Amanda Gorman is the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history at just 22. Writing for President Biden’s inauguration as the United States 46th President, she recited her poem, “The Hill We Climb,” which touched America. One of my personal favorite lines from her speech is, “And yes we are far from polished. Far from pristine. But that doesn’t mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect. We are striving to forge a union with purpose, to compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters, and conditions of man.” 

For 5 minutes and 35 seconds, she spreads a message of hope and proposes the idea that this country isn’t aiming towards perfection, but for improvement and for a better future through unity. With COVID cases increasing and all the division during this chaotic period, we, as Americans, find ourselves questioning if we’ll ever get out of this mess. 

However, what I found very eye-opening was how Gorman puts forward this concept of celebrating the progress our country has made, working its way up the “hill” and ensuring we don’t stop there. Amanda Gorman argues that our problems as Americans will not be solved in an instant, but that doesn’t mean we should give up because things get better with time. She suggests that Americans need to have hope in the reality of the country and see themselves as a part of the change. 

Gorman doesn’t hesitate to express racial injustices in this country either, and she reveals how we’re living in an era where “a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president, only to find herself reciting for one.” She vividly reminds us that African-Americans have a long history here in the country. However, just because they have made a lot of progress, this does not mean that there is racial justice. “We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what just is isn’t always just-ice.” I find these lines very touching, as movements towards racial justice such as Black Lives Matter have been growing, and it’s important to acknowledge that these movements stand for equality and justice. 

Gorman urges every American to confront the history of racism in this country in order to move to a better place. What I love about Amanda Gorman is that she supports change and that in order for our country to be where we all want it to be, Americans need to “close the divide because we know, to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside.” She takes time to exhibit that change is a slow process. Americans should not be disheartened due to the many failures that come with trying to make this country perfect. She writes, “even as we grieved, we grew…even as we hurt…we hoped…even as we tired, we tried.” I believe everything happens for a reason and at least we can say we’ve learned and we’ve tried. 

Amanda Gorman reminds us that trying to make change for the future will not be easy and it’s all a part of the process. She teaches us to not “form a union that is perfect,” but to “forge a union with purpose,” accepting that efforts of this value will constantly continue. Persistence is key. In order to create and forge a union with purpose, giving up is not an option. “Our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation.” Trying to improve our situation in America right now is part of our job in order to make this place better for future Americans. 

Towards the end of Amanda Gorman’s amazingly written poem, she voices that it’s crucial to know that every American has a role to make our country the best it can be. We may not be able to repair all our problems immediately, but over time, we will progressively make changes for the future of America. If we, citizens of this country, can be “brave enough to be” the “light,” change will happen, no matter how excruciating or slow-moving. Amanda Gorman wraps up her inauguration poem by concluding that having hope in a superior and finer future has enough potential to motivate Americans to make change.