Her moving Super Bowl poem honored pandemic heroes.
After making history as the youngest known inaugural poet, the 22-year-old Los Angeles poet Amanda Gorman achieved another milestone as the first poet to perform at the Super Bowl. Her performance at the 55th annual game was dedicated to these three honorary captains, chosen based on their heroic efforts during the pandemic: Trimaine Davis, an L.A. teacher who helped his students secure internet for remote learning; Suzie Dorner, an ICU nurse in Tampa Bay; and James Martin, a Marine veteran who steered the use of technology to combat isolation for the Wounded Warrior Project.
What a moment. @TheAmandaGorman #SBLV pic.twitter.com/v8VM9uhPww
— NFL (@NFL) February 7, 2021
As much a style influencer as a cultural influencer, Gorman performed on stage in an embellished baby blue Moschino coat with a pre-recorded segment showcasing the three honorees. The poem, commissioned by the NFL prior to her viral inauguration recital, was titled “Chorus of Captains” and highlights the bravery and leadership of the pandemic’s heroes, imploring some 100 million football fans to celebrate their efforts by acting with the same courage and compassion.
You can read the full poem here:
Today we honor our three captains for their actions and impact in a time of uncertainty and need.
They have taken the lead, exceeding all expectations and limitations, uplifting their communities and nation as leaders, healers, and educators.
James has felt the wounds of warfare but this warrior still shares his home with at-risk kids. During COVID he’s even lent a hand, live-streaming football for family and fans.
Trimaine is an educator who works non-stop providing his community with hot spots, laptops, and tech workshops, so his students have all the tools they need to succeed in life and in school.
Susie is the ICU nurse manager at a Tampa hospital. Her chronicles prove that even in tragedy, hope is possible. She lost her grandmothers to the pandemic, and fights to save other lives in the ICU battle zone defining the front line heroes risking their lives for our own.
Let us walk with these warriors, charge on with these champions, and carry forth the call of our captains. We celebrate them by acting with courage and compassion, by doing what is right and just.
For while we honor them today, it is they who every day honor us.