Amanda Gorman made history when she became the youngest inaugural poet in the US during President Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony in Washington on January 20, 2021. The 22-year-old Gorman recited her poem “The Hill We Climb” which called for Americans to “rebuild, reconcile, and recover”. The poem was so heart-touching and spot-on that it became a global hit.
In the New York Times report on the 28th of February 2018, titled “A Young Poet’s Inspiration”, Amanda confirmed that she had a speech impediment during her childhood. She also has an auditory processing disorder and is hypersensitive to sound. In spite of her challenges, the young poet has risen above all odds and is now being celebrated. From speech impediment to a poet.
The youngest inaugural poet Amanda Gorman who had previously served as the youth poet laureate of Los Angeles has not allowed such obstacles to weigh her down.”I don’t look at my disability as a weakness,” Gorman told the Los Angeles Times.
In 2017, Amanda Gorman who studied sociology at Harvard College was appointed the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate by Urban Word – a program that supports Youth Poets Laureate in more than 60 cities, regions, and states nationally.
See also: The Story Of Resilience and Perseverance: Mary Njoku
Amanda who earned the title of graduating cum laude in 2020, is also the recipient of the Poets & Writers Barnes & Noble Writers for Writers Award and is the youngest board member of 826 National, the largest youth writing network in the United States. She is the author of the poetry book The One For Whom Food Is Not Enough in 2015 and the Hill We Climb.
We could be witnessing the molding of a potential first Black female president in America? She announced her intentions to run for president in 2036 in an interview with L.A. Times. Well, only time shall tell.
