Amanda Gorman, the country’s first National Youth Poet Laureate who stole the show at President Joe Biden's inauguration, delivered an original poem before the Super Bowl highlighting three people chosen as honorary captains for the game.
Educator Trimaine Davis, nurse manager Suzie Dorner and Marine veteran James Martin were picked for embodying the NFL's message of “It Takes All of Us” this season.
Here is the full transcript of Gorman's poem:
"Today, we honor our three captains
For their actions and impact in
A time of uncertainty and need.
They've taken the lead,
Exceeding all expectations and limitations,
Uplifiting their communities and neighbors
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
Livestreaming football for family and fans.
Trimaine is an educator who works nonstop,
Providing his community with hotspots, Laptops and tech workshops,
So his students have all the tools
They need to succeed in life and in school.
Suzie 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 frontline 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."
Davis made sure to get his students and their families in Los Angeles devices and internet access, and he also hosted tech workshops to help people learn how to use the devices.
Dorner, who lost two grandparents to COVID-19, is the COVID ICU nurse manager at Tampa General Hospital and represents healthcare workers across the country as honorary captain.
Martin helped veterans, high school athletes and local youth connect virtually through the Wounded Warrior Project and by livestreaming events in Pittsburgh. He volunteered to livestream every home football game for Aliquippa High School so families could watch. He also has taken in needy children in his neighborhood.
Gorman became a household name after she recited “The Hill We Climb” at the Biden inauguration Jan. 20.
