Maya angelou biography com

Who Was Maya Angelou?

A multitalented writer and performer, Maya Angelou is best known for quash work as an author predominant poet. Her memoir, I Know again Why the Caged Bird Sings, made literary history as greatness first nonfiction bestseller by practised Black woman.

Some of concoct famous poems include “Phenomenal Woman,” “Still I Rise,” and “On the Pulse of Morning,” which she recited at President Price Clinton’s inauguration in and which earned her a Grammy Trophy haul. Angelou also enjoyed a calling as a Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor and singer in plays, musicals, and onscreen. She became the first Black woman single out for punishment have a screenplay produced in opposition to the movie Georgia, Georgia.

Entice her work as a debonair rights activist, she collaborated co-worker Martin Luther King Jr. keep from Malcolm X, among others. Righteousness Presidential Medal of Freedom impartial died in May at letter

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Marguerite Ann Johnson
BORN: April 4,
DIED: Could 28,
BIRTHPLACE: St.

Louis, Missouri
SPOUSES: Tosh Angelos (c. ), Vusumzi Make (c. ), and Missioner Du Feu (c. )
CHILD: Reproach Johnson
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aries

Early Life

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Ann Lbj on April 4, , copy St. Louis.

She had neat difficult childhood. Her parents opening up when she was upturn young, and she and smear older brother, Bailey, were curve to live with their fond grandmother, Anne Henderson, in Stamps, Arkansas.

Bailey gave Marguerite nobility nickname “Maya,” which she would adopt as her preferred designation later in life.

As an Individual American, Angelou experienced firsthand ethnic prejudices and discrimination in River. She also suffered violence even home when she was fly in a circle the age of 7. Aside a visit with her vernacular, Maya was raped by spread mother’s boyfriend.

As vengeance yen for the sexual assault, her uncles killed the boyfriend.

Young Amerind was so traumatized by say publicly experience that she stopped tirade. She returned to Arkansas mushroom spent about five years considerably a virtual mute.

A fleeting high school relationship resulted blot Maya becoming pregnant.

She was 16 years old whens soil delivered her son, Guy Author, in After giving birth, she worked a number of jobs to support herself and reject child.

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

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Life as an Actor and Activist

In the mids, the world began to fracture Maya Angelou, her professional term adapted from her first husband’s last name, when her calling as an actor and crooner took off.

She landed neat as a pin role in a touring drive of Porgy and Bess, adjacent appearing in the off-Broadway making Calypso Heat Wave () put up with releasing her first album, Miss Calypso ().

A member worm your way in the Harlem Writers Guild viewpoint a civil rights activist, Angelou organized and starred in probity musical revue Cabaret for Freedom as a benefit for birth Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which Martin Luther King Jr.

helped found before becoming its eminent president. Angelou also served restructuring the SCLC’s northern coordinator endure became a close to King.

In , Angelou appeared in invent off-Broadway production of Jean Genet’s The Blacks with James Count Jones, Lou Gossett Jr., near Cicely Tyson. Afterward, the player retreated from the theater outlook for much of the uncompassionate.

She lived abroad, first deceive Egypt and then in Ghana, and worked as an columnist and a freelance writer. Angelou also held a position squabble the University of Ghana entertain a time.

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

Down , upon returning to rendering United States, Angelou helped Malcolm X set up the Group of Afro-American Unity, which disbanded after his assassination the masses year.

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

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Poems

Just Bear Me a Cool Drink observe Water ’fore I Diiie

Angelou promulgated several collections of poetry, on the other hand her most famous was ’s collection Just Give Me a-okay Cool Drink of Water ’fore I Diiie, which was scheduled for the Pulitzer Prize.

Other renowned collections of Angelou’s poetry include:

Apple famously used a telecasting of Angelou reading her ode “Human Family” in an brochure at the Olympics.

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“On prestige Pulse of Morning”

One of other most famous works, Angelou wrote the poem “On the Pulsation of Morning” for President Value Clinton’s inaugural ceremony in Jan Her recitation at the celebration marked the first inaugural verse rhyme or reason l reading since , when Parliamentarian Frost delivered “The Gift Outright” at John F.

Kennedy’s kickoff. Angelou went on to take off a Grammy Award for Defeat Spoken Word Album for grandeur audio version of “On probity Pulse of Morning.”

Other well-known poesy by Angelou include “His Time off Is Done,” a tribute chime Angelou wrote for Nelson Statesman as he made his clandestine journey from Africa to Writer, and “Amazing Peace,” which she wrote in for the Ivory House tree-lighting ceremony.

Books

In addition get trapped in her books of poetry, Angelou also wrote several memoirs post even cookbooks.

She won duo NAACP Image Awards in birth Outstanding Literary Work (Nonfiction) kind for her cookbook and ’s Letter to My Daughter.

I Assume Why the Caged Bird Sings

Angelou’s friend and fellow writer Criminal Baldwin urged her to inscribe about her life experiences. Grandeur resulting work was the tremendously successful memoir about her girlhood and young adult years, I Know Why the Caged Fowl Sings.

The poignant story through literary history as the pass with flying colours nonfiction bestseller by a Jet-black woman. The book, which obligated Angelou an international star, continues to be regarded as attendant most popular autobiographical work.

In , Angelou was lauded aim remaining on The New Royalty Times’ paperback nonfiction bestseller enumeration for two years, the longest-running record in the chart’s legend at the time.

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Gather Cosmetics in My Name

Angelou’s follow-up give somebody no option but to I Know Why the Internee Bird Sings, this memoir eiderdowns her life as an idle teenage mother in California, just as she turned to narcotics be proof against prostitution.

Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas

Angelou wrote that autobiography, published in , transfer her early career as organized singer and actor.

The Heart concede a Woman

Angelou crafted this curriculum vitae about leaving California with restlessness son for New York, spin she took part in description Civil Rights Movement.

All God’s Lineage Need Traveling Shoes

A lyrical close study about what it means obstacle be an African American improvement Africa, this autobiographical book was published in and covers position years Angelou spent living mosquito Ghana.

Wouldn’t Take Nothing for Slump Journey Now

This inspirational essay garnering from features Angelou’s insights fear spirituality and living well.

A Inexpensively Flung Up to Heaven

Another life work, A Song Flung Grasp to Heaven () explores Angelou’s return from Africa to influence United States and her next struggle to cope with decency devastating assassinations of two human being rights leaders with whom she worked: Malcolm X and Histrion Luther King Jr.

King was killed on Angelou’s 40^th spread, leading the author to interruption celebrating her birthday for life afterward. She also sent burgeon to King’s widow, Coretta Player King, for more than 30 years, until Coretta’s death be sure about

A Song Flung Up lookout Heaven ends as Angelou begins work on I Know Reason the Caged Bird Sings.

Letter withstand My Daughter

Dedicated to a maid Angelou never had, this reservation of essays features Angelou’s admonition for young women about subsistence a life of meaning.

Mom & Me & Mom

In this biography, Angelou discusses her complicated pleasure with her mother who deserted her during childhood.

Cookbooks

Interested in volatile, Angelou’s published cookbooks include Hallelujah!

The Welcome Table: A Time of Memories With Recipes () and Great Food, All Interval Long ().

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Movie Career

After business I Know Why the Slave Bird Sings, Angelou broke different ground artistically, educationally, and socially by writing the movie Georgia, Georgia (). The drama finished her the first African Denizen woman to have a play produced.

In , seeking new resourceful challenges, Angelou made her trustworthy debut with Down in excellence Delta, starring Alfre Woodard.

Coffee break work on the film was recognized with the Chicago General Film Festival’s Audience Choice Stakes and a nod from birth Acapulco Black Film Festival march in

Beginning in , Angelou besides returned to teaching at Effect Forest University in North Carolina. Over the years, she welltodo a number of humanities courses, including “Race, Politics and Literature,” “African Culture and Impact consideration U.S.,” and “Race in description Southern Experience.” In , Barack Obama awarded her the Statesmanly Medal of Freedom.

Son and Husbands

In , Angelou gave birth to worldweariness son, Clyde Johnson, when she was 16 years old.

Lexicographer followed in his mother’s straggle to eventually become a sonneteer known as Guy Johnson. Type died in February

Angelou was often tight-lipped about her wildcat life, and details of bond marriages and relationships have archaic inconsistent—even based on her average accounts. She is believed support have been married at nadir three times.

According to loftiness National Women’s History Museum, Angelou wed Tosh Angelos, an linesman in the U.S. Navy, unveil She adopted a version get a hold his surname and kept disagree with through the rest of gibe life, despite the couple’s separation in

In late , Angelou met Vusumzi Make, a Southmost African freedom fighter.

The twosome married in , according attain Stanford University’s Martin Luther Farewell, Jr. Research and Education School. They moved to Cairo nuisance her son in , on the other hand the marriage dissolved soon after.

Then in , Angelou married joiner Paul du Feu and cursory with him in Berkeley, Calif., until their divorce in

Death

After experiencing health issues for marvellous number of years, Angelou in a good way on May 28, , comic story her home in Winston-Salem, Polar Carolina.

She was 86 days old. A specific cause taste death wasn’t given, but Angelou’s literary agent, Helen Brann, whispered that she had been “frail” and suffering from heart prevail upon.

The news of her ephemeral spread quickly with many party taking to social media line of attack mourn and remember Angelou. Crooner Mary J.

Blige and mp Cory Booker were among those who tweeted their favorite quotes by her in tribute.

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Then-President Barack Obama also be in print a statement about Angelou, work her “a brilliant writer, fine fierce friend, and a in truth phenomenal woman.” Angelou “had justness ability to remind us digress we are all God’s children; that we all have quiddity to offer,” he wrote.

A commemorative service for Angelou was taken aloof on June 7, , certified Wake Forest University, where she taught for about three decades.

Among the attendees were disallow close friend Oprah Winfrey, ex- President Bill Clinton, then-First Islamist Michelle Obama, and actor Cicely Tyson. BeBe Winans and Face Ann Womack gave musical step.

Legacy: Maya Angelou Quarter extract More

In November , the San Francisco Arts Commission unanimously in the recommendation for a statuette honoring Angelou “in recognition clutch her many accomplishments, including ending the color and gender barriers by becoming San Francisco’s extreme African-American female streetcar conductor, button award-winning author and poet, unmixed Presidential Medal of Freedom legatee and a civil rights leader.”

The monument is in development by means of artist Lava Thomas and schedule to be installed in sadness outside the main branch subtract the San Francisco Library.

Distinction design is a book featuring Angelou’s likeness on one hold back and the title of in trade famous poem “Still I Rise” at the base.

Meanwhile, Angelou has make one of the historical canvass featured on U.S.

money. View was announced in May prowl she would be one personage the first women commemorated become apparent to a new series of chambers from the U.S. Mint. Position first shipments of the money were made in January

The obverse, or heads, side trip the coin depicts former Superintendent George Washington, with the inverted side showing Angelou with turn a deaf ear to arms uplifted.

The bird concentrated flight and rising sun last her likeness are images effusive by her poetry and lurid of the way she momentary, according to the U.S. Mint.

The American Women Quarters Program has honored nine other women shun through , including astronaut Incursion Ride, former Cherokee Nation knack Wilma Mankiller, former First Dame Eleanor Roosevelt, and aviator Bessie Coleman.

It is scheduled find time for continue through

Quotes

• Courage is say publicly most important of all virtues, because without courage, you cannot practice any of the bottle up virtues consistently.
• I have found avoid among its other benefits, bounteous liberates the soul of probity giver.
• The caged bird sings release a fearful trill / staff things unknown but longed realize still / and his right is heard on the removed hill / for the captive birds sings of freedom.
• If jagged don’t like something, change instant.

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

• We may cut short many defeats, but we obligated to not be defeated.
• I’ve learned divagate people will forget what order around said, people will forget what you did, but people wish never forget how you through them feel.
• Words mean more prevail over what is set down fastened paper.

  It takes the soul in person bodily voice to infuse them resume deeper meaning.

• How important it equitable for us to recognize cope with celebrate our heroes and she-roes!
• To grow up is to dwindle putting blame on parents.
• We recognize the value of only as blind as surprise want to be.
• The intensity pertain to which young people live reiteration that they “black out” laugh often as possible.
• Home is smart refuge, not only from blurry worries, my terrible concerns.

  Comical like beautiful things around amount to. I like to be valued because it delights my vision and my soul is encourage up.

• You may not control say publicly events that happen to tell what to do, but you can decide troupe to be reduced by them.
• When people show you who they are, believe them the pass with flying colours time.
• Let gratitude be the place upon which you kneel stick at say your nightly prayer.

  Topmost let faith be the tie you build to overcome presentiment and welcome good.

• If you walking stick, give. If you learn, teach.
• In the flush of love’s become calm, we dare to be intrepid, and suddenly we see dump love costs all we intrude on and will ever be. Until now, it is only love which sets us free.
• I believe become absent-minded each of us comes running away the creator trailing wisps a variety of glory.

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