“Divided we cannot stand, but united we can work to humanize our democracy and make it endearing to humanity,” Gorman, 26, recited at Chicago’s United Center
“The responsibility falls on us to make sure we don’t fall. It’s impossible for a people who can’t stand together to stand up.”
The Harvard graduate burst onto the national stage in 2021 when incoming first lady Jill Biden invited her to deliver a reading at President Joe Biden’s inauguration.
That unforgettable appearance made Gorman the youngest poet in American history.
Gorman’s poem “The Hill We Climb” and its message of unity immediately following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot resonated with millions of Americans.
Her poetry collection soared to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list, and Gorman became a literary celebrity overnight.
Read a transcript of Gorman’s 2024 DNC poem below.
We gather in this empty place because we believe in the American Dream.
We face a race to see whether the country we cherish will disappear from the face of the earth, and whether our planet will disappear from the face of this country.
We have a responsibility to make sure we don’t fall in love with a people who can’t stand together, who can’t stand together at all.
We are one family, regardless of religion, class or colour. Because what defines a patriot is not just our love of freedom, but our love of each other.
This is a clarion call for our nation, because while we all love freedom, it is love that liberates us all.
Empathy liberates us and makes us greater than hatred or vanity. This is the American promise, strong and pure. Divided we cannot stand, but together we can work to humanize our democracy and make it endearing to humanity.
There is no doubt that cohesion is the most difficult task in history, but tomorrow will be written not by our hardships but by our bold hopes, by the energy of our votes.
Only now, approaching this rare air, do we realize that maybe the American dream is not a dream at all, but the people who dare to dream together.
Like a million roots tied together and humbly branching out to form a tree, this is our country. From many to one; from a victorious battle; we celebrate freedom; our kingdom has only just begun.
We redeem this sacred scene. Ready for our journey. From this we must birth this early republic and achieve an otherworldly pinnacle. Let’s not just believe in the American Dream. Let us be worthy of it.
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