Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb” Still Resonates Five Years Later
Amanda Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb,” recited at the 2021 presidential inauguration, continues to resonate five years later as Americans navigate division, fear and the ongoing pursuit of unity.
On Jan. 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman recited her poem “The Hill We Climb” at President Joe Biden’s inauguration. At 23, she became the youngest poet ever selected to read at a presidential inauguration.
The nation had just been shaken by the storming of the U.S. Capitol. In a deeply divisive moment, Gorman sought to unify the country through poetry. Her poem centered on pushing past fear, acknowledging America’s struggles, and imagining a more united path forward.
Five years later, the country appears even more divided. Fear continues to shape public discourse across the political spectrum. In the span of five minutes, Gorman offered insights meant to inspire courage and collective action. While the political climate has shifted since 2021, the vision she articulated still resonates.
Pushing Past Fear
Today, both major political parties operate within a shared atmosphere of fear. One side believes the country is heading in a deeply troubling direction. The other believes it has already gone astray and must return to an earlier vision of itself.
Gorman urged listeners to “lift our gaze not to what stands between us, but what stands before us.” In the years since, Americans have grown quicker to sort perspectives by political allegiance. Reducing complex ideas to party labels diminishes nuance and discourages independent thought. Gorman’s words remind us that ideology is not a simple binary.
Another line reinforces that point: “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.” In moments of heightened polarization, the instinct is often to fortify positions rather than build connections. Yet Gorman emphasized bridge-building over confrontation.
She also declared, “We lay down our arms so we can reach out our arms to one another. We seek harm to none and harmony for all.” The poem encourages engagement with ideas rather than reflexive dismissal based on political identity. In today’s climate, party affiliation alone can be enough to discount someone’s perspective. Gorman challenges that impulse.
“We are far from polished, far from pristine,” she wrote, “but that doesn’t mean we are striving to form a union that is perfect.” The pursuit of unity does not require uniformity. Political polarization will not end through universal agreement. It may ease only when differences are acknowledged without being weaponized.
Moving Forward
Throughout the poem, Gorman rejected the notion that the nation is broken or defeated. Instead, she described America as unfinished. That framing suggests progress is ongoing and incomplete rather than impossible.
She also observed that “the norms and notions of what ‘just’ is isn’t always justice.” Social norms evolve, and assumptions about what is right deserve scrutiny. Fear can narrow thinking and harden positions. Curiosity and openness create space for meaningful dialogue.
Near the conclusion of the poem, Gorman expressed hope that America would “rebuild, reconcile, and recover.” Five years later, those words remain aspirational. Rebuilding does not require erasing disagreement. It requires a willingness to seek shared ground and remain open to perspectives that differ from one’s own.
A Call to Action
Gorman ended her poem with a line that continues to echo: “For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
The bravery she describes is not defiance or rigid certainty. It is the courage to imagine something better and to participate in shaping it. It is the willingness to listen while holding onto one’s values.
Acknowledging division does not mean ignoring the real issues driving it. There are serious challenges facing the country. But Gorman’s message suggests that confronting those challenges requires both conviction and openness.
Five years later, “The Hill We Climb” stands less as a relic of a single inauguration and more as an ongoing invitation. The poem calls Americans to look beyond fear, engage thoughtfully, and continue the work of shaping a more just and unified future.
Alex Nellis is a recent communication graduate who grew up in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. He is passionate about social justice and has completed graduate certificates in gender studies and cultural diversity.