No matter what side of the political divide you’re on, I believe most of us can agree on one thing — Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate and the youngest person to write and recite a poem at a presidential inauguration STOLE the show and our healing hearts.
Social media went bananas over the rising 22-year-old wordsmith (after her speech, I immediately followed her on Instagram @amandascgorman, which has skyrocketed from one million to 2.7 million followers). My beloved circle of friends and family couldn’t stop chattering about how eloquent, captivating, inspiring and impressed they were with her 2021 Presidential Inauguration speech, “The Hill We Climb.”
There are too many reasons to list why the world fell in love with her words and her story. Here are some thoughts as I had tea and did a little writing and reflecting in my reading nook today:
Amanda, thanks for your courage and vulnerability to share a piece of your heart, soul and wisdom with us.
I believe the citizens of the world and I echo the same sentiments as Oprah (an Amanda supporter who gifted her the earrings she wore at the inauguration and caged bird ring — an ode to the late poet Maya Angelou):
Meanwhile, your future looks bright as you are the one illuminating it! I can’t wait to see where you’re going next.