Maya Angelou Biography

Legendary Poet, Maya Angelou Is Trending For All The Right Reasons On Her 90th Post-Humous Birthday


If writer, Maya Angelou were alive today, she would have been a very fulfilled 90-year-old. Despite the inequities of her life as a child, Maya Angelou was able to provide a positive message of humanity and hope. Maya Angelou said that “The honorary duty of a human being is to love.”

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Here are some interesting facts about her:

Early life

Marguerite Annie Johnson was born in Missouri, on April 4, 1928, the second child of Bailey Johnson, a doorman and navy dietitian, and Vivian (Baxter) Johnson, a nurse and card dealer.

Career

An American poet, singer, memoirist, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and was credited with a list of plays, movies, and television shows spanning over 50 years.

She received dozens of awards and more than 50 honorary degrees. Angelou is best known for her series of seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), tells of her life up to the age of 17 and brought her international recognition and acclaim.

In the late 1960s, she published an influential autobiography, which spoke of her experiences growing up: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969). It is considered an important work for giving a personal voice to African American women. She went on to write seven autobiographical works.

She has also been active in film and television. Dr. Angelou wrote the Pulitzer-winning screenplay and composed the score for the 1972 film Georgia, Georgia.

Some of her most popular quotes

-“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

-“What you’re supposed to do when you don’t like a thing is change it. If you can’t change it, change the way you think about it. Don’t complain.”

-“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

-“When someone shows you who they are, believe them; the first time.”

-“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”

-“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass.”

Civil Rights Movement

In the 1960s, she was active in the civil rights movement, coming into contact with both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King. She was the northern leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). With Malcolm X, she helped to form the new Organization of African American Unity. She was devastated after both King and Malcolm X were assassinated in the late 1960s.

Personal life

Maya Angelou married a South African freedom fighter and for a time lived in Cairo where she was the editor of the Arab Observer. However, in the 1960s she returned to America and played a role in the civil rights movement.

Death

Dr. Maya Angelou passed quietly in her home on May 28, 2014.

Some twitter users have reacted to her 90th birthday and we have some below






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