Amanda Gorman Shares Before Performance Mantra

Who is Amanda Gorman, The 2021 Inaugural Poet?

The 22-year old sensation has become a household name for the reading of her powerful poem at the Inauguration.

The Published Author

The poet has numerous books that reached number one on Amazon. She also shared her first political moment with The Washington Post. The moment was her mother’s reading of the Miranda Rights to a young Gorman.

“When I was very young, my mother made sure I knew my Miranda Rights. She wasn’t playing around,” Gorman said.

She added, “When you are a Black child growing up in America, our parents have to have what’s called ‘the talk’ with us. Except it’s not about the birds and the bees and our changing bodies, it’s about the potential destruction of our bodies.”

Later, Gorman revealed Biden’s team gave her “complete freedom about what to write.”

Gorman’s Stellar Poet Resume

In 2014, Gorman became the first Youth Poet Laureate of Los Angeles. In 2017, she was named the country’s first National Youth Poet Laureate.

She performed at the Obama White House, she performed for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Malala Yousafzai, according to her website.

Most notably, the famed poet told Good Morning America today that she idolizes the late Dr. Maya Angelou. Angelou was another inauguration poet. It’s clear that Dr. Angelou would certainly be proud of Gorman’s inaugural performance among other performances.

Watch Youth Poet Amanda Gorman read “The Hill We Climb” at the Biden-Harris inauguration below. Be on the lookout for what other movements she associates herself with.