Amanda Gorman

I watched the inauguration of Joe Biden when I was 13. At the time, I didn’t know what that meant for the nation. I knew nothing of his policies or his character. I just knew that he wasn’t Donald Trump, and that was enough for me. 

The reason I was so engaged in the 2021 inauguration was because of the poet who spoke of unity and togetherness in her poem “The Hill We Climb.” She spoke of a hopeful future that Americans could have if they band together to climb the hill to prosperity. 

Now, as our country enters one of the darkest periods in its history, I find myself frequently looking back on Amanda Gorman’s inauguration poem. Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in our country’s history. At 22 years old, she represented women of color on a global stage. She spoke on behalf of the underrepresented majority of Americans who fight for a better future. 

So when my high school journalism advisor advertised an event that Amanda was speaking at, I jumped at it. I took my aunt, another avid consumer of literature and media. We ran to the front of the auditorium to get the best angle of seating we could have possibly procured.

Amanda began her Q & A, surrounded by women, youthful and old. My aunt and I found ourselves overwhelmed with emotion. I think that was a result of the fear that we have for the future. Fear of our education being taken from us. Fear of our bodily rights being stolen. Fear of our voices being silenced.

We all sought hope from Amanda that day. We wanted poetic language to ease our minds and lead us to a solution. But Amanda argued that we do not stumble upon the hope we seek. It isn’t something that appears one day and disappears the next. We create hope. 

So while Amanda has done her job, we must do ours. Amanda has spoken to billions on live television. Amanda has worked tirelessly to establish hope, whether that be through poetry, activism, or philanthropy. And for that hour-long seminar, I felt her hope. 

Amanda is just one voice. One vehicle for change. Whether you’re a poet, a journalist, an influencer, or a regular human being, there are many different paths towards change. I want to do better by the women in the Q & A session, whom I shared my Saturday afternoon with. I want the women of today to craft a prosperous future together for the women of tomorrow. A future that includes a right to education. A future where we can read what we want to read and talk how we want to talk. A future where we’re able to interact with the opposite sex without fear of harassment or subordination. A future where we don’t have to go against the grain to chase our ambitions.

That day, Amanda said that “sisterhood is sorcery.” I yearn for that magic of togetherness. I believe that’s where progress and equality lie.