Featuring Amanda Gorman, National Youth Poet Laureate
Only 22 years of age, Amanda Gorman has already made a tremendous mark in American history. Amanda is a poet and activist who has become the first National Youth Poet Laureate and the youngest poet to ever present at a presidential inaugural. Amanda’s work focuses on key civil rights issues including oppression, feminism, race, and marginalization, as well as the African diaspora. Amanda’s story and achievements demonstrate not only her remarkable gifts but also her deep convictions for civil rights activism.
Amanda was born in Los Angeles California and raised by her single mother.
Her mother, a teacher, encouraged her and her siblings to read and learn. Despite having both an auditory processing disorder and a speech impediment during her childhood, Amanda used her therapy and strength to overcome those obstacles. She turned them into her gifts of speaking and writing.
During her early school years, Amanda attended private school in Santa Monica and received a Milken Family Foundation scholarship for college. In her college years, she studied sociology at Harvard College and graduated cum laude in 2020. She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
Amanda has received a range of recognitions for her talents, including a Genius Grant from OYZ media and other recognitions from Scholastics Inc, and Young Arts. She was the recipient of Glamour magazines’ College Women of the Year Awards, the Webby Awards, as well as a Barnes & Noble Poets and Writers Award. She also authored Nike’s 2020 Black History Month campaign. In addition, Amanda became the youngest Board member of 826 National, the largest youth writing network in the U.S.
Amanda’s work has been featured in many contexts. She has written and published three books. In 2015, while still a student, she published her poetry book The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough. She has also written for the New York Times. She has performed multiple poems for CBS This Morning and has spoken at the Library of Congress, Lincoln Center, and many other venues.
Amanda has shared her gifts of writing and speaking at the Obama White House and was invited to perform for Lin-Manuel Miranda, Vice President Al Gore, Secretary Hillary Clinton, Malala Yousafzai, and others. But her greatest spotlight to date was in January 2021 at President Joe Biden’s Inaugural where she delivered her poem “The Hill We Climb” to international acclaim.
For all that Amanda has accomplished in 22 years, we await all that she will continue to do in the years ahead to share her gifts and her activism with the world.