She’s getting campaign ready!
Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman explained to The Today Show why she intends to run for president in 2036.
Way before she became the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history, Gorman said she dreamed of becoming president. She has plans to make that dream come true in 2036 when she reaches the required age for eligibility per the U.S. Constitution.
“I remember being around 11 years old, and I was in class talking very passionately as I do about things I wanted to change in the world. My teacher said to me quite jokingly, ‘Haha, you should run for president,’ and I said ‘Yes, I should,’” Gorman recalled.
At age 23, she’s well on her way, already becoming a Harvard University graduate and overcoming a severe speech impediment. In kindergarten, she was diagnosed with an auditory processing disorder and struggled with her articulation, even having difficulty pronouncing her name at 20 years old.
“Honestly, it took years and years of practice, speech therapy, to overcome my speech impediment. I had to put in the work, the labor; I listened to ‘Hamilton’ a lot and tried to rap with the actors. Over time that not only engaged my love for poetry but engaged my love for my own voice to the point that I could have a stage and could hear it with love and acceptance,” Gorman said.
Now a world-renowned poet, fashion trailblazer, and a strong contender for the first national youth poet laureate, Gorman hopes to use that same tenacity to become the country’s first Black female president.
“It became this ambition where, for me, it means that the hopes that I have for making the world a better place, I have to think more expansively beyond poetry. It’s not just writing; it’s doing right as well. And if I can do that while changing political institutions, changing the quality of life in my own home country, I think that’s a great extension of poetry,” Gorman explained.
A two-time author, Gorman has recently written a poetry book, “Change Sings,” which she says has been years in the making. The book is centered around a young girl who leads characters on a musical journey to change their communities and the world.
“For me, I wanted to write a children’s book in which young readers can see themselves as real agents of change within the world. I was speaking with so many family members and guardians who have asked me, ‘How do I talk about the world with my child?’ And I said, ‘First and foremost, by highlighting how important they are to our future, and that’s really the core of the message of ‘Change Sings,’” she said.
You’ve got our vote, Amanda!
Photo Courtesy of Rob Carr/Getty Images