Welcome to our 15th #womanoftheweek! Today, we will be discussing Maya Angelou, a Black Writer and Civil Rights Activist! Enjoy!
Major accomplishments
- Awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor.
- First black woman to write a screenplay for a major film
Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri in the month of April and the year of 1928. Her parents separated when she was just three. Consequently, she moved to Arkansas with her brother and into her grandmother’s home. In Arkansas, racial discrimination was still a huge part of the community, and Angelou was a constant victim of it. To fight the unfairness, she indulged herself in learning more about her African American descent, culture, and traditions. She used her knowledge in African American traditions in her career later, and she only has her grandmother to thank for it. When Angelou was seven years old, she went to visit her mom in Chicago. There, she was sexually harassed and looked to her brother, Bailey, for comfort. However, her uncle took the attacker’s life and as a result of feeling responsible for his death, Angelou silenced herself for five years.
In 1952, she married Anastasios Angelopulos, a Greek sailor. That year, she started her career as a nightclub singer and later, she backpacked around Europe with the production of Porgy and Bess. Her marriage to Angelopulos did not last, but her singing and acting career skyrocketed. Soon enough, she picked up dancing and danced with Alvin Ailey and studied the art of it with Martha Graham. In 1957, she released her first record album, Calypso Lady. Angelou kept writing lyrics and poems in New York, developing her writing skills. In New York, she joined a writing program named Harlem Writers Guild which focused on shining light on the Civil Rights Movement. She published multiple books including autobiographies and poems.
After moving to Egypt for more writing opportunities, Angelou came back to the US in 1964 to help in launching the Malcom X organization, a major milestone for the African American community. After her dear friend, Martin Luther King Jr., passed away on her birthday, she was left saddened, but she picked herself back up and wrote a New York Times Bestseller, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. She was recognized by multiple presidents and participated in numerous talk shows. Before being awarded the Presidential Medal of Honor in 2000, she published 30 more titles.
Have you read any of Maya Angelou's pieces? Which ones did you enjoy the most? Comment below!
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