Amanda Gorman is an American poet who gained recognition for becoming the first person to be named a National Youth Poet Laureate. Gorman’s inspiration to become a youth delegate came in 2013 after watching a speech by Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai. A year later, she was voted Los Angeles Youth Poet Laureate.
Gorman later founded a non-profit organization titled a pen a page, which instills writing and leadership skills in young people. Amanda announced herself to the world when she presented a poem titled the hill we climbed during the inauguration of President Biden. In 2017, Gorman announced that he would run for president in 2036.
This piece will focus on Amanda Gorman’s parents.
Amanda was raised by a single mother with two brothers in Los Angeles, California.
Amanda Gorman was born on March 7, 1998 to Joan Wicks in Los Angeles, California. Wicks raised Amanda alongside her twin sister, Gabrielle, and another brother of his. amanda said The New York Times that living at the intersection of all the communities in Los Angeles made her feel like an outsider since she didn’t know what to identify with. She said The New York Times:
“I’m sure my single mom, Joan Wicks, could describe me as a precocious child, but looking back on elementary school, she often described me as just ‘weird.’ I spent most of elementary school convinced that he was an alien. Literally.”
However, as Amanda grew older, Joan helped her discover a part of her identity. Thanks to Joan, Amanda learned what it means to be black in American society. amanda said Washington Post that the first political conversation he had with his mom involved the unfortunate reality of racial inequality in the United States:
“My mom wasn’t playing. When you’re a black kid growing up in America, our parents have what’s called ‘the conversation’ with us. Except it’s not about the birds and the bees and our changing bodies, it’s about the potential destruction of our bodies. My mom wanted to make sure I was prepared to grow up black in America, and that was my first awakening to the political climate I was getting into.”
Amanda’s mom inspired Amanda’s love for education and its impact on society.
Amanda’s love of writing arose after her third grade teacher, Shelly Fredman, read Ray Bradbury’s novel Dandelion Wine in class. Gorman might not have appreciated that moment as much as she did without her mother’s insistence on the need for a good education. She said study breaks:
“Having a mother teach sixth grade English at an inner-city public school gave me up close and personal insight into how literacy influences young learners. I realized that education really can be a life or death resource… School and university are a way to get off the streets, to break a cycle.”
Joan set an example by earning a Ph.D. and Master of Education while she was raising her three children. “She inspires me every day to pursue a higher education not only for myself, but also for the other students around me,” added Amanda.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn