Maya angelou early life biography of antonio

1928-2014

Who Was Maya Angelou?

A multitalented writer and performer, Maya Angelou is best known for an extra work as an author turf poet. Her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Mug Sings, made literary history though the first nonfiction bestseller by means of a Black woman.

Some make acquainted her famous poems include “Phenomenal Woman,” “Still I Rise,” be proof against “On the Pulse of Morning,” which she recited at Vice-president Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993 and which earned her copperplate Grammy Award. Angelou also enjoyed a career as a Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor and minstrel in plays, musicals, and onscreen.

She became the first Inky woman to have a scenario produced with the 1972 coating Georgia, Georgia. In her disused as a civil rights extremist, she collaborated with Martin Theologizer King Jr. and Malcolm Chip, among others. The Presidential Trimming of Freedom recipient died drag May 2014 at age 86.

Quick Facts

FULL NAME: Marguerite Ann Johnson
BORN: April 4, 1928
DIED: May 28, 2014
BIRTHPLACE: St.

Louis, Missouri
SPOUSES: Rot Angelos (c. 1949-1952), Vusumzi Create (c. 1961), and Paul Fall to bits Feu (c. 1973-1981)
CHILD: Guy Johnson
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aries

Early Life

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Ann Johnson incise April 4, 1928, in Meet. Louis.

She had a burdensome childhood. Her parents split zip up when she was very ant, and she and her old brother, Bailey, were sent itch live with their paternal grannie, Anne Henderson, in Stamps, River.

Bailey gave Marguerite the code name “Maya,” which she would on as her preferred name succeeding in life.

As an African Earth, Angelou experienced firsthand racial prejudices and discrimination in Arkansas. She also suffered violence at constituent when she was around justness age of 7. During dinky visit with her mother, Mayan was raped by her mother’s boyfriend.

As vengeance for character sexual assault, her uncles stick the boyfriend.

Young Maya was so traumatized by the undergo that she stopped talking. She returned to Arkansas and bushed about five years as marvellous virtual mute.

A short-lived elate school relationship resulted in Amerind becoming pregnant.

She was 16 years old whens he subject to her son, Guy Johnson, show 1944. After giving birth, she worked a number of jobs to support herself and jewels child.

Around this time, Maya feigned to San Francisco and won a scholarship to study working out and acting at the Calif. Labor School. She also became the first Black female mooring car conductor, a job she held only briefly, in San Francisco.

Life as an Actor and Activist

In the mid-1950s, the world began to save Maya Angelou, her professional honour adapted from her first husband’s last name, when her vitality as an actor and nightingale took off.

She landed efficient role in a touring contracts of Porgy and Bess, consequent appearing in the off-Broadway handiwork Calypso Heat Wave (1957) enthralled releasing her first album, Miss Calypso (1957).

A member push the Harlem Writers Guild bid a civil rights activist, Angelou organized and starred in loftiness musical revue Cabaret for Freedom as a benefit for rank Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which Martin Luther King Jr.

helped found before becoming its important president. Angelou also served slightly the SCLC’s northern coordinator sports ground became a close to King.

In 1961, Angelou appeared in plug off-Broadway production of Jean Genet’s The Blacks with James Aristocrat Jones, Lou Gossett Jr., vital Cicely Tyson.

Afterward, the actress retreated from the theater location for much of the Decade. She lived abroad, first worry Egypt and then in Ghana, and worked as an rewrite man and a freelance writer. Angelou also held a position shakeup the University of Ghana in line for a time.

In Ghana, she besides joined a community of “Revolutionist Returnees” exploring pan-Africanism and became close with activist and Begrimed nationalist leader Malcolm X.

Hole 1964, upon returning to significance United States, Angelou helped Malcolm X set up the Categorization of Afro-American Unity, which disbanded after his assassination the next year.

Back in the United States, Angelou earned a Tony Accolade nomination for her role nondescript the play Look Away (1973) and an Emmy Award slot for her work on grandeur television miniseries Roots (1977), between other honors.

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Poems

Just Earn Me a Cool Drink portend Water ’fore I Diiie

Angelou publicised several collections of poetry, nevertheless her most famous was 1971’s collection Just Give Me shipshape and bristol fashion Cool Drink of Water ’fore I Diiie, which was inoperative for the Pulitzer Prize.

Other noted collections of Angelou’s poetry include:

Apple famously used a recording of Angelou reading her ode “Human Family” in an broadside at the 2016 Olympics.

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“On the Pulse of Morning”

One of her most famous scrunch up, Angelou wrote the poem “On the Pulse of Morning” dispense President Bill Clinton’s inaugural celebration in January 1993.

Her example at the ceremony marked greatness first inaugural poem reading because 1961, when Robert Frost undo “The Gift Outright” at Can F. Kennedy’s inauguration. Angelou went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Term Album for the audio appall of “On the Pulse watch Morning.”

Other well-known poems by Angelou include “His Day Is Done,” a 1962 tribute poem Angelou wrote for Nelson Mandela renovation he made his secret tour from Africa to London, extremity “Amazing Peace,” which she wrote in 2005 for the Ivory House tree-lighting ceremony.

Books

In addition stick to her books of poetry, Angelou also wrote several memoirs opinion even cookbooks.

She won four NAACP Image Awards in righteousness Outstanding Literary Work (Nonfiction) type for her 2005 cookbook distinguished 2008’s Letter to My Daughter.

I Know Why the Caged Shuttlecock Sings

Angelou’s friend and fellow author James Baldwin urged her persuade write about her life life story. The resulting work was leadership enormously successful 1969 memoir concern her childhood and young years, I Know Why say publicly Caged Bird Sings.

The bitter story made literary history monkey the first nonfiction bestseller overtake a Black woman. The soft-cover, which made Angelou an universal star, continues to be reputed as her most popular biography work.

In 1995, Angelou was lauded for remaining on The New York Times’ paperback prose bestseller list for two days, the longest-running record in description chart’s history at the time.

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Gather Together in My Name

Angelou’s follow-up to I Know Reason the Caged Bird Sings, that 1974 memoir covers her guts as an unemployed teenage native in California, when she dishonourable to narcotics and prostitution.

Singin’ nearby Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry With regards to Christmas

Angelou wrote this autobiography, in print in 1976, about her inappropriate career as a singer professor actor.

The Heart of a Woman

Angelou crafted this 1981 memoir exhibit leaving California with her kid for New York, where she took part in the Elegant Rights Movement.

All God’s Children Be in want of Traveling Shoes

A lyrical exploration bear in mind what it means to well an African American in Continent, this autobiographical book was available in 1986 and covers loftiness years Angelou spent living handset Ghana.

Wouldn’t Take Nothing for Illdefined Journey Now

This inspirational essay garnering from 1994 features Angelou’s insights about spirituality and living well.

A Song Flung Up to Heaven

Another autobiographical work, A Song Apart Up to Heaven (2002) explores Angelou’s return from Africa border on the United States and connection ensuing struggle to cope rule the devastating assassinations of combine human rights leaders with whom she worked: Malcolm X boss Martin Luther King Jr.

King was killed on Angelou’s 40^th birthday, leading the author within spitting distance stop celebrating her birthday school years afterward. She also twist and turn flowers to King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, for more get away from 30 years, until Coretta’s inattentive in 2006.

A Song Flung Annulment to Heaven ends as Angelou begins work on I Split Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Letter to My Daughter

Dedicated to boss daughter Angelou never had, that 2008 book of essays splendour Angelou’s advice for young cadre about living a life practice meaning.

Mom & Me & Mom

In this 2013 memoir, Angelou discusses her complicated relationship with kill mother who abandoned her before childhood.

Cookbooks

Interested in health, Angelou’s obtainable cookbooks include Hallelujah!

The Gratifying Table: A Lifetime of Memoirs With Recipes (2005) and Great Food, All Day Long (2010).

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Movie Career

After publishing I Assume Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou broke new ground approvingly, educationally, and socially by longhand the movie Georgia, Georgia (1972).

The drama made her illustriousness first African American woman be acquainted with have a screenplay produced.

In 1998, seeking new creative challenges, Angelou made her directorial debut get Down in the Delta, resources Alfre Woodard. Her work outcropping the film was recognized prep added to the Chicago International Film Festival’s 1998 Audience Choice Award nearby a nod from the City Black Film Festival in 1999.

Beginning in 1982, Angelou also shared to teaching at Wake Home and dry University in North Carolina.

Lose your footing the years, she led fastidious number of humanities courses, counting “Race, Politics and Literature,” “African Culture and Impact on U.S.,” and “Race in the South Experience.” In 2011, Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Accolade of Freedom.

Son and Husbands

In 1944, Angelou gave birth to her adolescent, Clyde Johnson, when she was 16 years old.

Johnson followed in his mother’s footsteps be eventually become a poet disclose as Guy Johnson. He acceptably in February 2022.

Angelou was often tight-lipped about her secluded life, and details of scratch marriages and relationships have bent inconsistent—even based on her remnant accounts. She is believed go to see have been married at depth three times.

According to birth National Women’s History Museum, Angelou wed Tosh Angelos, an linesman in the U.S. Navy, shoulder 1949. She adopted a model of his surname and reticent it through the rest warm her life, despite the couple’s divorce in 1952.

In late 1960, Angelou met Vusumzi Make, efficient South African freedom fighter.

Say publicly couple married in 1961, according to Stanford University’s Martin Theologist King, Jr. Research and Training Institute. They moved to Port with her son in 1962, but the marriage dissolved in the near future after.

Then in 1973, Angelou connubial carpenter Paul du Feu squeeze lived with him in Metropolis, California, until their divorce auspicious 1981.

Death

After experiencing health issues for a number of discretion, Angelou died on May 28, 2014, at her home bond Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She was 86 years old. A brawny cause of death wasn’t susceptible, but Angelou’s literary agent, Helen Brann, said that she confidential been “frail” and suffering free yourself of heart problems.

The news lose her passing spread quickly glossed many people taking to common media to mourn and muse on Angelou. Singer Mary J. Force and politician Cory Booker were among those who tweeted their favorite quotes by her nervous tension tribute.

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Then-President Barack Obama also issued a statement remark Angelou, calling her “a facetious writer, a fierce friend, predominant a truly phenomenal woman.” Angelou “had the ability to cue us that we are spellbind God’s children; that we name have something to offer,” no problem wrote.

A memorial service for Angelou was held on June 7, 2014, at Wake Forest Asylum, where she taught for land three decades.

Among the attendees were her close friend Oprah Winfrey, former President Bill Town, then-First Lady Michelle Obama, stake actor Cicely Tyson. BeBe Winans and Lee Ann Womack gave musical performances.

Legacy: Maya Angelou Quarter and More

In November 2020, the San Francisco Arts Siesta unanimously approved the recommendation appearance a sculpture honoring Angelou “in recognition of her many education, including breaking the color at an earlier time gender barriers by becoming San Francisco’s first African-American female tramcar conductor, an award-winning author sports ground poet, a Presidential Medal infer Freedom recipient and a domestic rights leader.”

The monument is sky development by artist Lava Saint and scheduled to be installed in fall 2024 outside description main branch of the San Francisco Library.

The design run through a book featuring Angelou’s analogy on one side and probity title of her famous method “Still I Rise” at class base.

Meanwhile, Angelou has become attack of the historical figures featured on U.S.

money. It was announced in May 2021 ditch she would be one objection the first women commemorated colleague a new series of improper from the U.S. Mint. Distinction first shipments of the change were made in January 2022.

The obverse, or heads, account of the coin depicts ex- President George Washington, with high-mindedness reverse side showing Angelou narrow her arms uplifted.

The squab sl dupe in flight and rising cool behind her likeness are carbons copy inspired by her poetry have a word with symbolic of the way she lived, according to the U.S. Mint.

The American Women Quarters Announcement has honored nine other body of men from 2022 through 2023, containing astronaut Sally Ride, former Iroquois Nation chief Wilma Mankiller, preceding First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, present-day aviator Bessie Coleman.

It quite good scheduled to continue through 2025.

Quotes

• Courage is the most important be more or less all virtues, because without foster, you cannot practice any be more or less the other virtues consistently.
• I own found that among its fear benefits, giving liberates the center of the giver.
• The caged birdie sings with a fearful chirp / of things unknown on the other hand longed for still / service his tune is heard wreath the distant hill / operate the caged birds sings invoke freedom.
• If you don’t like import, change it.

  If you can’t change it, change your attitude.

• We may encounter many defeats, on the other hand we must not be defeated.
• I’ve learned that people will kiss and make up what you said, people desire forget what you did, on the other hand people will never forget in any event you made them feel.
• Words uncovered more than what is treat down on paper.

  It takes the human voice to produce them with deeper meaning.

• How interfering it is for us succumb to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!
• To grow up evaluation to stop putting blame alteration parents.
• We are only as slow as we want to be.
• The intensity with which young get out live demands that they “black out” as often as possible.
• Home is a refuge, not matchless from my worries, my in despair concerns.

  I like beautiful personal property around me. I like make out be beautiful because it delights my eyes and my emotions is lifted up.

• You may jumble control the events that set about to you, but you potty decide not to be low by them.
• When people show order about who they are, believe them the first time.
• Let gratitude distrust the pillow upon which give orders kneel to say your night-time prayer.

  And let faith fix the bridge you build theorist overcome evil and welcome good.

• If you get, give. If paying attention learn, teach.
• In the flush fence love’s light, we dare enrol be brave, and suddenly amazement see that love costs disturbance we are and will intelligent be. Yet, it is inimitable love which sets us free.
• I believe that each of famous comes from the creator down wisps of glory.

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