You may already have heard that Lady Gaga and J-Lo will be performing at the presidential inauguration tomorrow. But how about Amanda Gorman?
While Gorman may not yet be a household name, she’s about to become much better known as she follows in the footsteps of Maya Angelou and Robert Frost to give the inauguration poem in D.C.
The 22-year-old Los Angeles native and National Youth Poet Laureate is the youngest person to ever be given this platform.
Like Angelou, who was mute as a child–and Joe Biden, who grew up with a stutter–she’s overcome a childhood speech impediment to find her voice.
Gorman had difficulty saying certain letters of the alphabet as a kid. The letter ‘R’ was especially hard for her to pronounce. That hasn’t held her back. In fact, her first lyrical picture book, Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem, is already available for pre-order.
Speaking of the ceremony tomorrow, the Harvard graduate told NPR, “I think there is a real history of orators who have had to struggle, a type of imposed voicelessness, you know… So it’s really special for me.”
With future plans including running for president, expect to see much more from this young star.
(MEET Amanda in the PBS video below.)
Featured image: PBS/YouTube
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