I so appreciated the inaugural events today. I was especially impressed with Amanda Gorman’s poem. She spoke with such strength and poise! Who would have guessed that, as a child, she had auditory processing and articulation challenges that made it difficult for her to hear and say sounds like other children?
In an interview with the Harvard Gazette in 2019, she shared that she was fortunate to get support and help early on at home and in her private school. At the same time, her mom shared her underlying guiding belief that “Every child has a gift, it just has to be discovered,” she says. “Where there’s a deficit, there’s a place where the child makes it up.” Writing definitely was where she made it up. Of Amanda’s many accomplishments, her mom says she’s most proud of her daughter’s strong sense of justice. Amanda shared that she struggled to write the lines, only getting a couple of lines written each week. However, after the events of January 6th, she shared she stayed awake late into the night and finished the poem. She added verses about the apocalyptic scene that unfolded at the Capitol that day in a careful, thoughtful way that inspires hope and courage. Poetry is definitely meant to be read, so enjoy http://ow.ly/vl8c50De1bA I love her quote that “It’s not enough for me to write. I have to do right as well.” Thank you Amanda! If you are inspired by Amanda’s story, please share widely!