Amanda Gorman solidified her place as a literary force with her moving reading of “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in January 2021. Fast-forward four years, and she’s reflecting on that groundbreaking moment and the poem that changed her life.
“I finished it on the night of Jan. 6, so it was important for me to process my own emotions and thoughts as an American watching that violence against our democracy,” she told NBC News. “To be honest, when I wrote it, I had no idea it was going to reverberate and resonate in the way it did. … It was something historic, personal, meaningful, and powerful, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
In 2023, an elementary school in Florida restricted the poem, claiming it was “better suited for middle school students.” For Gorman, the decision felt like a “gut punch.”
“I understood that book bans were happening, but this hit me so incredibly hard—not just because it was something I had written, which is beside the point—but because it was a moment in history,” she explained. “If a child at that school wanted to read the words spoken at a presidential inauguration, they were being subtly restricted from doing so.”
As she became more aware of the growing censorship, Gorman recognized the larger issue at play.
“There are so many book bans happening right now, and it’s terrifying if you really pay attention to what that means for children’s right to read and learn—and for teachers and libraries,” she added.
Now, Gorman is focused on uplifting future generations despite ongoing political efforts to silence diverse storytelling. Her latest book, “Girls on the Rise,” is a 32-page picture book that explores “what it means to be a young person in a generation that is going to—and is already—changing the world.”
“When a child can’t see themselves represented in a story, they can’t dream of their own life or actualize their own hopes,” she shared, emphasizing the harm of book bans. “The books being banned predominantly feature authors and characters of color, as well as LGBTQ+ voices, meaning entire identities are being erased from bookshelves.”
As the country continues to navigate uncertain times, Gorman holds on to a powerful line from her inaugural poem: “What just is, isn’t always justice.” To her, it’s a reminder that “just because this is what exists now doesn’t mean this is all that awaits us as a nation and a world.”
Through her work—including best-selling books like “Change Sings,” “Something, Someday,” and “Call Us What We Carry”—Gorman hopes to leave a lasting legacy. More than anything, she wants to be remembered as “a wordsmith and a changemaker who speaks in a language that allows our country to return to love, legacy, and connection.”
