American poet Amanda Gorman reads a poem during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the US Capitol in Washington DC on January 20, 2021.Amanda Gorman paid homage to many American greats in her inaugural poem, "The Hill We Climb."The 22-year-old poet preformed her poem at Joe Biden's presidential inauguration on Jan. 20.
"I think there is a real history of orators who have had to struggle, a type of imposed voicelessness, you know, having that stage at inauguration," Gorman said. "So it's really special for me."Gorman alluded to fellow inaugural poet Maya Angelou's poem, 'Still I Rise.' Angelou, a Pulitzer Prize and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, preformed her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at Bill Clinton's 1993 inauguration. Gorman toldFamous lines from Martin Luther King Jr.'s address during the 1963 March on Washington appeared in the poem.
King famously said during his speech, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."Mathew B. Brady:The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images
Amanda is an incredible young lady....what a beautiful poem and you can see that she’s a beautiful soul. ❤️
Amanda is an incredible young lady....what a beautiful poem and you can see that she’s a beautiful soul. ❤️