years old, Amanda Gorman has made an everlasting impact on history once again. The Hill We Climb was one of the most inspirational and optimistic poems I have ever read. Gorman keeps a strong face and gets straight to the point; all while speaking on difficult and saddening topics, she portrays the message that our country will once again prevail after a catastrophe. The poem opened the eyes of many Americans to the inequalities minorities have faced. As such her art turns life into poetry.
“Somehow we've weathered and witnessed
a nation that isn't broken
but simply unfinished
We the successors of a country and a time
Where a skinny Black girl
descended from slaves and raised by a single mother
can dream of becoming president
only to find herself reciting for one”.
This excerpt is just a small look into the insight of the truly beautiful art that is Gorman’s poem. I hope you go and watch the video of Gorman reading her poem, and if you’ve already seen it, watch it again and try to understand what she is expressing. All of Gorman’s work is worth your read, so please check them out at https://www.theamandagorman.com/. Not only does Amanda Gorman stand on behalf of women, but she is also specifically an inspiration to people of color. Amanda Gorman is a warrior for social justice.
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