Amanda Gorman's Super Bowl Poem: Young Poet Wows Fans With Beautiful Voice, Powerful Message
Poet Amanda Gorman stole the show at the 2021 presidential inauguration when she loudly read her poem "The Hill We Climb." She became one of the favorite performers for many fans who watched President Joe Biden sworn into office.
But the 22-year-old has once again added another milestone in her life, because she was invited to recite a poem for the Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida.
In January, the NFL announced that Amanda Gorman would be reciting an original poem during the pre-game ceremonies.
Super Bowl LV features the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play against the defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Speaking on The Daily Show, Gorman shared her excitement about performing at the highly anticipated sports event.
"These are the moments I strive for in my lifetime, which is to bring poetry into places that we least expect it so we can fully kind of grapple with how it can heal us and resurrect it," Gorman revealed.
Amanda Groman Super Bowl 2021 Poem
Now, on Sunday, Amanda Groman--in a pre-filmed video--recited her poem honoring three captains: a nurse, a teacher, and a Marine veteran.
What a moment. @TheAmandaGorman #SBLV pic.twitter.com/v8VM9uhPww
— NFL (@NFL) February 7, 2021
One of the captains mentioned in her poem was Trimaine Davis. He is a Los Angeles educator who helped connect his students by giving them access to technology and the internet during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Another one is nurse manager Suzie Dorner from Tampa, Florida. She worked in the COVID-19 ICU ward for nearly a year.
Marine veteran James Martin, who voluntarily works with Wounded Warriors, has helped local high school athletes and took children in need into his home in Pennsylvania.
One line of her poem said, "We celebrate them by acting with courage and compassion, by doing what is right and just."
Before the poem was released, Gorman took to Twitter to express her feelings about the opportunity: "Poetry at the Super Bowl is a feat for art and our country because it means we're thinking imaginatively about human connection even when we feel siloed."
Famous Fans React
Glenn Kirschner described the young poet as "riveting, powerful, inspirational and uplifting" in one tweet. He said, "I. AM. IN. AWE."
Matt Viser called out award shows and other sporting events such as the Olympics and the NCAA tournament to "please include Amanda Gorman in all of your plans."
Chelsea Janes tweeted how she's still marveling how Amanda Gorman made poetry cool "that all of the stars in the American cultural universe, the NFL chose her words to play just before the toss coin of the Super Bowl."
Amanda Gorman's Accomplishments
Amanda Gorman has already accomplished a lot in her young life.
In 2017, she became the first National Youth Poet Laureate. In 2020, she completed her education at Harvard as cum laude. She is also the youngest poet to ever read at a presidential inauguration.
Just like Kamala Harris' step-daughter, Amanda Gorman also signed with one of the leading modeling agencies in the world, IMG.
