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Media personalities heap praises on young US poet Amanda Gorman after Inauguration Poem

Emmanuel Tjiya S Mag Editor-in-chief
American poet Amanda Gorman reads a poem during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington January 20, 2021.
American poet Amanda Gorman reads a poem during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington January 20, 2021.
Image: Patrick Semansky/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

Amanda Gorman stole the show as Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th US president on Wednesday.

At 22, she made history by becoming the youngest inaugural poet. Her moving poem, The Hill We Climb, has won the hearts of many across the world including Oprah Winfrey, Kerry Washington and Jada Pinkett Smith.

Winfrey summed it up perfectly on social media: “I have never been prouder to see another young woman rise! Brava Brava, @TheAmandaGorman! Maya Angelou is cheering – and so am I.”

The late Angelou recited her poem On the Pulse of Morning at Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993 – becoming the first black person and woman to do so.

Gorman did it all while looking like a ray of sunshine in Prada. According to American Vogue, Gorman chose Miuccia Prada, because she’s “a designer Gorman admires for her intellect and long-standing feminist leanings.”

The publication further reported that the gold hoop earrings that Gorman wore were gifted to her by Winfrey, before noting that Winfrey did the same for Angelou by sending her a Chanel coat and a pair of gloves in 1993.

Gorman, who was accompanied by her mother at the event, seemed overwhelmed by her newfound fame judging by her Instagram page that has since skyrocketed to over 2.3 million followers.

She posted pictured from the inauguration with the Obamas, Clintons and Lady Gaga – who delivered an electric rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner, the US anthem. In true Gaga style she made a dramatic entrance in custom Schiaparelli couture.

“My Instagram literally is broken. This is not a game, this is not a joke. I literally looked up and I had one million followers and I can’t even post anything,” Gorman gushed in a video clip posted on her Instagram.

“I’m having difficulty doing my Stories because there is so much love and support coming through. This is wild.”

The biography from Gorman's official website reveals that she studied sociology and graduated cum laude from Harvard University. Aside for writing for New York Times newsletter The Edit, she has three upcoming books.

She was born in  Los Angeles and won multiple awards including being named the first ever National Youth Poet Laureate in the US by UrbanWord and the Library of Congress in 2017.

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