“Where can we find light in this never-ending shade?” America’s 22-year-old youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman asked today as she spoke at the inauguration of the 46th president of the United States: Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr. For the past four years we have lived under an administration that advanced policies based on bullying; a fantasy of a lost, white, Christian America; and disinformation. We have endured the gutting of our government as the president either left positions empty or replaced career officials with political operatives, corruption, the rise of white supremacists into positions of power, the destruction of our international standing, an unchecked pandemic that has led to more than 400,000 deaths from Covid-19, an economic crash, and unprecedented political polarization.
It struck me most of all yesterday was Amanda Gorman, a tiny wisp of a young woman with her beautiful delicate hands, expressive as a ballerina, reciting her stirring poem to the whole world at the same location where two weeks ago an army of ignorant cretans, troglodytes, willfully attacked the capitol, our capitol, our democracy, insisting their superiority be acknowledged.
The comparison of the graceful, sophisticated, beauty of Amanda Gorman's poem, of her self, her person, with the brutal, bigotted thuggery of two weeks ago, at the exact same place where she stood, took my breath away, and put tears to my eyes.
My god, the nightmare really is over, the sun rises again.
Full text of Amanda Gorman’s poem, though I recommend anyone who missed it to watch her recitation!
“The Hill We Climb”
When day comes, we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry. A sea we must wade.
We braved the belly of the beast.
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice.
And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it.
Somehow we do it.
Somehow we weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished.
We, the successors of a country and a time where a skinny black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president, only to find herself reciting for one.
And, yes, we are far from polished, far from pristine, but that doesn’t mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect.
We are striving to forge our union with purpose.
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters, and conditions of man.
And so we lift our gaze, not to what stands between us, but what stands before us.
We close the divide because we know to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside.
We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another.
We seek harm to none and harmony for all.
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true.
That even as we grieved, we grew.
That even as we hurt, we hoped.
That even as we tired, we tried.
That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious.
Not because we will never again know defeat, but because we will never again sow division.
Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid.
If we’re to live up to our own time, then victory won’t lie in the blade, but in all the bridges we’ve made.
That is the promise to glade, the hill we climb, if only we dare.
It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit.
It’s the past we step into and how we repair it.
We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation, rather than share it.
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.
And this effort very nearly succeeded.
But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated.
In this truth, in this faith we trust, for while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us.
This is the era of just redemption.
We feared at its inception.
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour.
But within it we found the power to author a new chapter, to offer hope and laughter to ourselves.
So, while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe, now we assert, how could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?
We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be: a country that is bruised but whole, benevolent but bold, fierce and free.
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, become the future.
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.
So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left.
Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest, we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one.
We will rise from the golden hills of the West.
We will rise from the windswept Northeast where our forefathers first realized revolution.
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the Midwestern states.
We will rise from the sun-baked South.
We will rebuild, reconcile, and recover.
And every known nook of our nation and every corner called our country, our people diverse and beautiful, will emerge battered and beautiful.
When day comes, we step out of the shade of flame and unafraid.
The new dawn balloons as we free it.
For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.
I found myself weeping tears of joy all day yesterday, until I thought perhaps I would be dehydrated by weeping. But it has been a very, very hard four years. Whatever tomorrow brings, I will today rejoice about the return of competence, decency, honor, and service to American governance. May we remember the times of darkness leading to this daybreak so that we never again let the light of democracy dim so greatly that we come so close to extinguishing it.
“[T]here is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.”
That statement elegantly encapsulates the message you have been reinforcing each day through these Letters.
Although the events of any particular day may be troubling, you have consistently advanced the idea that an understanding of history and a willingness to engage in critical thinking, are our best tools for weathering the turbulence and setting a constructive and positive course forward.
Like so many others I watched Biden being inaugurated with relief that at least the most obvious and public aspect of our national nightmare is over. And that gives me hope.
Biden was elected by not being Trump. And I think that true, but it’s also more than it seems. At its core it reflects a desire for a president who is simply a decent human being. Not Trump also means a president taking seriously the responsibilities of leadership and endeavoring to make government serve and protect the American people — something Trump was unable and unwilling to do.
The honeymoon won’t last long and even those of us who voted for Biden and Harris will likely grow impatient and frustrated as they grapple with all the intractable problems that Trump made worse. When we reach that point I think we need to think back to this time and remember the relief and the hope.
As everyone who has commented, I was more moved than I expected by a simple, direct address. Remarkable in that it was the polar opposite of his predecessor, devoid of ego, rancour, or blame. The pronoun "I" hardly used. Without rhetoric, the predictable call to unity and healing came shining through as passionately sincere and heartfelt. Through my tears, I had hope.
Though I am a night owl, and often up very late, I usually wait to read your letter in the morning. It became a cherished ritual that I gave myself: an infusion of reason and sanity, in preparation for the crazy that always unfolded. It was such a joy to read this beautiful post before going to bed, knowing that tomorrow is a new bright day.
The American people saved Democracy. And so many of us trusted that it could be saved as we gained insight from your daily letters. Thank you Heather for keeping so many of us tethered to that hope this year.
The election of Raphael Warnock and the stunning poetry of Amanda Gorman have thrust the country into a Black Renaissance. In the past, Black figures have been respected and sometimes revered. Now we in the majority are beginning to understand that those figures are to be loved. We are forced as well to confront the loss of Black accomplishment, character, and intelligence that have been ignored for most of our nation's history.
Thank you for drawing this gentle lasso around some of today's key words, moments and ideas. The ceremony affected me more than I expected and, like others have already said, I cried. I also karate-kicked around the kitchen, banged on a saucepan, clapped, and found myself holding my hands out and open as if that was how I could carry the shared frequency somehow. Then that magic shifted and we watched and listened "backstage" and something usual, yet no less powerful appeared - people getting to the work, the mundane and amazing work of leadership. Yes to light. Yes to love. Yes to wisdom and kindness and sensible strength. Happy Inauguration Day, everyone!
Wow. Like many I was immediately bowled over by the amazing Amanda Gorman. What an absolute treasure. Like many I was brought to tears by so many moments in the days proceedings. When the entourage arrived at the Capitol Building was a notable instance. This is finally what we have worked and waited for and I am so hopeful. And, my amazing wife, in her steadfast determination, managed to book an appointment for a Covid vaccine for my 85-year old diabetic mother for today. So I’m off to take care of mom, with hope and love and light shining brightly all around. Good day all!
I have heard and read great praise for the young poet. All well deserved. Amanda Gorman’s place in history is marked, but I think just beginning. She has a dream of being President some day. I think it may well be fate, one that I would pray comes true.
Amanda Gorman, Michele Obama, Stacey Abrams and Kamala Harris are the prominent few that are now in our minds. They have and will serve. People of such character and intelligence will make us better.
If you are reading HCR and writing on this platform, you know that the power of the far right can be dwarfed by the sensible, humanistic center left. What is beginning in Georgia and Arizona can happen in all red states. Because history is on the side of truth.
Lastly, I want to pay special homage to President Biden. He is several years my senior, so I can honestly be in awe of his presence and his words. He is now leading as we face unprecedented difficulty as a nation. As a people. Now, however, I have hope.
since Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 12:00:00 noon (Washington DC, District of Columbia time)
The count down clock has now gone past its destination and has become a clock that will tell us how far we are into the first 100 days. The 100th day is May 22, 2021.
There were many important moments and highlights today; times I would feel the emotions of the day, the twinges of patriotic love of country, and the feeling I could breathe again. One was when Lady Gaga turned to look up at the Capitol building while she sang "... that our flag was still there" and indeed it was flying atop the portico in front of the dome.
I was glad to learn President Biden fired the head of NLRB also as part of his day one accomplishments! I hope tomorrow he sends a bill for all the last minute security 45 delegated for his kids and some of his staff members presuming the Congress didn't authorize this expense as I presume it did not.
Like so many others, I am still glowing in the joy of the Biden-Harris Inauguration and all it offers.
How refreshing it is to have a President whose spirit is rooted in hope and healing and a Vice President who exudes positive energy. Biden clearly intended to reach out and embrace all people not just a disgruntled subset of Americans. I hope those who voted for the other candidate come to realize that his calm demeanor is not a weakness but a strength that will steer us back on course.
It was a pleasure watching Jen Psaki's press briefing. Her willingness to provide information and commit to M-F briefings is a welcome change. Thanks, too, for shining a light on Amanda Gorman - she is wise beyond her years.
Finally, I'm betting you'll get a lot more sleep from here on out.. This doesn't feel like it's going to be a crash and burn administration. We can all be grateful for that.
There’s also always light if we’re brave enough to be it. Thank you Professor Cox for being the light for so many. You shined the light on truth, history and helped so many find a way forward in these dark years. Much gratitude.
It struck me most of all yesterday was Amanda Gorman, a tiny wisp of a young woman with her beautiful delicate hands, expressive as a ballerina, reciting her stirring poem to the whole world at the same location where two weeks ago an army of ignorant cretans, troglodytes, willfully attacked the capitol, our capitol, our democracy, insisting their superiority be acknowledged.
The comparison of the graceful, sophisticated, beauty of Amanda Gorman's poem, of her self, her person, with the brutal, bigotted thuggery of two weeks ago, at the exact same place where she stood, took my breath away, and put tears to my eyes.
My god, the nightmare really is over, the sun rises again.
Full text of Amanda Gorman’s poem, though I recommend anyone who missed it to watch her recitation!
“The Hill We Climb”
When day comes, we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade?
The loss we carry. A sea we must wade.
We braved the belly of the beast.
We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace, and the norms and notions of what “just” is isn’t always justice.
And yet the dawn is ours before we knew it.
Somehow we do it.
Somehow we weathered and witnessed a nation that isn’t broken, but simply unfinished.
We, the successors of a country and a time where a skinny black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president, only to find herself reciting for one.
And, yes, we are far from polished, far from pristine, but that doesn’t mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect.
We are striving to forge our union with purpose.
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters, and conditions of man.
And so we lift our gaze, not to what stands between us, but what stands before us.
We close the divide because we know to put our future first, we must first put our differences aside.
We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another.
We seek harm to none and harmony for all.
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true.
That even as we grieved, we grew.
That even as we hurt, we hoped.
That even as we tired, we tried.
That we’ll forever be tied together, victorious.
Not because we will never again know defeat, but because we will never again sow division.
Scripture tells us to envision that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid.
If we’re to live up to our own time, then victory won’t lie in the blade, but in all the bridges we’ve made.
That is the promise to glade, the hill we climb, if only we dare.
It’s because being American is more than a pride we inherit.
It’s the past we step into and how we repair it.
We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation, rather than share it.
Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.
And this effort very nearly succeeded.
But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated.
In this truth, in this faith we trust, for while we have our eyes on the future, history has its eyes on us.
This is the era of just redemption.
We feared at its inception.
We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour.
But within it we found the power to author a new chapter, to offer hope and laughter to ourselves.
So, while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe, now we assert, how could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?
We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be: a country that is bruised but whole, benevolent but bold, fierce and free.
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, become the future.
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.
So let us leave behind a country better than the one we were left.
Every breath from my bronze-pounded chest, we will raise this wounded world into a wondrous one.
We will rise from the golden hills of the West.
We will rise from the windswept Northeast where our forefathers first realized revolution.
We will rise from the lake-rimmed cities of the Midwestern states.
We will rise from the sun-baked South.
We will rebuild, reconcile, and recover.
And every known nook of our nation and every corner called our country, our people diverse and beautiful, will emerge battered and beautiful.
When day comes, we step out of the shade of flame and unafraid.
The new dawn balloons as we free it.
For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.
I found myself weeping tears of joy all day yesterday, until I thought perhaps I would be dehydrated by weeping. But it has been a very, very hard four years. Whatever tomorrow brings, I will today rejoice about the return of competence, decency, honor, and service to American governance. May we remember the times of darkness leading to this daybreak so that we never again let the light of democracy dim so greatly that we come so close to extinguishing it.
“[T]here is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.”
That statement elegantly encapsulates the message you have been reinforcing each day through these Letters.
Although the events of any particular day may be troubling, you have consistently advanced the idea that an understanding of history and a willingness to engage in critical thinking, are our best tools for weathering the turbulence and setting a constructive and positive course forward.
Thank you, Professor Richardson, for all you do.
Like so many others I watched Biden being inaugurated with relief that at least the most obvious and public aspect of our national nightmare is over. And that gives me hope.
Biden was elected by not being Trump. And I think that true, but it’s also more than it seems. At its core it reflects a desire for a president who is simply a decent human being. Not Trump also means a president taking seriously the responsibilities of leadership and endeavoring to make government serve and protect the American people — something Trump was unable and unwilling to do.
The honeymoon won’t last long and even those of us who voted for Biden and Harris will likely grow impatient and frustrated as they grapple with all the intractable problems that Trump made worse. When we reach that point I think we need to think back to this time and remember the relief and the hope.
As everyone who has commented, I was more moved than I expected by a simple, direct address. Remarkable in that it was the polar opposite of his predecessor, devoid of ego, rancour, or blame. The pronoun "I" hardly used. Without rhetoric, the predictable call to unity and healing came shining through as passionately sincere and heartfelt. Through my tears, I had hope.
Though I am a night owl, and often up very late, I usually wait to read your letter in the morning. It became a cherished ritual that I gave myself: an infusion of reason and sanity, in preparation for the crazy that always unfolded. It was such a joy to read this beautiful post before going to bed, knowing that tomorrow is a new bright day.
The American people saved Democracy. And so many of us trusted that it could be saved as we gained insight from your daily letters. Thank you Heather for keeping so many of us tethered to that hope this year.
Amanda Gorman is a national treasure
The election of Raphael Warnock and the stunning poetry of Amanda Gorman have thrust the country into a Black Renaissance. In the past, Black figures have been respected and sometimes revered. Now we in the majority are beginning to understand that those figures are to be loved. We are forced as well to confront the loss of Black accomplishment, character, and intelligence that have been ignored for most of our nation's history.
Thank you for drawing this gentle lasso around some of today's key words, moments and ideas. The ceremony affected me more than I expected and, like others have already said, I cried. I also karate-kicked around the kitchen, banged on a saucepan, clapped, and found myself holding my hands out and open as if that was how I could carry the shared frequency somehow. Then that magic shifted and we watched and listened "backstage" and something usual, yet no less powerful appeared - people getting to the work, the mundane and amazing work of leadership. Yes to light. Yes to love. Yes to wisdom and kindness and sensible strength. Happy Inauguration Day, everyone!
Wow. Like many I was immediately bowled over by the amazing Amanda Gorman. What an absolute treasure. Like many I was brought to tears by so many moments in the days proceedings. When the entourage arrived at the Capitol Building was a notable instance. This is finally what we have worked and waited for and I am so hopeful. And, my amazing wife, in her steadfast determination, managed to book an appointment for a Covid vaccine for my 85-year old diabetic mother for today. So I’m off to take care of mom, with hope and love and light shining brightly all around. Good day all!
I have heard and read great praise for the young poet. All well deserved. Amanda Gorman’s place in history is marked, but I think just beginning. She has a dream of being President some day. I think it may well be fate, one that I would pray comes true.
Amanda Gorman, Michele Obama, Stacey Abrams and Kamala Harris are the prominent few that are now in our minds. They have and will serve. People of such character and intelligence will make us better.
If you are reading HCR and writing on this platform, you know that the power of the far right can be dwarfed by the sensible, humanistic center left. What is beginning in Georgia and Arizona can happen in all red states. Because history is on the side of truth.
Lastly, I want to pay special homage to President Biden. He is several years my senior, so I can honestly be in awe of his presence and his words. He is now leading as we face unprecedented difficulty as a nation. As a people. Now, however, I have hope.
0 days, 14 hours, 9 minutes, 42 seconds
since Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 12:00:00 noon (Washington DC, District of Columbia time)
The count down clock has now gone past its destination and has become a clock that will tell us how far we are into the first 100 days. The 100th day is May 22, 2021.
There were many important moments and highlights today; times I would feel the emotions of the day, the twinges of patriotic love of country, and the feeling I could breathe again. One was when Lady Gaga turned to look up at the Capitol building while she sang "... that our flag was still there" and indeed it was flying atop the portico in front of the dome.
I was glad to learn President Biden fired the head of NLRB also as part of his day one accomplishments! I hope tomorrow he sends a bill for all the last minute security 45 delegated for his kids and some of his staff members presuming the Congress didn't authorize this expense as I presume it did not.
Like so many others, I am still glowing in the joy of the Biden-Harris Inauguration and all it offers.
How refreshing it is to have a President whose spirit is rooted in hope and healing and a Vice President who exudes positive energy. Biden clearly intended to reach out and embrace all people not just a disgruntled subset of Americans. I hope those who voted for the other candidate come to realize that his calm demeanor is not a weakness but a strength that will steer us back on course.
It was a pleasure watching Jen Psaki's press briefing. Her willingness to provide information and commit to M-F briefings is a welcome change. Thanks, too, for shining a light on Amanda Gorman - she is wise beyond her years.
Finally, I'm betting you'll get a lot more sleep from here on out.. This doesn't feel like it's going to be a crash and burn administration. We can all be grateful for that.
There’s also always light if we’re brave enough to be it. Thank you Professor Cox for being the light for so many. You shined the light on truth, history and helped so many find a way forward in these dark years. Much gratitude.