Amanda Gorman's United Way Poem

Last summer, Amanda Gorman, our America’s inaugural National Youth Poet Laureate, was relatively unknown. At the time, she penned a poem for United Way and Truist titled “United Way,” an inspirational message of unity in the challenging months of COVID and rising racial awareness.

What a difference a half year makes. The campaign has enjoyed a second wave of interest since Gorman’s remarkable presentation at President Biden’s inauguration, and is worth sharing again.

Read her poem below and you can see it on YouTube.

UNITED WAY

by Amanda Gorman

It’s hard to hope, hard to cope with crisis

While we might be all alone, we’ve never been more tightly tethered

Because we will only weather this unknown together

So we get to work

We mend, we don’t break even when we bend

Somewhere, another mom pays her bills

Somewhere, another child eats his fill

We are the world’s neighbors

Making our communities brighter, greater

Fighting fore every person in the neighborhood

We, becoming of the common good

So there to care

To be hope-sighted, never divided

For when we live to give, we always live united

United Way Principles in Tough Times

We have friends and family on both sides of the political divide and both sides agree on one thing. We are in tough and divided times.

Despite the challenges, we are seeing our neighbors exercise their right to vote in historic numbers. In that sense, it has fueled democracy. Whatever the election’s outcome, we know that United Way plays an important role in healing and unifying our communities.

Here are the core principles that feed our work:

Civic engagement is at the heart of what we do.

United Way of Hampshire County has been working to build stronger Hampshire County for 99 years. We are committed to equipping and empowering our communities to participate in the democratic process and make their voices heard before, during and well after the election and regardless of their background, experiences, and stuggles.

We stand united against division and hate.

We know the outcome of the election will likely enflame further polarization and anxiety, but our country is richly diverse and we remain committed to our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We stand in unequivocal opposition to division, hate, and systemic racism.

We work to bring together our communities.

United Way of Hampshire County is a nonpartisan organization focused on the communities of Hampshire County. Bridging divides and bringing our neighbors together to solve our most intractable problems and greatest needs is what we do.

We focus on policy, not politics.

Our public policy work is driven by our mission, especially centered on poverty, near poverty, and providing opportunities to transcend them. Good policy is good policy—regardless of who’s in charge. Our policy and impact priorities won’t change, but we will adjust our tactics and messaging to the current political environment.

In the end and regardless of the situation, we fight on the side of Hope. We will continue to wade into our county’s biggest social service challenges and fight for what gets us all to a better place.