The National Youth Poet Laureate said her experience shows the 'reality of Black girls.'
Amanda Gorman says she was racially profiled on her walk home on Friday night. The poet shared her experience on social media, explaining how it shows the difficult "reality of Black girls."
"A security guard tailed me on my walk home tonight. He demanded if I lived there because 'you look suspicious,'" Gorman tweeted. "I showed my keys & buzzed myself into my building. He left, no apology."
"This is the reality of black girls: One day you're called an icon, the next day, a threat," she added.
Gorman shared her story on Instagram, and captioned that post, "In a sense, he was right. I AM A THREAT: a threat to injustice, to inequality, to ignorance. Anyone who speaks the truth and walks with hope is an obvious and fatal danger to the powers that be. A threat and proud."
Gorman, who rose to national prominence after reading her poem at President Joe Biden's inauguration, marked her 23rd birthday just days later. In a note to her followers on Instagram on Sunday, the National Youth Poet Laureate encouraged they donate to some organizations close to her heart.
"Today I turn 23🥳🎉 As I reflect back with gratitude on this whirlwind year that brought me to the steps of the Capitol, I can’t help but believe that the best type of gift is one that pays your blessings forward. If you’ve been touched by my words, please consider donating or sharing about these wonderful nonprofits below who have supported me at critical points in my young career. Even a dollar works magic ☺️."
The organizations Gorman highlighted include WriteGirl, Vital Voices, Beyond Baroque Literary Arts, Urban Word and 826 National.
See more on Gorman in the video below.
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