Yesterday, as Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in as the 46th president and vice-president of the USA, Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest poet to recite a poem at the US presidential inauguration ceremony.
Only 22, Gorman joined the likes of Robert Frost, Maya Angelou, Richard Blanco, etc. when she recited her poem, The Hill We Climb.
And her empowering recital resonated with not just Americans, but an entire generation that has survived a pandemic, and is in the midst of changing the very fabric of our society.
For Gorman though, this is certainly not the first time she has weaved magic with her words.
Gorman, who became American’s first-ever national youth poet laureate in 2017, was born and raised in Los Angeles by a single mother.
Born with a speech impediment, Gorman was inspired by Pakistani activist and Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai to become a UN Youth Delegate, a dream she achieved in 2016.
Gorman, who published her first book of poems The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough in 2015, uses poetry to address issues like oppression, feminism, marginalization of communities, etc.
The recipient of the Poets & Writers Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award, she is all set to release two more books this year, her debut children’s book Change Sings, and her collection of poems, The Hill We Climb.
Apart from her literary works, she also founded the organization One Pen One Page, a project dedicated to ‘elevating the voices and stories of young people
From being inspired by a youth icon, to becoming one herself, Amanda Gorman is a true star indeed.