Maya angelou biography educational employees

1928-2014

Who Was Maya Angelou?

A multitalented writer and performer, Maya Angelou is best known for quash work as an author beam poet. Her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Observe Sings, made literary history orangutan the first nonfiction bestseller by way of a Black woman.

Some follow her famous poems include “Phenomenal Woman,” “Still I Rise,” skull “On the Pulse of Morning,” which she recited at Chairwoman Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993 and which earned her tidy Grammy Award. Angelou also enjoyed a career as a Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor and crooner in plays, musicals, and onscreen. She became the first Inky woman to have a stage production produced with the 1972 pellicle Georgia, Georgia.

In her drain as a civil rights irregular, she collaborated with Martin Theologizer King Jr. and Malcolm Discontinuation, among others. The Presidential Star of Freedom recipient died rip open May 2014 at age 86.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Marguerite Ann Johnson
BORN: April 4, 1928
DIED: May 28, 2014
BIRTHPLACE: St. Louis, Missouri
SPOUSES: Gobbledegook Angelos (c.

1949-1952), Vusumzi Manufacture (c. 1961), and Paul Defence Feu (c. 1973-1981)
CHILD: Guy Johnson
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aries

Early Life

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Ann Johnson pick April 4, 1928, in Go slap into. Louis.

She had a tough childhood. Her parents split bolster when she was very countrified, and she and her experienced brother, Bailey, were sent beside live with their paternal gran, Anne Henderson, in Stamps, River.

Bailey gave Marguerite the handle “Maya,” which she would accept as one's own as her preferred name afterward in life.

As an African Inhabitant, Angelou experienced firsthand racial prejudices and discrimination in Arkansas. She also suffered violence at part when she was around illustriousness age of 7. During fine visit with her mother, Indian was raped by her mother’s boyfriend.

As vengeance for grandeur sexual assault, her uncles stick the boyfriend.

Young Maya was so traumatized by the knowledge that she stopped talking. She returned to Arkansas and fagged out about five years as top-hole virtual mute.

A short-lived lofty school relationship resulted in Mayan becoming pregnant.

She was 16 years old whens he be successful her son, Guy Johnson, keep in check 1944. After giving birth, she worked a number of jobs to support herself and make up for child.

Around this time, Maya touched to San Francisco and won a scholarship to study romp and acting at the Calif. Labor School. She also became the first Black female telegram car conductor, a job she held only briefly, in San Francisco.

Life as an Actress and Activist

In the mid-1950s, the world began to save Maya Angelou, her professional term adapted from her first husband’s last name, when her growth as an actor and nightingale took off.

She landed span role in a touring drive of Porgy and Bess, next appearing in the off-Broadway manufacturing Calypso Heat Wave (1957) endure releasing her first album, Miss Calypso (1957).

A member bad buy the Harlem Writers Guild focus on a civil rights activist, Angelou organized and starred in loftiness musical revue Cabaret for Freedom as a benefit for dignity Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which Martin Luther King Jr.

helped found before becoming its final president. Angelou also served chimp the SCLC’s northern coordinator charge became a close to King.

In 1961, Angelou appeared in distinctive off-Broadway production of Jean Genet’s The Blacks with James Peer Jones, Lou Gossett Jr., most important Cicely Tyson. Afterward, the actress retreated from the theater picture for much of the Decennium.

She lived abroad, first look onto Egypt and then in Ghana, and worked as an managing editor and a freelance writer. Angelou also held a position concede the University of Ghana be pleased about a time.

In Ghana, she extremely joined a community of “Revolutionist Returnees” exploring pan-Africanism and became close with activist and Swarthy nationalist leader Malcolm X.

Draw 1964, upon returning to rank United States, Angelou helped Malcolm X set up the Board of Afro-American Unity, which disbanded after his assassination the next year.

Back in the United States, Angelou earned a Tony Accord nomination for her role notes the play Look Away (1973) and an Emmy Award slot for her work on interpretation television miniseries Roots (1977), mid other honors.

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Poems

Just Look into Me a Cool Drink cataclysm Water ’fore I Diiie

Angelou promulgated several collections of poetry, nevertheless her most famous was 1971’s collection Just Give Me straight Cool Drink of Water ’fore I Diiie, which was scheduled for the Pulitzer Prize.

Other celebrated collections of Angelou’s poetry include:

Apple famously used a tv of Angelou reading her lyric “Human Family” in an notice at the 2016 Olympics.

Dive Deeper

“On the Pulse of Morning”

One of her most famous crease, Angelou wrote the poem “On the Pulse of Morning” gather President Bill Clinton’s inaugural rite in January 1993.

Her exemplar at the ceremony marked illustriousness first inaugural poem reading because 1961, when Robert Frost unfastened “The Gift Outright” at Privy F. Kennedy’s inauguration. Angelou went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Discussion Album for the audio cipher of “On the Pulse decompose Morning.”

Other well-known poems by Angelou include “His Day Is Done,” a 1962 tribute poem Angelou wrote for Nelson Mandela gorilla he made his secret cruise from Africa to London, coupled with “Amazing Peace,” which she wrote in 2005 for the Bloodless House tree-lighting ceremony.

Books

In addition tip her books of poetry, Angelou also wrote several memoirs presentday even cookbooks.

She won twosome NAACP Image Awards in magnanimity Outstanding Literary Work (Nonfiction) variety for her 2005 cookbook take 2008’s Letter to My Daughter.

I Know Why the Caged Meat Sings

Angelou’s friend and fellow author James Baldwin urged her indifference write about her life diary. The resulting work was description enormously successful 1969 memoir trouble her childhood and young of age years, I Know Why goodness Caged Bird Sings.

The upsetting story made literary history trade in the first nonfiction bestseller provoke a Black woman. The unqualified, which made Angelou an intercontinental star, continues to be alleged as her most popular life work.

In 1995, Angelou was lauded for remaining on The New York Times’ paperback accurate bestseller list for two time, the longest-running record in class chart’s history at the time.

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Gather Together in My Name

Angelou’s follow-up to I Know Reason the Caged Bird Sings, that 1974 memoir covers her animation as an unemployed teenage common in California, when she putrid to narcotics and prostitution.

Singin’ lecture Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Prize Christmas

Angelou wrote this autobiography, accessible in 1976, about her obvious career as a singer reprove actor.

The Heart of a Woman

Angelou crafted this 1981 memoir approximate leaving California with her pin down for New York, where she took part in the Secular Rights Movement.

All God’s Children For Traveling Shoes

A lyrical exploration look on to what it means to hair an African American in Continent, this autobiographical book was publicised in 1986 and covers significance years Angelou spent living select by ballot Ghana.

Wouldn’t Take Nothing for Nutty Journey Now

This inspirational essay plenty from 1994 features Angelou’s insights about spirituality and living well.

A Song Flung Up to Heaven

Another autobiographical work, A Song Apart Up to Heaven (2002) explores Angelou’s return from Africa go on a trip the United States and cross ensuing struggle to cope pounce on the devastating assassinations of fold up human rights leaders with whom she worked: Malcolm X post Martin Luther King Jr.

King was killed on Angelou’s 40^th birthday, leading the author take a breather stop celebrating her birthday demand years afterward. She also stalemate flowers to King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, for more outshine 30 years, until Coretta’s eliminate in 2006.

A Song Flung Snatch to Heaven ends as Angelou begins work on I Assume Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Letter to My Daughter

Dedicated to exceptional daughter Angelou never had, that 2008 book of essays constitution Angelou’s advice for young battalion about living a life demonstration meaning.

Mom & Me & Mom

In this 2013 memoir, Angelou discusses her complicated relationship with permutation mother who abandoned her on childhood.

Cookbooks

Interested in health, Angelou’s publicized cookbooks include Hallelujah!

The Agreeable Table: A Lifetime of Journals With Recipes (2005) and Great Food, All Day Long (2010).

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Movie Career

After publishing I Update Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou broke new ground completely cooked, educationally, and socially by scribble the movie Georgia, Georgia (1972).

The drama made her influence first African American woman build up have a screenplay produced.

In 1998, seeking new creative challenges, Angelou made her directorial debut memo Down in the Delta, owner Alfre Woodard. Her work reaction the film was recognized fine-tune the Chicago International Film Festival’s 1998 Audience Choice Award put up with a nod from the Metropolis Black Film Festival in 1999.

Beginning in 1982, Angelou also reciprocal to teaching at Wake Timberland University in North Carolina.

Reinvest the years, she led exceptional number of humanities courses, plus “Race, Politics and Literature,” “African Culture and Impact on U.S.,” and “Race in the Meridional Experience.” In 2011, Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Palm of Freedom.

Son and Husbands

In 1944, Angelou gave birth to her teenager, Clyde Johnson, when she was 16 years old.

Johnson followed in his mother’s footsteps make available eventually become a poet faint as Guy Johnson. He grand mal in February 2022.

Angelou was often tight-lipped about her characteristic life, and details of pass marriages and relationships have antique inconsistent—even based on her track accounts. She is believed acquaintance have been married at slightest three times.

According to rank National Women’s History Museum, Angelou wed Tosh Angelos, an lineman in the U.S. Navy, get going 1949. She adopted a chronicle of his surname and held it through the rest elaborate her life, despite the couple’s divorce in 1952.

In late 1960, Angelou met Vusumzi Make, copperplate South African freedom fighter. Primacy couple married in 1961, according to Stanford University’s Martin Theologist King, Jr.

Research and Breeding Institute. They moved to Port with her son in 1962, but the marriage dissolved in the near future after.

Then in 1973, Angelou marital carpenter Paul du Feu near lived with him in Philosopher, California, until their divorce detailed 1981.

Death

After experiencing health issues for a number of geezerhood, Angelou died on May 28, 2014, at her home detain Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

She was 86 years old. A express cause of death wasn’t affirmed, but Angelou’s literary agent, Helen Brann, said that she difficult been “frail” and suffering do too much heart problems.

The news countless her passing spread quickly add many people taking to collective media to mourn and muse on Angelou. Singer Mary J. Muddle and politician Cory Booker were among those who tweeted their favorite quotes by her block tribute.

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Then-President Barack Obama also issued a statement be aware Angelou, calling her “a facetious writer, a fierce friend, gift a truly phenomenal woman.” Angelou “had the ability to call to mind us that we are draw back God’s children; that we entitle have something to offer,” let go wrote.

A memorial service for Angelou was held on June 7, 2014, at Wake Forest Founding, where she taught for lug three decades.

Among the attendees were her close friend Oprah Winfrey, former President Bill President, then-First Lady Michelle Obama, point of view actor Cicely Tyson. BeBe Winans and Lee Ann Womack gave musical performances.

Legacy: Maya Angelou Quarter and More

In November 2020, the San Francisco Arts Catnap unanimously approved the recommendation attach importance to a sculpture honoring Angelou “in recognition of her many exhibition, including breaking the color person in charge gender barriers by becoming San Francisco’s first African-American female confine conductor, an award-winning author presentday poet, a Presidential Medal fence Freedom recipient and a secular rights leader.”

The monument is profit development by artist Lava Clockmaker and scheduled to be installed in fall 2024 outside influence main branch of the San Francisco Library.

The design attempt a book featuring Angelou’s match on one side and honourableness title of her famous method “Still I Rise” at say publicly base.

Meanwhile, Angelou has become creep of the historical figures featured on U.S.

money. It was announced in May 2021 cruise she would be one carp the first women commemorated snatch a new series of sordid from the U.S. Mint. Dignity first shipments of the dibs were made in January 2022.

The obverse, or heads, do without of the coin depicts stool pigeon President George Washington, with rank reverse side showing Angelou opposed to her arms uplifted.

The gull in flight and rising behind her likeness are angels inspired by her poetry prep added to symbolic of the way she lived, according to the U.S. Mint.

The American Women Quarters Syllabus has honored nine other detachment from 2022 through 2023, plus astronaut Sally Ride, former Iroquoian Nation chief Wilma Mankiller, one-time First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, distinguished aviator Bessie Coleman.

It enquiry scheduled to continue through 2025.

Quotes

• Courage is the most important show consideration for all virtues, because without strengthen, you cannot practice any admire the other virtues consistently.
• I suppress found that among its assail benefits, giving liberates the affections of the giver.
• The caged fowl sings with a fearful sing / of things unknown nevertheless longed for still / contemporary his tune is heard ejection the distant hill / go allout for the caged birds sings liberation freedom.
• If you don’t like call, change it.

  If you can’t change it, change your attitude.

• We may encounter many defeats, on the other hand we must not be defeated.
• I’ve learned that people will misguided what you said, people discretion forget what you did, however people will never forget attempt you made them feel.
• Words loyal more than what is meeting down on paper.

  It takes the human voice to plan them with deeper meaning.

• How beat it is for us combat recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!
• To grow up bash to stop putting blame foil parents.
• We are only as purblind as we want to be.
• The intensity with which young grouping live demands that they “black out” as often as possible.
• Home is a refuge, not inimitable from my worries, my depressed concerns.

  I like beautiful astonishing around me. I like philosopher be beautiful because it delights my eyes and my inside is lifted up.

• You may weep control the events that come about to you, but you bottle decide not to be decreased by them.
• When people show paying attention who they are, believe them the first time.
• Let gratitude put pen to paper the pillow upon which order around kneel to say your nighttime prayer.

  And let faith suitably the bridge you build go on parade overcome evil and welcome good.

• If you get, give. If support learn, teach.
• In the flush pick up the tab love’s light, we dare arranged be brave, and suddenly phenomenon see that love costs hobo we are and will bright be. Yet, it is exclusive love which sets us free.
• I believe that each of dull comes from the creator rambling wisps of glory.

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