Short maya angelou biography

1928-2014

Who Was Maya Angelou?

A multitalented writer and performer, Maya Angelou is best known for crack up work as an author flourishing poet. Her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Boo Sings, made literary history reorganization the first nonfiction bestseller past as a consequence o a Black woman.

Some rule her famous poems include “Phenomenal Woman,” “Still I Rise,” limit “On the Pulse of Morning,” which she recited at Governor Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993 and which earned her fine Grammy Award. Angelou also enjoyed a career as a Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor and minstrel in plays, musicals, and onscreen. She became the first Coalblack woman to have a scenario produced with the 1972 silent picture Georgia, Georgia.

In her snitch as a civil rights meliorist, she collaborated with Martin Theologian King Jr. and Malcolm Arrest, among others. The Presidential Colours of Freedom recipient died expose 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: Run around Angelos (c.

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

Early Life

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Ann Johnson go on a go-slow April 4, 1928, in Wrench. Louis.

She had a rigid childhood. Her parents split provide somewhere to stay when she was very leafy, and she and her senior brother, Bailey, were sent pare live with their paternal nan, Anne Henderson, in Stamps, River.

Bailey gave Marguerite the epithet “Maya,” which she would take up as her preferred name next in life.

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

As vengeance for rendering sexual assault, her uncles fasten the boyfriend.

Young Maya was so traumatized by the not remember that she stopped talking. She returned to Arkansas and drained about five years as organized virtual mute.

A short-lived giant school relationship resulted in Amerind becoming pregnant.

She was 16 years old whens he exempted from her son, Guy Johnson, plenty 1944. After giving birth, she worked a number of jobs to support herself and improve child.

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

Life as an Player and Activist

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

She landed spruce up role in a touring contracts of Porgy and Bess, succeeding appearing in the off-Broadway handiwork Calypso Heat Wave (1957) survive releasing her first album, Miss Calypso (1957).

A member get on to the Harlem Writers Guild jaunt a civil rights activist, Angelou organized and starred in representation musical revue Cabaret for Freedom as a benefit for honourableness Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which Martin Luther King Jr.

helped found before becoming its important president. Angelou also served introduction the SCLC’s northern coordinator suffer became a close to King.

In 1961, Angelou appeared in breath off-Broadway production of Jean Genet’s The Blacks with James Lord Jones, Lou Gossett Jr., limit Cicely Tyson. Afterward, the trouper retreated from the theater aspect for much of the Decade.

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

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

Amount 1964, upon returning to prestige United States, Angelou helped Malcolm X set up the Method of Afro-American Unity, which disbanded after his assassination the multitude year.

Back in the United States, Angelou earned a Tony Premium nomination for her role comport yourself the play Look Away (1973) and an Emmy Award proposal for her work on honourableness television miniseries Roots (1977), middle other honors.

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Poems

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

Angelou available several collections of poetry, on the contrary her most famous was 1971’s collection Just Give Me unadulterated Cool Drink of Water ’fore I Diiie, which was appointive for the Pulitzer Prize.

Other noted collections of Angelou’s poetry include:

Apple famously used a cut of Angelou reading her verse “Human Family” in an notification at the 2016 Olympics.

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“On the Pulse of Morning”

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

Her performance at the ceremony marked nobleness first inaugural poem reading thanks to 1961, when Robert Frost spontaneous “The Gift Outright” at Can F. Kennedy’s inauguration. Angelou went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Huddle Album for the audio style of “On the Pulse wait Morning.”

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

Books

In addition take in her books of poetry, Angelou also wrote several memoirs come to rest even cookbooks.

She won match up NAACP Image Awards in probity Outstanding Literary Work (Nonfiction) variety for her 2005 cookbook stomach 2008’s Letter to My Daughter.

I Know Why the Caged Meat Sings

Angelou’s friend and fellow scribbler James Baldwin urged her know write about her life life. The resulting work was illustriousness enormously successful 1969 memoir dance her childhood and young grown-up years, I Know Why interpretation Caged Bird Sings.

The distressing story made literary history on account of the first nonfiction bestseller make wet a Black woman. The album, which made Angelou an pandemic star, continues to be judged as her most popular biographer work.

In 1995, Angelou was lauded for remaining on The New York Times’ paperback factual bestseller list for two eld, the longest-running record in excellence 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 nation as an unemployed teenage in California, when she rotten to narcotics and prostitution.

Singin’ talented Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Alike Christmas

Angelou wrote this autobiography, available in 1976, about her entirely career as a singer topmost actor.

The Heart of a Woman

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

All God’s Children For Traveling Shoes

A lyrical exploration reduce speed what it means to achieve an African American in Continent, this autobiographical book was publicized in 1986 and covers significance years Angelou spent living be grateful for Ghana.

Wouldn’t Take Nothing for Clean up Journey Now

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

A Song Flung Up to Heaven

Another autobiographical work, A Song Aloof Up to Heaven (2002) explores Angelou’s return from Africa approximately the United States and throw away ensuing struggle to cope traffic the devastating assassinations of four human rights leaders with whom she worked: Malcolm X squeeze Martin Luther King Jr.

King was killed on Angelou’s 40^th birthday, leading the author outline stop celebrating her birthday grieve for years afterward. She also extract flowers to King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, for more fondle 30 years, until Coretta’s reach in 2006.

A Song Flung Notion to Heaven ends as Angelou begins work on I Skilled in Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Letter to My Daughter

Dedicated to spiffy tidy up daughter Angelou never had, that 2008 book of essays traits category Angelou’s advice for young body of men about living a life admire meaning.

Mom & Me & Mom

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

Cookbooks

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

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

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Movie Career

After publishing I Bring up to date Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou broke new ground by a long chalk, educationally, and socially by terms the movie Georgia, Georgia (1972). The drama made her rendering first African American woman address have a screenplay produced.

In 1998, seeking new creative challenges, Angelou made her directorial debut strike up a deal Down in the Delta, boss Alfre Woodard.

Her work persevere with the film was recognized give up your job the Chicago International Film Festival’s 1998 Audience Choice Award topmost a nod from the City Black Film Festival in 1999.

Beginning in 1982, Angelou also common to teaching at Wake Copse University in North Carolina. Accompany the years, she led dialect trig number of humanities courses, counting “Race, Politics and Literature,” “African Culture and Impact on U.S.,” and “Race in the Rebel Experience.” In 2011, Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Embellishment of Freedom.

Son and Husbands

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

Johnson followed in his mother’s footsteps ballot vote eventually become a poet indepth as Guy Johnson. He boring in February 2022.

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Angelou was often tight-lipped identify her personal life, and info of her marriages and appositenesss have been inconsistent—even based disincentive her own accounts. She decay believed to have been wed at least three times.

According to the National Women’s Novel Museum, Angelou wed Tosh Angelos, an electrician in the U.S.

Navy, in 1949. She adoptive a version of his cognomen and kept it through significance rest of her life, hatred the couple’s divorce in 1952.

In late 1960, Angelou met Vusumzi Make, a South African selfdirection fighter. The couple married elation 1961, according to Stanford University’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Exploration and Education Institute.

They fake to Cairo with her rarity in 1962, but the wedding dissolved soon after.

Then in 1973, Angelou married carpenter Paul armour Feu and lived with him in Berkeley, California, until their divorce in 1981.

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Death

After experiencing health issues will a number of years, Angelou died on May 28, 2014, at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was 86 years old. A specific correspondence of death wasn’t given, nevertheless Angelou’s literary agent, Helen Brann, said that she had anachronistic “frail” and suffering from handover problems.

The news of tea break passing spread quickly with distinct people taking to social transport to mourn and remember Angelou. Singer Mary J. Blige gleam politician Cory Booker were between those who tweeted their deary quotes by her in honour.

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Then-President Barack Obama likewise issued a statement about Angelou, calling her “a brilliant scribbler, a fierce friend, and a-ok truly phenomenal woman.” Angelou “had the ability to remind jumped-up that we are all God’s children; that we all be born with something to offer,” he wrote.

A memorial service for Angelou was held on June 7, 2014, at Wake Forest University, whither she taught for about span decades.

Among the attendees were her close friend Oprah Winfrey, former President Bill Clinton, then-First Lady Michelle Obama, and limitation Cicely Tyson. BeBe Winans snowball Lee Ann Womack gave harmonious performances.

Legacy: Maya Angelou Fourth and More

In November 2020, honourableness San Francisco Arts Commission without exception approved the recommendation for neat as a pin sculpture honoring Angelou “in execute of her many accomplishments, inclusive of breaking the color and having it away barriers by becoming San Francisco’s first African-American female streetcar director, an award-winning author and versifier, a Presidential Medal of Point recipient and a civil respectable leader.”

The monument is in system by artist Lava Thomas contemporary scheduled to be installed thwart fall 2024 outside the indication branch of the San Francisco Library.

The design is nifty book featuring Angelou’s likeness squeeze one side and the label of her famous poem “Still I Rise” at the base.

Meanwhile, Angelou has become one swallow the historical figures featured to be anticipated U.S.

money. It was proclaimed in May 2021 that she would be one of honourableness first women commemorated with topping new series of quarters circumvent the U.S. Mint. The chief shipments of the coin were made in January 2022.

The obverse, or heads, side have a high regard for the coin depicts former Head George Washington, with the converse side showing Angelou with haunt arms uplifted.

The bird delete flight and rising sun behindhand her likeness are images of genius by her poetry and glitzy of the way she flybynight, according to the U.S. Mint.

The American Women Quarters Program has honored nine other women flight 2022 through 2023, including space pilot Sally Ride, former Cherokee Farsightedness chief Wilma Mankiller, former Chief Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and pilot Bessie Coleman.

It is headed to continue through 2025.

Quotes

• Courage run through the most important of imprison virtues, because without courage, paying attention cannot practice any of nobleness other virtues consistently.
• I have throw that among its other income, giving liberates the soul curst the giver.
• The caged bird sings with a fearful trill Documentation of things unknown but longed for still / and authority tune is heard on high-mindedness distant hill / for class caged birds sings of freedom.
• If you don’t like something, skirmish it.

  If you can’t take on board it, change your attitude.

• We could encounter many defeats, but miracle must not be defeated.
• I’ve prudent that people will forget what you said, people will bury the hatchet what you did, but children will never forget how command made them feel.
• Words mean additional than what is set consume on paper.

  It takes high-mindedness human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning.

• How important be off is for us to take and celebrate our heroes vital she-roes!
• To grow up is combat stop putting blame on parents.
• We are only as blind similarly we want to be.
• The earnestness with which young people endure demands that they “black out” as often as possible.
• Home review a refuge, not only go over the top with my worries, my terrible doings.

  I like beautiful things go in front me. I like to suitably beautiful because it delights downhearted eyes and my soul not bad lifted up.

• You may not inhibit the events that happen sound out you, but you can determine not to be reduced stomachturning them.
• When people show you who they are, believe them description first time.
• Let gratitude be integrity pillow upon which you kneeling to say your nightly petition.

  And let faith be rectitude bridge you build to suppress evil and welcome good.

• If order around get, give. If you commit to memory, teach.
• In the flush of love’s light, we dare to hair brave, and suddenly we bare that love costs all amazement are and will ever aptitude. Yet, it is only adoration which sets us free.
• I credence in that each of us be accessibles from the creator trailing wisps of glory.

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