Amanda Gorman

In preparation for the retreat, we are asking all participants to commit to approximately 1-hour of pre-retreat learning. The goal of this “assignment” is to establish a foundation of knowledge about our central biblical figure (Amos) and your pre-selected modern Holy Troublemaker. You can download and print this PDF or use a journal for note-taking as you read/watch the materials. 

Part 1 – Amos

Read Amos 2:4-3:10, 5:7-15, 9:9-15

Reflection Questions:

• How would you summarize Amos’ message (based just on these passages) in 10 words or less?

• Why is God going to punish Judah & Israel? What are their wrongdoings?

• How do you think ancient Israelites felt hearing this message? How does the reading make you feel?

• The book of Amos focuses largely on God’s anger with Israel’s corruption, but that’s not the whole story. What hope for an alternative future does Amos end with?

Part 2 – Amanda

• Watch this 2018 interview: Special Needs to a Harvard Freshman, 19-year-old, Amanda Gorman (10 mins)
• Watch her 2019 TedTalk: Using your voice is a political choice (7 mins)
• Read this article response to Gorman’s Inauguration Poem: Amanda Gorman, my grandma and the Black tears we cried (~ 5 mins)

Reflection Questions:

• What surprises or intrigues you about Amanda’s story?
• What impediments or challenges has she faced? How did she respond to those challenges?
• What motivates her work? What is at stake, and why does it matter
• How does Amanda’s message reflect the Gospel?
• What social justice issues do YOU feel strongly about?

Here are some additional resources to consult if you wish to learn more about Amanda either before or after the retreat.

• Watch “The Hill We Climb” & Activism Through Poetry – The Daily Social Distancing Show Interview 

• Watch Meet the First African-American Youth Poet Laureate 

• Watch The Late Late Show Interview – Amanda Gorman is Giving Americans Hope

• Watch Amanda share her Moth story “Roar” about trying to find her big break in auditioning for Broadway

These books are available for pre-order now and to be released later in 2021:

Change Sings (2021)

The Hill We Climb and Other Poems (2021)