Poet Amanda Gorman during the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, US, on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024.
Amanda Gorman, a Los Angeles native and the United States' first National Youth Poet Laureate best known for her poem "The Hill We Climb," took to social media Saturday to express her condolences for her hometown as it battles a series of destructive wildfires.
The 26-year-old activist shared her latest poem, “Smoldering Dawn," in a video on Instagram, commending LA residents for their resilience and calling for strength as firefighters combat the blazes in the coming days.
"In this smoldering dawn we soldier on. We've proved ourselves strong. Not by how badly we've burned. By how bravely we bond," she wrote. "Apocalypse does not mean ruin but revelation. In devastation this infurnus has injured us but it cannot endure us. Even in surreal, we do not surrender."
Gorman said she released the poem as a fundraiser for the California Fire Foundation, which is offering financial support and aid to firefighters' families and those who have been impacted by the fires.
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"As a proud Angeleno, the fires that have devastated our county have been heart-breaking. I am so fortunate that while my own home in the Palisades was at risk and had some damage from the fires, I am safe," Gorman captioned the post. "So many others cannot say the same, and my heart goes out to all of those who have been affected and are rebuilding their lives from ash."
Those looking to for ways to help evacuees can donate to the California Fire Foundation here.
