By Tyrah American Horse, GRHS Journalism Student From writing poems in her bedroom, to performing those poems in front of thousands of people in Washington D.C this April, Aliyah American Horse, a Gordon-Rushville High School graduate, has become an advocate for Native American communities through her words in poetry.
Her passion for writing started at a young age when she would write “songs” for fun.
Her poetry took off in high school when she submitted her poem “Shed No Tears Unci” to the Nebraska Poetry Activated Competition in 2022. This competition was meant for Nebraska students to submit original poems that advocated for a cause that they believed in.
Aliyah advocated for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) movement through her poem.
Aliyah’s work was selected as the first place winner. “Shed No Tears Unci” was one of the five poems she submitted to Nebraska’s Youth Poet Laureate Competition in 2023.
Laureate Competition was a program started in 2021 through the Nebraska’s Writers Collective.
The program is meant for a Nebraska youth poet to be selected to perform their original poems across Nebraska and engage in a civic project that advocates for a cause that they believe in.
On May 20, 2023, Aliyah American Horse and 4 other students participated in the Finals ceremony which was held to select the 2023-2024 Nebraska Youth Poet Laureate. Aliyah American Horse was titled Nebraska’s Youth Poet Laureate that night.
Since then, American Horse has traveled all around Nebraska performing her poems. Through her poems she has spread awareness on important issues including MMIW. She has also coordinated an art & poetry contest for younger artists.
Last month, she was titled the Youth Poet Laureate of the Midwest. This April she will travel to Washington D.C to compete as a finalist to become the National Youth Poet Laureate.