Maya Angelou was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She was born Marguerite Annie Johnson on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri 1. Her parents divorced when she was three years old, and she and her brother Bailey were sent to live with their grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. Angelou’s childhood experiences in the segregated South would later influence her writing and activism.
You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. Please remember that your difficulties do not define you. They simply strengthen your ability to overcome.
Maya Angelou
Angelou worked as a fry cook, sex worker, nightclub performer, and cast member of the opera “Porgy and Bess” before becoming a writer and poet. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, and several books of poetry throughout her career. Her first autobiography, “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” published in 1969, tells the story of her life up to age 17 and is considered a classic of American literature.
Angelou was also an actress, director, producer, and writer for stage productions, movies, and television shows. She was active in the Civil Rights Movement and worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Angelou’s poetry often dealt with themes of identity, family, racism, and travel.
You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes,
Maya Angelou
you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I’ll rise!
Angelou received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. In 1993, she recited her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration ceremony. Angelou passed away on May 28, 2014, at the age of 86 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Maya Angelou was a prolific writer who used her experiences growing up in the segregated South to inspire her writing and activism. Her work has been widely recognized for its contributions to American literature and culture. She will always be remembered as a trailblazer who broke down barriers for women and people of color.