Poet laureate Amanda Gorman cites Scripture in her stirring inaugural poem, ‘The Hill We Climb’
Credit: Getty
By EEW Magazine Online // Black Girl Magic
Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old poet laureate who cited her own poem, “The Hill We Climb,” at the inauguration ceremony of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris cited Scripture.
The orator responsible for one of the event’s most buzzed about moments referenced Micah 4:4 when she said, “Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid.”
Gorman incorporated everything into her eloquent poetic presentation, from the Bible to “Hamilton,” and at times echoed the oratory of John F. Kennedy and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. She also shared parts of her own story in her work, describing herself as a “skinny Black girl, descended from slaves and raised by a single mother,” who can dream of being president one day, “only to find herself reciting for one.”
It was an extraordinary task for Gorman, who soon after finishing her poem helped inspire — along with Vice President Harris — the Twitter hashtag #BlackGirlMagic and was being praised by former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama among others.
Gorman is the youngest by far of the poets who have read at presidential inaugurations since Kennedy invited Robert Frost in 1961, with other predecessors including Maya Angelou and Elizabeth Alexander. Mindful of the past, Gorman wore earrings and a caged bird ring — a tribute to Angelou’s classic memoir “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” — given to her by Oprah Winfrey, a close friend of the late writer.
An ecstatic Winfrey wrote on Twitter, “I have never been prouder to see another young woman rise!” She added, “Maya Angelou is cheering—and so am I.”
Gorman is a native and resident of Los Angeles and the country’s first National Youth Poet Laureate, and her career is just beginning. Penguin Young Readers announced Wednesday that “The Hill We Climb” will be published in a special edition this spring. Two other books come out in September — the illustrated “Change Sings” and a volume of her inaugural poem and other works. Ceremonial odes often are quickly forgotten, but Angelou’s “On the Pulse Of the Morning,” which she read at the 1993 inaugural of President Clinton, went on to sell more than 1 million copies as a book.
By late Wednesday afternoon, “Change Sings” was No. 1 on Amazon.com’s bestseller list, and her September poetry collection was No. 2.
Invited to the inaugural late last month by first lady Jill Biden, Gorman has read at official occasions before — including a July 4 celebration when she was backed by the Boston Pops Orchestra — and has previously met Michelle Obama and former first lady Hillary Clinton among others.
Don’t know that much about Gorman? Do yourself a favor, and get to know this phenomenal young woman in the video below.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
