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Amanda Gorman

“The Hill We Climb”

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Welcome to our second Black History Month gather and discuss!

Today we will be going over Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb.” A document was handed to you at the sign-in station which we will go over later. Our goal today is to get students listening and talking about this important speech.

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Who is Amanda Gorman?

  • She was born March 7, 1998
  • Went to Harvard University where she studied sociology.
  • She is a poet activist and writes about oppression, feminism, race, and marginalization, as well as the African diaspora.

Accomplishments

  • Poet and activist
  • Youngest inaugural poet in US history- 22 yrs old
  • She has read her poetry at the Library of Congress, Super Bowl LV and on MTV

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African Diaspora definition:

  • Term commonly used to describe the mass dispersion of peoples from Africa during the Transatlantic Slave Trades, from the 1500s to the 1800s. This Diaspora took millions of people from Western and Central Africa to different regions throughout the Americas and the Caribbean.

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What is the speech?

“The Hill We Climb”

  • Delivered on January 20, 2021 at the inauguration of President Biden
  • Its purpose was to encourage the American people to come together
  • Amanda Gorman was given the topic of “America United” to talk about
    • Finished the poem after the January 6th insurrection- determined not to “gloss over” what happened

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The Hill We Climb

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Before the Speech Questions!

  • What does the title tell you about the speech?
  • Have any of you heard of the speech?
  • Anything to add before we begin?

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Turn & Discuss

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Link to PDF: 'The Hill We Climb' - Amanda Gorman (PDF)

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WATCH: Amanda Gorman read her inauguration poem, 'The Hill We Climb'

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Why I almost Didn’t Read My Poem at the Inauguration

Now, we will read aloud the handout given to you at the sign-in. It discusses how Amanda Gorman felt before she performed her speech at the Inauguration.

Find the PDF version here: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/20/opinion/amanda-gorman-poem-inauguration.html

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Turn and Discuss the Speech, and the Article:

  • What did the speech make you think about?
  • What do you think the final line means: “for there is always light if only we’re brave enough to see it, if only we’re brave enough to be it”
  • What do you think Ms. Gorman means by listening to her fear?
  • Do you have any new thoughts/ideas about fear/facing fear?
  • Anything else about the speech or the article?