Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman accessed Twitter on Friday night to share her experience with a security guard who dubbed her “suspect”, probably due to the color of her skin.
“A security guard followed me on my walk home tonight,” tweeted the 22-year-old, adding that he demanded to know if she lived in the apartment complex.
“I showed my keys and zoomed into my building,” she added.
Gorman claimed that the guard then left, without apologizing for his accusatory actions. She wrote that the situation shed light on the racial issues that the United States is facing.
“This is the reality of black girls: one day you are called an icon, the next day a threat,” she said.
A security guard followed me on my walk home tonight. He asked if I lived there because “you look suspicious”. I showed my keys and zoomed into my building. He left, with no excuses. This is the reality of black girls: one day you are called an icon, the next day a threat. https://t.co/MmANtQqpBs
– Amanda Gorman (@TheAmandaGorman) March 5, 2021
Gorman’s tweet refers to the accolades she received after her inaugural viral presentation in January. She was then asked to perform at the Super Bowl, for which she was also acclaimed.
As the youngest presidential tenure poet in US history, Gorman attracted extra attention for her performances. She said she uses her platform to bring visibility to other young black women.
Wow that’s fantastic @washingtonpost piece by @nnekamcguire . We live in a contradictory society that can honor a black poet and also pepper spray for a 9 year old child. Yes, see me, but also see all the other black girls who have become invisible. I can’t, I won’t, go up alone. https://t.co/tP531SCjrk
– Amanda Gorman (@TheAmandaGorman) February 14, 2021
“We live in a contradictory society that can honor a black poet and also pepper spray at the age of 9,” she wrote on February 14. The tweet refers to an article that was written about the accolades she received after an incident during which the Rochester police spread pepper spray on a young woman.
“Yes, see me, but also see all the other black girls who have become invisible,” she added. “I can’t, I won’t, go up alone.”