Maya Angelou

Born on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis Missouri, Marguerite Johnson (Maya Angelou) had a difficult childhood. At a very young age, her parents separated and she and her older brother were sent to live with her grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas. As a young African American woman, Maya experienced racial prejudice and discrimination in Arkansas. During World War ll, Maya won a scholarship to study dance and acting at the California Labor School and moved to San Francisco. While living in San Francisco, Maya became the first Black female cable car conductor- a job she had briefly.

Maya Angelou became one of the most influential authors of our time. Earning over 50 honorary doctorate degrees, Dr. Maya Angelou became an influential poet, educator, memoirist, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist

In the 1950s, Angelou joined the Harlem Writer’s Guide under the guidance of her friend, novelist James Baldwin. Here she began to work on her most famous work, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings. Later published in 1970, the book quickly rose in popularity as Angelou continued to rise in fame. In the 1960s, Maya spent several years abroad, living in Egypt and Ghana while working as a freelance writer. Maya also worked at the University of Ghana for a short time. Maya published many collections of poetry, but one of her most famous works was her 1971’s collection called Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Die. She also wrote the poem called, ‘On the Pulse of Morning’ for President Bill Clinton’s inaugural ceremony in January 1993. Throughout her career, Angelou wrote 36 books, with 30 of them making it to the bestseller list.