If you were not one of the more than 39 million people who watched the inauguration of President Biden, then you missed watching a true Queen slay at the mic. And no, I am not talking about J. Lo or Gaga, I’m talking about the 2017 Young Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman.
First of all, let’s talk about how baller it is that the United States even has the title Young Poet Laureate available. That is a title that did not exist while I was growing up, and I have since aged out, here’s hoping for Poet Laureate, so consider my jealousy heightened. But that is not what I am here to gush about today, I am here to gush about Amanda herself. She is truly an exceptional young woman that should be held up as an example of what you can accomplish no matter your race, gender, or how you grew up.
So some background: She was born in LA to a single mother and two siblings. Growing up she endured speech therapy for a speech impediment. In an interview later in her life, done with Elida Kocharian of The Harvard Crimson she noted, "Gorman doesn’t view her speech impediment as a crutch—rather, she sees it as a gift and a strength." Amanda has often described herself as a “weird child” who enjoyed reading and writing.
During her senior year at New Roads private school in Santa Monica, she received a Milken Family Foundation scholarship which allowed her to go to Harvard, where she studied sociology. It was while she was at Harvard that she was chosen from five finalists to become the first person ever to be named National Youth Poet Laureate. But she is so much more than a 2017 title holder.
After becoming inspired by a speech given by Malala Yousafzai in 2013, she became a youth delegate for the United Nations. She is a passionate activist who often gives her art and voice to issues such as oppression, feminism, race, marginalization, and the African communities around the world. In 2014 she was chosen as the Poet Laureate for Los Angeles, in 2015 she published her poetry book, The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough, and she even has her own nonprofit organization that runs a youth writing and leadership program called One Pen One Page!
From opening the season for the Library of Congress by reading an original poem, to giving virtual commencement speeches to graduates whose ceremonies had been dampened by the pandemic, she has never stepped away from being an active leader to the youth and writing communities. If you need anymore evidence as to why we should all push Amanda Gorman to the top of our Ultimate Role Models list, just watch her reading of “The Hill We Climb,” at the Biden Inauguration.
I don’t think it comes as any surprise that she is already planning a run for president in 2036. Until then, slay Queen, slay!
For more information of Amanda Gorman and what she is up to, check out her webpage: https://www.theamandagorman.com/
Kris Hill, Library Specialist