Words by The Urban Journal
A president’s words can start wars and move markets – but on the inauguration of America’s 46th commander-in-chief, it was Amanda Gorman’s words that mattered most.
Inaugurations are pretty standard events. The old one leaves and the new one comes in sort of thing, only with a few more trumpets and well-dressed marines on show. But every now and then, something eye-catching happens or a piece of history is made. In 2009, it was Barack Obama using Martin Luther King’s bible to take his oath and confirm his accession as the first Black president.
In 2021, given the recent events that have shaped American politics, all eyes were on Joe Biden (here’s everything you need to know about him). His words were eagerly awaited, his every move the subject of great anticipation. This president needs to reunite the country, they said, he needs to give the American people a sense of hope.
Biden’s words of unity would have done well to begin the work of bringing the country back together. But on this particular occasion, the new president’s speech isn’t what most Americans will remember for years to come.
Instead, it was the words Amanda Gorman, the US National Poet Laureate.
“Poet, writer and dreamer”
Words are important – and, like a musician, Amanda Gorman knows how to hit all the right notes. From a young age, she had ‘greatness thrust upon’ her, with teachers and admirers alike noticing her talent.
That talent, she’s decided, is not to be used for any other purpose than highlighting stories and issues that matter.
Inspired by idols old and new – from Maya Angelou to Malala Yousafzai – she would become the youth delegate for the United Nations, leading to her appointment as the poet laureate of Los Angeles.
All this, by the way, at the tender age of 15.
With her talent so obvious and her drive hard to contain, she went to Harvard to study sociology. And In 2017, Amanda made history: she was the first US National Poet Laureate.
But even more impressive, perhaps, is that she battled a speech impediment as a child. That, coupled with her flawless performance at the inauguration of a president who knows all too well the struggles of speech (Biden suffered from a terrible stutter as a young man), would make the coldest of hearts warm.
“When the day comes, we ask ourselves where can we find light in this never-ending shade?”
Her words at the inauguration couldn’t have come at a better time. Throughout history, writers – from John Steinbeck to F. Scott Fitzgerald – have penned their thoughts on the American dream. And given the events preceding the inauguration, US citizens – and the world – needed to be reminded the right of all people to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
In 5:56 seconds, that’s what Amanda Gorman did.
Behind The Seal of The President of the United States, she would speak with the confidence of a leader, the clarity of a writer and the fluency of a poet. And behind her, beaming with pride, was the first Black president and vice-president.
In her poem The Hill We Climb, she would remind Americans of the American dream, the unfinished work of building a democracy and the need to see and be “the light”.
“Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished. The successors of a country and a time where a skinny Black girl, descended from slaves and raised by a single mother, can dream of becoming president – only to find herself reciting for one”, she said.
On a day full of juxtapositions, her job was to find the right words at the right time, which she did.
Just as is the case in literature, her performance, the podium from which she spoke, and her continuous rise might be the author of the universe’s way of foreshadowing events to come.
In case you’re wondering, yes, she plans to run for president in 2036.
President Gorman? “I feel like I should just, like, tap Joe at the inauguration, and be like, I will be back. Let me know how this goes for when I come on.”