MAYA ANGELOU

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Ann Johnson on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. Because of her parents’ messy marriage and divorce, Angelou went to live with her paternal grandmother in Arkansas at a young age. When she returned to her mother’s care for a short time at the age of seven, she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend. The man was later jailed and then killed when released from jail. She then became mute for six years believing that her confession was part of the reason for the man’s death. This early experience established the beginning of Angelou’s experience with an imprint of unthinkable sexual and emotional trauma. Despite this and many other traumas in Angelou’s life, she just got stronger and became a beacon of strength and creativity for women everywhere. 

 

Angelou overcame her trauma and has accomplished an enormous amount of achievements throughout her career. In 1969, Angelou published one of her most well known works, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiography of her early life. Because it was such a tale of strength in the face of childhood trauma and racism, the book resonated with many readers. Angelou’s frank depiction of her sexual abuse caused many schools to try to ban the book, but the work is credited with helping other abuse survivors speak up. She went on to write poetry volumes, essays and spoken albums of poetry. Angelou also created songs and carried out a wide variety of activities on stage and screen as a writer, actor, director, and producer. Angelou died on May 28, 2014, but will always be remembered as an icon of strength and change.