Biden inauguration poet Amanda Gorman: Security guard followed me and said I looked ‘suspicious’
Amanda Gorman, the 22-year-old poet best known for reading at Joe Biden's inauguration, has said she was followed home by a security guard who wanted to know where she lived as she “looked suspicious”.
Writing on Twitter about the encounter on Friday night, she said: “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.”
Ms Gorman, America’s youngest inaugural poet, lives in Los Angeles but did not specify where the encounter took place.
The post was met with thousands of messages of support on Twitter and Instagram.
She followed up her post with a second comment that said: “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.”
Ms Gorman became an instant sensation January 20 when she recited her poem, “The Hill We Climb”, at Mr Biden’s swearing-in.
She commanded the spotlight once again at the Super Bowl in February.
Ms Gorman read an original poem, called Chorus of the Captains, during the pregame festivities. It was the first poetry reading in Super Bowl history,
Ms Gorman didn’t perform on the field but appeared in a taped video message.