Abstract
Abstract In this essay, I show how Amanda Gorman exercised womanist vernacular discourse to offer hope to the current condition of the United States. I begin by looking at a well-known definition of “vernacular rhetoric” and juxtapose this with the works of several Black women to craft a working definition of womanist vernacular discourse. I then elaborate on the vernacular exercise by looking at cultural syncretism and its function as pastiche. Then, I examine how Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb” followed this method. While I am simply identifying a cultural phenomenon present in the expression of Amanda Gorman, it is my hope that this unveiling will help further empower rhetoric studies to incorporate a marginalized voice. The genius of Gorman’s performance makes room for the marginalized voice to authentically enter without being compromised.
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