Who Is Amanda Gorman? Meet the 22-Year-Old Poet Who Performed at the Biden Inauguration
Who is Amanda Gorman?
On Wednesday (January 20), President Joe Biden was sworn into office as the 46th president of the United States. During the historic ceremony, which included performances by Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Garth Brooks, a young poet named Amanda Gorman took to the podium to recite a moving poem about unity and diversity in America.
At just 22 years old, Gorman made history as the youngest inaugural poet to perform at a presidential swearing-in ceremony, following in the footsteps of famous poets such as Robert Frost and Maya Angelou before her.
Hailing from Los Angeles, the activist performed a piece titled "The Hill We Climb," according to Variety.
Watch her near-6-minute poetry performance, below:
Prior to her performance, Gorman told NPR that she studied works from orators such as Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Winston Churchill to prepare for her big moment.
Gorman was contacted in December 2020 about performing at the inauguration after being recommended by First Lady Jill Biden, TIME reports.
In 2014, Gorman became the first-ever Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate. In 2015, she published her first book of poems, The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough. In 2017, Gorman was named the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States, performing a poem at the Library of Congress.
She graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 2020.