“The Hill We Climb” (2021) is the poem Amanda Gorman wrote and read for the inauguration of US President Biden. She follows in the footsteps of inaugural poets like Robert Frost and Maya Angelou – at age 22!
She presents a Black Liberal view of this moment in US history, where a White nationalism tried to overthrow democracy.
Excerpts:
“We’ve braved the belly of the beast, we’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace. And the norms and notions of what ‘just is’ isn’t always justice. And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it, somehow we do it. Somehow we’ve weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished.”
“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 our union with purpose. To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man.”
“And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us, but what stands before us. We close the divide, because we know to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside. We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another. We seek harm to none and harmony for all.”
“Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true: that even as we grieved, we grew; that even as we hurt, we hoped; that even as we tired, we tried; that we’ll forever be tied together victorious, not because we will never again know defeat but because we will never again sow division.”
“Scripture tells us to envision that ‘everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree and no one shall make them afraid.’ [Micah 4:4] If we’re to live up to our own time, then victory won’t lie in the blade but in all the bridges we’ve made.”
“We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it, would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy. And this effort very nearly succeeded. But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated.”
“In this truth, in this faith we trust for while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us. This is the era of just redemption we feared at its inception.”
“We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour, but within it we found the power to author a new chapter, to offer hope and laughter to ourselves. So while once we asked ‘how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe,’ now we assert: ‘how could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?'”
“We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be: a country that is bruised but whole, benevolent but bold, fierce and free. We will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation because we know our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation.”
– Abagond, 2021.
See also:
- The full poem: video, text.
- The last 12 months:
- Maya Angelou
- Black Liberals
- US White nationalism
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Yawn, so much verbal fluff. A more succinct and honest description of the failure of Trump’s Keystone Kops coup (manqué) would go like this: They stampeded and galumphed in the halls of Congress, in a haze of confusion, they lost the plot, took a few selfies, made a mess and galumphed back to their habitual obscurity. Oh, Senescence where is thy sting?
Abagond, how’s that Trump Derangement Syndrome now that the witch is gone?
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Imagery
Dark skin african american female
reads a “poem”
hair braided with a big red band or something.
In my view black people in general and black females in particular have a real problem with confronting reality honestly.
Imagine if instead you had the same black female with just a afro , period.
And making a factual statement about what and why this country never was and may never be the democracy it try’s to gaslight the world into believing it is.
And what we could possibly practically do as citizens to change it.
Like Dr. Welsing said fear leads to circular reasoning.
round and around we go.
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As a side note and speaking not of poem itself, I was impressed to see a White American President saying out loud that he will fight to defeat “White Supremacy”.
I didn’t even know that that concept – White Supremacy – was already recognized by the society at large as as real, objective one, least that a White individual, at that level of responsibility, would look at it and openly recognize it as a danger to the American project. Very interesting…
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Come on, the girl is cute. As for Biden defeating “White Supremacy”, a nebulous term that can mean whatever you want it to mean, I’d be impressed if he had kept his $2,000 stimulus promise and if he came out for Medicare for All, stuff that have real impacts on people’s lives.
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@Abagond
I’ve noticed a grammatical error here. It should read either:
“where a White NATIONALIST [caps mine]…”
or,
…”where White NATIONALISM..”
Take your pick, Abagond. As written, it sounds a bit wonky.
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I reblogged this.
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Mbeti
“In my view black people in general and black females in particular have a real problem with confronting reality honestly.”
This makes sense. You have black people in this day and age, that still call white cops to their home for “help”.
I watched a video on Facebook last night, where a news segment reported on a black family’s father was shot and killed by a white racist police officer, when they called for a “wellness check”, because they’re father was having a mental episode over him saying, “praise Jesus” loudly.
The dispatch didn’t send a wellness check officer that they sent the day before, because he was off duty, so they sent the white killer of black people version instead.
This black family trusted a white supremacist system to send out someone to take care of their black father as if they give a damn about him.
It’s as if his family pulled the trigger themselves…. They get no sympathy from me.
As for this young black female, she simply white washed the current climate with a poem. It’s typical of black people to calm white people’s white guilt and black people’s fears with pretty words and fancy speeches.
I call this…the obama speech affect.
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I am not much of a fan of poetry, but I thought it was impressive that Amanda Gorman struggled with a speech impediment. I thought she looked lovely yesterday at the Inauguration. She has beautiful dark skin and looked radiant like sunshine..
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@ Mary Burrell
Same here. Gorman’s lovely skin tone was really complemented by her sun yellow coat and red headband.
As for the content of her poem, it’s not like the Biden Administration was going to feature a poet with more radical views. After all, her presentation had to fit into Biden’s Inaugural theme of national unity. An unlikely outcome at this time.
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” black females in particular have a real problem with confronting reality honestly.”
Well obviously this is an obvious example of sexiest bias on my part.
my excuse/reason?
some black females therefore all black females cause its easier and safer to criticize females than males.
As well as the fact that all black people including myself live our entire lives under threat of death if we don’t appease white people.
We know from recent events as well as the entirety of our experiences in America that any mass movement of black people no matter how positive or peaceful ,well be met with the most lethal and ruthless violence for which we can expect no apology or remorse.
Still you have my apologies for I experience the shame and humiliation from knowing once you say something online ,it will last the rest of your days and beyond and a retraction or apology is mere fluff and privilege
on the street and in jail ,in public ,in person
you said what you said and will be held account for it.
if other human being don’t I make more than one mistake ,get it twisted, forget ,over or under react etc
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Amanda Gorman was already a rising star in the poetry world before the inauguration. She has recited in very high places, including the inauguration of the president of her Alma Mater, Harvard, where she was a Lev. The poem was excellence to a high degree in terms of its writing. In terms of vocal delivery, it was a transcendent moment. It doesn’t hurt that Amanda is a lovely young woman and the goldenrod outfit (and red hair band) her stylists put on her created a stunning visual image against the predominantly blue background. It was almost a much a watershed moment as the famous Obama speech at the Democratic national convention.
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Amanda Gorman is the publisher of three books, and she also got a modeling contract. The stars in the universe are aligned for this young sister.
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