On Amanda Gorman's "The Hill We Climb"

January 20th, 2021 was a breath of fresh air in more ways than one. That was the day America felt it could exhale again. It was the day that made almost every individual feel restoration could begin. As we watched Joe Biden and Kamala Harris officially take office, we were eased in by the profound words from Amanda Gorman’s page. She stood before us confronting this country’s history, herself being the proof of what was impossible not so long ago. As I watched the signaling of her hands, through them I heard hope as she spoke to convince this nation that we have to fight to be better than the worst of us.

“The Hill We Climb” addresses a specific traumatic experience in the undertones of each line. It holds the knowledge that America has never been perfect or just and still isn’t. However, we must strive for it anyway. Every effort that has been made for those living on the outskirts of fairness in this country was proven not to be in vain when “…a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother…” took her place on the podium to remind us of ours. Unwilling to be a victim, her presence was triumphant and that is exactly what I felt. She painted a picture of betterment with spirited colors calling for accountability and rectification.

Personally, I admired her evident drive to shake stagnant minds and spark those still developing. She was intentional in fusing those two extremes. “But one thing is certain, if we merge mercy with might, and might with right, then love becomes our legacy, and change our children’s birthright.”. In a way, it’s a blueprint for those who feel there is no way to move forward and for those who are struggling to let go of diminishing prejudices. Every obstacle we’ve faced to date has been bigger than just this moment and the ignorance to that fact has led to the repeated mistakes of our past.

In my opinion, It will take a mindful and considerate generation to adapt and master true unification because that generation will understand just how small they are individually, compared to the power in fellowship. Most people in power today are committed to the beliefs that have placed them in the positions they currently hold, therefore they do not find it necessary to disturb the rhythm of partiality. This perspective of mine was cemented by the time Amanda Gorman arrived at “We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation rather than share it. Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.”. There is an overwhelming confidence she delivers immediately after, that evokes the notion of this being the end of that era and the rise of the next.

Since the debut of “The Hill We Climb”, not only is it even more relevant today than it was January 20th, but it resonates in the choices we make as a collective every single day. It’s significance carries in drumming echoes through education, politics, sports, entertainment and our leisure time. Shadows have been unveiled by someone who stepped out from behind, meaning to be heard, word for word. The very first National Youth Poet Laureate, and rightfully so, gave us not only a breath of fresh air but a tremendous task to fulfill for the generations to come.

-Nadiyah Gandy