She’s confident, uses words as her weapon, and spreads positivity and hope with her poetry. Twenty-two-year-old Amanda Gorman’s powerful poem, The Hill We Climb recited during the US Presidential Inauguration Day made a huge impression on the whole world and she made history by becoming the youngest poet to perform at the swearing-in ceremony of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Since then, Gorman has been on a roll and has only added more feathers to her cap.
America’s National Youth Poet Laureate published a children’s book, Change Sings recently. She was also signed by the modelling agency, IMG to endorse fashion and beauty products. Her inaugural poem will now be printed as a special commemorative book with a foreword by Oprah, and over the weekend she recited a poem at the Super Bowl matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers becoming the first poet ever to be part of the popular event.
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Titled Chorus of the Captain, Amanda’s poem honoured three Americans—Suzie Dorner, an ICU nurse manager from Florida, Trimaine Davis, an educator from Los Angeles as well as Pittsburgh-based James Martin, a Marine veteran—for their work and contributions amidst the pandemic. You can watch her virtual recital for Super Bowl LV 2021 below:
What a moment. @TheAmandaGorman #SBLV pic.twitter.com/v8VM9uhPww
— NFL (@NFL) February 7, 2021
It’s safe to say that Amanda has the power to move you with not just her literary work but also the way she delivers it. At such a young age, she has become a role model and a strong voice for the current generation. Her poems often address political, cultural, social and environmental issues that the world faces. In light of her powerful performance at Super Bowl LV, here’s a look at Amanda Gorman’s past poems that were as impactful.
1. The Hill We Climb
ICYMI, here’s her poem at the US Presidential Inauguration day.
2. Earthrise
Amanda urged her listeners to act on climate change through the powerful words in Earthrise.
3. In This Place: An American Lyric
Amanda Gorman’s poem at the Library of Congress for the inaugural celebration of Poet Laureate, Tracy K Smith, spoke of racism and oppression.
4. Making Mountains As We Run
She also recited a poem at the Inauguration of Lawrence S. Bacow, 29th President of Harvard University in 2018.
5. Fruit Stand
“This poem is dedicated to all the people who have come forward on surviving sexual assault-thank you for your courage. It shouldn’t be necessary, but refusing to be silent or refusing to forget is one of our greatest forms of resistance. I was always ashamed of my own experience until I saw other women who were willing to share their stories so that girls like me would not feel alone. You. Are. Not. Alone,” shared Amanda on her Instagram as she posted this powerful poem in support of the #MeToo movement.
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6. We The People
Written to celebrate American Independence Day on July 4, 2018, the strong poetry is relevant even now. “As a black woman of the 21st century, I owe many of my rights to black revolutionaries who fought in a colonial struggle in the hope of liberating enslaved peoples. My Fourth of July burns bright with the memory of those, both heard and unsung, who died for an idea so that for their children freedom might be more than the mere stuff of dreams,” she mentioned on her Instagram account.
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7. Won’t You Be My Sister?
With feminism as the central theme, Gorman wrote this piece for all the women out there and motivated them all to never back down.
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8. Amanda Gorman’s inspirational poem at The Girl Boss Rally
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