Maya Angelou

Being multi-talented is a skill only a few people can say they have. Maya Angelou has that skill and used it for her people. Being a dancer, singer, scholar and activist are a few of the things she accomplished, but she is well-known for her creative and unique writing style. 

In 1928, Marguerite Ann Johnson was born in St. Louis, MO. Due to her parents’ troubling marriage, she lived with her grandmother and older brother, Bailey. After the inevitable divorce, Bailey gave his sister the name “Maya.” From there, Maya went on to live her life fascinated with the art of the written word and the English language. After graduating high school, she went straight to work to support her and her son, whom she had with her now ex-husband, Tosh Angelos. 

In 1952, while being a singer and dancer, she divorced Angelos, and created the renowned Maya Angelou. Angelou joined the Harlem Writers Guild and became an activist in the Civil Rights Movement some years later. In 1969, she wrote her first, and best, book ever “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” which has been translated into many different languages and has sold millions of copies worldwide. She used her books and platform to talk about many struggles in her life and how we as a nation need to overcome them. 

Whether it be discrimination, sexual abuse or many other impactful topics, Angelou used her words to be a voice for others. After doing some acting, writing books and poems and delivering President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993, Angelou sadly passed away in 2014. Her life was well-lived and inspiring to all; having a Presidential Medal of Freedom on top of 10 other awards made her life complete. May she rest in peace.