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WEKU
WEKU
Olivia Hampton

Poet Amanda Gorman celebrates the gift of Blackness for Juneteenth

Amanda Gorman was the youngest inaugural poet when she read "The Hill We Climb" at President Joe Biden's inauguration in January 2021 at the age of 22. (Danny Williams/Sun Literary Arts)

Growing up in Los Angeles, Amanda Gorman's family would mark Juneteenth by going to an African American history museum or celebrating and reflecting with her church and community.

For the second year, the U.S. government on Sunday will observe the holiday, which marks the effective end of chattel slavery following the U.S. Civil War. Gorman, the first national youth poet laureate, wonders how that federal recognition will change celebrations.

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