With apologies to Reverend Silvester Beaman, there was simply no following Amanda Gorman. The doctor from Delaware’s benediction was rousing and passionate, evoking plenty of other moving moments during Wednesday’s (thankfully) peaceful inauguration ceremony. But Gorman’s beautifully crafted words were a showstopper. That they didn’t, in fact, end the ceremony is a fact likely to be lost to time. Gorman’s poem, “The Hill We Climb,” grabbed hold of viewers from the jump and has yet to let go.
That’s very much by design. Inaugural poets are not a requisite of the ceremony. Including Gorman, only six such wordsmiths have read during U.S. Presidential Inaugurations, and only four presidents have heard them.
President Joe Biden’s ceremony mirrored Obama’s in many ways when it came to incorporating the poet laureate. In 2009, Poet Elizabeth Alexander read “Praise Song for the Day” right after Obama’s inaugural address,...
That’s very much by design. Inaugural poets are not a requisite of the ceremony. Including Gorman, only six such wordsmiths have read during U.S. Presidential Inaugurations, and only four presidents have heard them.
President Joe Biden’s ceremony mirrored Obama’s in many ways when it came to incorporating the poet laureate. In 2009, Poet Elizabeth Alexander read “Praise Song for the Day” right after Obama’s inaugural address,...
- 1/20/2021
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
Ava DuVernay faced a daunting task in bringing “Selma” to the big screen. The drama, about the 1965 Civil Rights marches in Alabama to demand voting rights for blacks, had already been through several directors by the time she came on board.
Adding to the challenges, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s estate would not grant the team behind the film permission to use his iconic speeches. Still, DuVernay managed to put together a critically acclaimed drama which debuted strongly at the box office this weekend after Paramount pictures rolled it out in limited release. And thanks to “Selma,” DuVernay recently...
Adding to the challenges, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s estate would not grant the team behind the film permission to use his iconic speeches. Still, DuVernay managed to put together a critically acclaimed drama which debuted strongly at the box office this weekend after Paramount pictures rolled it out in limited release. And thanks to “Selma,” DuVernay recently...
- 12/29/2014
- by Anita Bennett
- The Wrap
Rev. Joseph Lowery, a civil rights leader and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, appeared on CNN on Monday where he expressed concerns about President Barack Obama’s judicial nominees to the federal bench in the state of Georgia. He told The Lead fill-in anchor Dana Bash that the president’s nominees do not reflect a level of diversity with whom he and many others are comfortable.
- 12/23/2013
- by Noah Rothman
- Mediaite - TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.