Even as a brand new political science minor, I have been continuously inspired by Black women’s influence on the shape of our nation. Thinking back to 2020 and 2021, a tumultuous year for all of us, a bright spot I can find is Amanda Gorman’s presentation at President Biden’s inauguration. Just two weeks after the deadly insurrection we all witnessed, Gorman was able to try to bring a bit of order to our divided world.
We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another.
We seek harm to none and harmony for all.
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true.
That even as we grieved, we grew.
That even as we hurt, we hoped.
That even as we tired, we tried.
That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious.
Not because we will never again know defeat, but because we will never again sow division.
In her original poem The Hill We Climb, Gorman urges us to focus on the future of America which cannot be sustained by our style of partisanship.
Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet. At just 22 years old, she had the confidence and strength to read her original poem in front of the nation after overcoming both an auditory processing disorder and a speech impediment. She spent time practicing along with the Hamilton soundtrack to perfect the sound of her r’s.
Not only is she successful because of her poetry and activism, but she is grounded in her solid education. Gorman graduated from Harvard in 2020 and during her time she was named National Youth Poet Laureate.
Her future plans include running for president in 2036. Gorman says, “Seeing the ways that I as a young black woman can inspire people is something I want to continue in politics. I don’t want to just speak works; I want to turn them into realities and actions,” an important goal all politicians should be listening to. After this, Hillary Clinton tweeted her support for Gorman.
It is so important to keep supporting Black women in the arts, such as poetry like Gorman, and across the country through legislation which she hopes to improve. An easy way we can support this is by supporting Black authors! You can buy Gorman’s collection of work at https://amandagormanbooks.com/?ref=PRH70704AB1C7&aid=25658&linkid=PRH70704AB1C7#the-hill-we-climb-and-other-poems. Keep viewing her segments on television, learning from her activism work and do the work.
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.
(2021)