#Artivism: Amanda Gorman, Social Justice Art, and the Black Youth Voice

Since January 20th, Amanda Gorman’s poem at the U.S. Presidential Inauguration has been celebrated globally. From powerful think pieces to musical remixes, the speech has lit a cultural firestorm and has raised questions about society, arts and culture, education, and - most critically - the young Black voice. 

Not only did her words offer a deeply poetic hope for America’s future, Gorman’s own personal story is inextricably linked to many aspects of this cultural moment in America. Poetry is deeply embedded in the history of justice movements, and Gorman’s presentation joins a rich heritage of important American events at the intersection of art, youth, and justice. Further, her words soothed a grieving and hostile nation facing several simultaneous crises. From the #BlackLivesMatter protests of the summer to the election of a Black and Asian American woman to the Vice Presidency, and from a white supremicist insurrection of the Capitol only days prior to the election of a Black pastor and Jewish filmmaker from Georgia on that same morning - all the while battling a raging health pandemic that disproportionately affects minority communities - the nation’s soul has been grappling with its course, building to this crucial moment. Through her words, Amanda Gorman tapped into that moral confrontation and emerged with a glimmer of hope to share with us all. 

Like President Biden, Amanda Gorman is open about growing up with a speech impediment; despite the local education system failing her early on, she never let her impediment stop her. In a PBS interview with Alicia Menendez, she notes that “in the end, it made me a stronger poet because I had to work so hard to make that leap from someone who couldn’t say her last name or say the school in which she got into for college, to make that leap to being a Youth Poet Laureate performing at a place like Library of Congress. I think having that type of journey made me appreciate having the voice.”

When asked how she found poetry, Gorman is clear that storytelling is deeply embedded in her identity. “I think poetry really found me because it’s something that I’ve been doing since I could remember. I don’t remember a time before when I wasn’t fascinated by stories, fascinated by writings. I think a lot of us are first engaged at poetry in a classroom. It’s hot. Somebody is talking about Robert Frost. Poetry seems like this old artifact, “the land before time.” And for me, I think poetry is so exciting and so it’s bringing into those spaces and into those conversations that people traditionally do not connect the dots with.”


One of the most telling pieces of this young Black American’s narrative is Gorman’s amplification of arts education; in interviews, she always highlights the influence of programs like WriteGirl, who she thanked on Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN. Gorman is also quick to praise her influences; the Los Angeles Times penned an article profiling the educators and mentors that helped to amplify her voice over the years. Gorman’s participation in WriteGirl and her thanking them on Anderson Cooper 360 on CNN. 

Still, Gorman’s presence at the Inauguration has a decidedly deeper meaning for arts education, social justice, and the Black youth voice. The magnitude of Gorman’s presence at such a high-profile event cannot be overlooked, but for those of us who have witnessed the brilliant artistry of Black youth, we are wondering: where have you been? Hopefully the sincere admiration for Gorman will activate funders, organizations, school districts, and individuals to lift up the young Black voice more intentionally in the future. In a piece on Amanda Gorman in The Guardian, Kadish Morris implores us: “Now, let’s pay attention to young black voices on less glamorous stages.” Kadish goes on: 

“For now, it’s paramount that young poets be given the space, funding and opportunities to be the voices of their communities. They are often spokespeople for those who look and live like them. Don’t wait until a black poet is on the world stage to be inspired by them – often they are not invited, and often they don’t want to endorse state activities by engaging in such ceremonies. Those poems, performed on neighbourhood stages, sitting in anthologies and self-published books, showcased at slams and open mics, have the answers too. There are many young poets like Gorman, who have glistening ideas for tomorrow and deserve to be recognised and propelled into superstardom, or at least just read. Buy their books too. Gorman was an alumnus of empowering youth projects such as Youth Speaks and Urban Word. If you fell in love with Gorman’s inaugural poem, support your local equivalent too.”


The Hill We Climb

By Amanda Gorman 

 

When day comes we ask ourselves,

where can we find light in this never-ending shade?

The loss we carry,

a sea we must wade

We've braved the belly of the beast

We've learned that quiet isn't always peace

And the norms and notions

of what just is

Isn't always just-ice

And yet the dawn is ours

before we knew it

Somehow we do it

Somehow we've weathered and witnessed

a nation that isn't broken

but simply unfinished

We 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

And yes we are far from polished

far from pristine

but that doesn't mean we are

striving to form a union that is perfect

We are striving to forge a union with purpose

To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and

conditions of man

And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us

but what stands before us

We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,

we must first put our differences aside

We lay down our arms

so we can reach out our arms

to one another

We seek harm to none and harmony for all

Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:

That even as we grieved, we grew

That even as we hurt, we hoped

That even as we tired, we tried

That we'll forever be tied together, victorious

Not because we will never again know defeat

but because we will never again sow division

Scripture tells us to envision

that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree

And no one shall make them afraid

If we're to live up to our own time

Then victory won't lie in the blade

But in all the bridges we've made

That is the promise to glade

The hill we climb

If only we dare

It's because being American is more than a pride we inherit,

it's the past we step into

and how we repair it

We've seen a force that would shatter our nation

rather than share it

Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy

And this effort very nearly succeeded

But while democracy can be periodically delayed

it can never be permanently defeated

In this truth

in this faith we trust

For while we have our eyes on the future

history has its eyes on us

This is the era of just redemption

We feared at its inception

We did not feel prepared to be the heirs

of such a terrifying hour

but within it we found the power

to author a new chapter

To offer hope and laughter to ourselves

So while once we asked,

how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe?

Now we assert

How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?

We will not march back to what was

but move to what shall be

A country that is bruised but whole,

benevolent but bold,

fierce and free

We will not be turned around

or interrupted by intimidation

because we know our inaction and inertia

will be the inheritance of the next generation

Our blunders become their burdens

But one thing is certain:

If we merge mercy with might,

and might with right,

then love becomes our legacy

and change our children's birthright

So let us leave behind a country

better than the one we were left with

Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest,

we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one

We will rise from the gold-limbed hills of the west,

we will rise from the windswept northeast

where our forefathers first realized revolution

We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the midwestern states,

we will rise from the sunbaked south

We will rebuild, reconcile and recover

and every known nook of our nation and

every corner called our country,

our people diverse and beautiful will emerge,

battered and beautiful

When day comes we step out of the shade,

aflame and unafraid

The new dawn blooms as we free it

For there is always light,

if only we're brave enough to see it

If only we're brave enough to be it



From her website, Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, as well as an award-winning writer and cum laude graduate of Harvard University, where she studied Sociology. She has written for the New York Times and has three books forthcoming with Penguin Random House. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she began writing at only a few years of age. Now her words have won her invitations to the Obama White House and to perform for Lin-Manuel Miranda, Al Gore, Secretary Hillary Clinton, Malala Yousafzai, and others. Amanda has performed multiple commissioned poems for CBS This Morning and she has spoken at events and venues across the country, including the Library of Congress and Lincoln Center. She has received a Genius Grant from OZY Media, as well as recognition from Scholastic Inc., YoungArts, the Glamour magazine College Women of the Year Awards, and the Webby Awards. She has written for the New York Times newsletter The Edit and penned the manifesto for Nike's 2020 Black History Month campaign. She is 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.