Renowned Poet and Civil Rights Activist, Maya Angelou, Was Born
Acclaimed poet, author and civil rights activist, Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. The legendary writer was famously known for her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, as well as her poetry and essay collections.
Angelou experienced a difficult childhood and witnessed firsthand racial prejudices and discrimination while growing up in Arkansas. After a traumatizing encounter at the hands of her mother’s boyfriend, Angelou stopped talking and returned to Arkansas where she spent five years as a mute. She got her voice back after connecting with Mrs. Flowers, an African American woman who explained the importance of education and helped nurture her love of poetry.
After graduating from high school, Angelou earned a scholarship to take lessons in dance and drama at the California Labor School. During this time she also became the first black female cable car conductor in San Francisco. She held this position for a brief period of time before pursuing a career in the arts. By the mid-1950s, her career as a performer began to take off and she secured roles in touring productions such as Porgy and Bess. Angelou was nominated for a Tony award twice; once for her Broadway debut in Look Away (1973), and also for her performance in Roots (1977).
She joined the Harlem Writers Guild in the late 1950s and connected with James Baldwin and other important writers. Angelou also had the opportunity to hear Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speak for the first time and was inspired by his message. It was then that she decided to become a part of the civil rights movement. Dr. King offered her a position as the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
Angelou moved to Egypt and then Ghana in the 1960s where she worked as a freelance writer and an editor. She eventually returned to the United States and was encouraged by James Baldwin to write an autobiography. During this time she also became close to fellow activist, Malcolm X, and helped him set up the Organization of Afro-American Unity. Finally, in 1969 she published her autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, and it went on to become the first nonfiction bestseller by an African American woman.
Outside of the arts and activism, Angelou became involved with politics and was given roles in both the Ford and Carter administration. She also recited one of her poems at President Bill Clinton’s 1993 inaugural ceremony and was the first person to perform an inaugural poem recitation since 1961. In 2000, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts by Clinton and in 2010, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
Angelou ended her career as an educator at Wake Forest University and was awarded more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou died on May 28, 2014, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
