Hello hello,
So happy to be on the other side of 20JAN21 without the loss of any more lives. What a relief.
You know when something is SO good that you question whether or not you’re worthy of having experienced it? I, like most others, am now totally and utterly obsessed with Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet. I have underestimated poetry as an agent for change, but she has highlighted this underappreciated artform. If you didn’t catch her inaugural poem, check it out here: ‘The Hill We Climb’: Read Amanda Gorman’s inaugural poem – CNNPolitics The most memorable line for me was: “We will not be turned around or interrupted by intimidation because we know our inaction and inertia will be the inheritance of the next generation. Our blunders become their burdens, 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.” mic drop.
She reminds me that inspiration can come from so many artforms and people of all ages.
She has another beautiful poem addressing the black lives matter movement: Amanda Gorman “Fury and Faith” on Vimeo “All Black lives matter. Black lives are worth living, worth defending, worth every struggle. We owe it to the fallen to fight, but we owe it to ourselves to never stay kneeling when the day calls us to stand together…”
That’s it. Nothing else needs to be said. If we could all listen, digest, and internalize her words, the world would be fast tracked on that moral arc toward justice. How fitting as we just celebrated MLK Jr. Day.
#Blacklivesmatter #courageousconversations #MLK
-Jessica