On May 28, 2014, the great Maya Angelou passed away at the age of 86, leaving a legacy that will surely be cherished for many decades to come. and Malcolm X, and devoted her life to being a tireless voice for women and black people - and for an openhearted vision of humanity where all could find their place. She was also a journalist who worked in Africa, a historian, songwriter, dancer, stage and screen producer, director, performer and singer.Īnd as an activist, she was one of the Civil Rights Movement’s most prominent women, who worked with Martin Luther King Jr. We know her well as a memoirist, essayist and poet, who authored several books of poetry, three books of essays, and a list of plays, movies, and television shows. The famed author of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), the first of her seven autobiographies for which she became known, lived a long and storied life. ![]() RELATED: Why Maya Angelou Stopped Speaking – and How She Found a Voice that Changed the World Her lifetime of achievement was rewarded in 2000 when she received the National Medal of Arts, and in 2010 President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the country’s highest honors. In 1993, she was invited to recite her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at Bill Clinton’s inauguration, making her the first poet since 1961 to deliver an inaugural recitation. "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." - Interview with the Paris Review, 1990.Maya Angelou was one of America’s most beloved and celebrated poets and authors, with dozens of awards and over 50 honorary degrees attesting to her inspirational role at the center of American life. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you." - Angelou’s own writing published in 1969.ĥ. "You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." - Angelou’s own writing published in 1969Ĥ. Get a little success and then just get a little more." - Angelou on modesty and women’s success, 2008.ģ. Sometimes young women think ‘Dammnnn, I’ve been doing this nine years and I don’t think anything has budged.' But keep plugging away. I’m just telling a very simple story." - Angelou’s insights on writing and truth, 1990.Ģ. Not superficial costs-anybody can have that-I mean in truth. ![]() And you find out what it costs us to love and to lose, to dare and to fail. It means you take responsibility for the time you take up, for the space you occupy. But to grow up costs the earth, the earth. They honor their credit cards, they find parking spaces, they marry, they have the nerve to have children, but they don’t grow up. On what would have been her 90th birthday, here are some of Angelou’s inspiring and poetic insights.ġ. Even when she became physically frail in her older years, her mind was as sharp as ever, “I'm fine as wine in the summertime,” she told a Guardian reporter in 2009. She has also been honored by universities and organizations around the world and has more than 30 honorary degrees owing to her exceptional legacy.Īngelou died in 2014 at the age of 86. Apart from that she also received a Tony Award nomination for her role in the 1973 play "Look Away," and three Grammy awards for her spoken-word albums.Īngelou was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by then President Barack Obama in 2011. She was also nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for her volume of poetry titled “Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘fore I Diiie”, which she wrote in 1971. She recited her poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at former President Bill Clinton’s inauguration ceremony in 1993. ![]() A giant name in American literature, Angelou’s writing was as devastating as it was incisive, which inspired many people who felt powerless to find the power within them.ĭuring her lifetime, Angelou had a number of achievements. ClaryĪmerican author, poet, and civil rights activist Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928, as Marguerite Annie Johnson. In this photo, poet and activist Maya Angelou addresses the Democratic National Convention July 27, 2004, in Boston, Massachusetts.
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