Tuesday’s school shooting left many at a loss for words, overwhelmed with emotion. In her latest poem, Amanda Gorman captures these feelings and turns silence into stanzas.
The 24-year-old poet and activist took to social media on Tuesday to share the verse focusing on gun violence.
“Schools are scared to death. The truth is an education under desks, down under bullets; that downfall when we ask where our children will live, how and if,” she wrote.
In a series of tweets, Gorman continued.
“It takes a monster to kill children. But watching monsters kill children over and over again and doing nothing is not just madness – it’s inhumanity… The truth is that ‘a nation is under fire,’ read the tweets. “What could we be if we only tried. What could we become if we only listened.”
A gunman killed at least 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday, making it the deadliest shooting at a U.S. elementary school since the 2012 attack at Sandy Elementary School. Hook in Newtown, Connecticut.
Federal law enforcement officials told The Associated Press that the death toll is expected to rise.
Gorman’s words were flooded with reactions. Less than 24 hours after its publication, one of his tweets garnered over 488,000 likes. On Instagram, she exceeded half a million.
People also responded, sharing their thanks for capturing their thoughts and emotions.
“Thank you for your words when words seem impossible,” commented actress Rachel Brosnahan on Instagram.
“As you speak the truth with grace. Thank you,” wrote another.
“Thank you for your vote,” another commented. “I think with you, maybe change can happen.”
Experts say art can help manage trauma and process loss.
Studies have shown that participation in music and art can relieve pain, help people manage stress, promote well-being, improve memory, improve communication, facilitate physical rehabilitation and give people a way to express their feelings.
Art can also be its own form of activism.
Although the term that many people use for this type of work, artivism, seems new, the idea that artists also serve as activists and leaders of cultural change has a deep-rooted history.
“Artists have always led protest, resistance and hope in black communities and other marginalized communities across the country,” said Aaron Bryant, curator of photography and culture visual at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, in the United States. TODAY.
Not just words but actions
Gorman didn’t just share his words. The poet has also taken to taking action on her platform, sharing a fundraiser on Instagram for the organization Everytown for Gun Safety.
“Americans – you know enough is enough. If you do something today, let it not just be to cry, but to take action,” she captioned her post, adding information about where people could donate.
Subscribers were also grateful for the emphasis on action.
“Thank you Amanda for using your platform to do this,” one user commented.
“Action > thoughts and prayers,” another wrote with the hashtags #donate and #vote.
A Harvard graduate and National Young Poet Laureate, Gorman made history in January 2021 as the youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history. Since then, she has appeared on the cover of Vogue and Time magazines and been interviewed by Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama.
Contributors: Carly Mallenbaum, Reginal E. Payne II, Jayne O’Donnell and Marquart Doty, USA TODAY
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