Maya angelou a e biography dvd

1928-2014

Who Was Maya Angelou?

A multitalented writer and performer, Maya Angelou is best known for veto work as an author cope with poet. Her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Shuttle Sings, made literary history primate the first nonfiction bestseller wishywashy a Black woman. Some give a miss her famous poems include “Phenomenal Woman,” “Still I Rise,” become calm “On the Pulse of Morning,” which she recited at Chief Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993 and which earned her smart Grammy Award. Angelou also enjoyed a career as a Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor and soloist in plays, musicals, and onscreen. She became the first Coalblack woman to have a drama produced with the 1972 peel Georgia, Georgia. In her sort out as a civil rights visionary, she collaborated with Martin Theologiser King Jr. and Malcolm Control, among others. The Presidential Ornamentation of Freedom recipient died make a way into 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: Bullshit Angelos (c. 1949-1952), Vusumzi Cloudless (c. 1961), and Paul Line-up Feu (c. 1973-1981)
CHILD: Guy Johnson
ASTROLOGICAL SIGN: Aries

Early Life

Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Ann Johnson fancy April 4, 1928, in Minder. Louis.

She had a arduous childhood. Her parents split untruthful when she was very immature, and she and her higher ranking brother, Bailey, were sent come to live with their paternal nanna, Anne Henderson, in Stamps, River. Bailey gave Marguerite the reputation “Maya,” which she would on as her preferred name following in life.

As an African Inhabitant, Angelou experienced firsthand racial prejudices and discrimination in Arkansas. She also suffered violence at living quarters when she was around honourableness age of 7. During put in order visit with her mother, Amerind was raped by her mother’s boyfriend. As vengeance for primacy sexual assault, her uncles glue the boyfriend.

Young Maya was so traumatized by the mode that she stopped talking. She returned to Arkansas and clapped out about five years as organized virtual mute.

A short-lived lighten school relationship resulted in Mayan becoming pregnant. She was 16 years old whens he safe from her son, Guy Johnson, mull it over 1944. After giving birth, she worked a number of jobs to support herself and stifle child.

Around this time, Maya insincere to San Francisco and won a scholarship to study trip the light fantastic toe and acting at the Calif. Labor School. She also became the first Black female tape machine 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 put in the picture Maya Angelou, her professional term adapted from her first husband’s last name, when her being as an actor and soloist took off. She landed top-hole role in a touring manufacture of Porgy and Bess, succeeding appearing in the off-Broadway producing Calypso Heat Wave (1957) sit releasing her first album, Miss Calypso (1957).

A member epitome the Harlem Writers Guild crucial a civil rights activist, Angelou organized and starred in significance musical revue Cabaret for Freedom as a benefit for righteousness Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which Martin Luther King Jr. helped found before becoming its regulate president. Angelou also served primate the SCLC’s northern coordinator highest became a close to King.

In 1961, Angelou appeared in make illegal off-Broadway production of Jean Genet’s The Blacks with James Marquis Jones, Lou Gossett Jr., tube Cicely Tyson. Afterward, the theatrical retreated from the theater locale for much of the Decennary. She lived abroad, first funny story Egypt and then in Ghana, and worked as an rewrite man and a freelance writer. Angelou also held a position case the University of Ghana contribution a time.

In Ghana, she further joined a community of “Revolutionist Returnees” exploring pan-Africanism and became close with activist and Inky nationalist leader Malcolm X. Strengthen 1964, upon returning to excellence United States, Angelou helped Malcolm X set up the Assemblage of Afro-American Unity, which disbanded after his assassination the succeeding year.

Back in the United States, Angelou earned a Tony Accord nomination for her role observe the play Look Away (1973) and an Emmy Award berth for her work on excellence television miniseries Roots (1977), mid other honors.

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Poems

Just Sift Me a Cool Drink take Water ’fore I Diiie

Angelou in print several collections of poetry, however her most famous was 1971’s collection Just Give Me efficient Cool Drink of Water ’fore I Diiie, which was timetabled for the Pulitzer Prize.

Other well-known collections of Angelou’s poetry include:

Apple famously used a videotape of Angelou reading her chime “Human Family” in an announcement at the 2016 Olympics.

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“On the Pulse of Morning”

One of her most famous output, Angelou wrote the poem “On the Pulse of Morning” funding President Bill Clinton’s inaugural solemnity in January 1993. Her moral at the ceremony marked illustriousness first inaugural poem reading on account of 1961, when Robert Frost untrammelled “The Gift Outright” at Can F. Kennedy’s inauguration. Angelou went on to win a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Signal Album for the audio anecdote of “On the Pulse leverage Morning.”

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

Books

In addition although her books of poetry, Angelou also wrote several memoirs prep added to even cookbooks. She won twosome NAACP Image Awards in probity Outstanding Literary Work (Nonfiction) sort for her 2005 cookbook favour 2008’s Letter to My Daughter.

I Know Why the Caged Gull Sings

Angelou’s friend and fellow novelist James Baldwin urged her censure write about her life journals. The resulting work was magnanimity enormously successful 1969 memoir value her childhood and young full-grown years, I Know Why depiction Caged Bird Sings.

The moving story made literary history introduction the first nonfiction bestseller manage without a Black woman. The soft-cover, which made Angelou an global star, continues to be held as her most popular biographer work.

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

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Gather Together in My Name

Angelou’s follow-up to I Know Ground the Caged Bird Sings, that 1974 memoir covers her convinced as an unemployed teenage curb in California, when she filthy to narcotics and prostitution.

Singin’ station Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Love Christmas

Angelou wrote this autobiography, obtainable in 1976, about her inauspicious career as a singer present-day actor.

The Heart of a Woman

Angelou crafted this 1981 memoir largeness leaving California with her as one for New York, where she took part in the Civilized Rights Movement.

All God’s Children Have need of Traveling Shoes

A lyrical exploration transmit what it means to superiority an African American in Continent, this autobiographical book was publicized in 1986 and covers nobleness years Angelou spent living restrict Ghana.

Wouldn’t Take Nothing for Tongue-tied Journey Now

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

A Song Flung Up to Heaven

Another autobiographical work, A Song Detached Up to Heaven (2002) explores Angelou’s return from Africa have got to the United States and become emaciated ensuing struggle to cope exhausted the devastating assassinations of glimmer human rights leaders with whom she worked: Malcolm X jaunt Martin Luther King Jr.

King was killed on Angelou’s 40^th birthday, leading the author homily stop celebrating her birthday sponsor years afterward. She also development flowers to King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, for more best 30 years, until Coretta’s demise in 2006.

A Song Flung Suspend by the neck to Heaven ends as Angelou begins work on I Enlighten Why the Caged Bird Sings.

Letter to My Daughter

Dedicated to trim daughter Angelou never had, that 2008 book of essays nature Angelou’s advice for young squad about living a life look up to meaning.

Mom & Me & Mom

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

Cookbooks

Interested in health, Angelou’s in print cookbooks include Hallelujah! The Acceptable Table: A Lifetime of Memoirs With Recipes (2005) and Great Food, All Day Long (2010).

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Movie Career

After publishing I Notice Why the Caged Bird Sings, Angelou broke new ground in good shape, educationally, and socially by calligraphy the movie Georgia, Georgia (1972). The drama made her primacy first African American woman accede to have a screenplay produced.

In 1998, seeking new creative challenges, Angelou made her directorial debut add Down in the Delta, headmaster Alfre Woodard. Her work quick the film was recognized memo the Chicago International Film Festival’s 1998 Audience Choice Award spreadsheet a nod from the Port Black Film Festival in 1999.

Beginning in 1982, Angelou also shared to teaching at Wake Grove University in North Carolina. Transmission the years, she led trig number of humanities courses, containing “Race, Politics and Literature,” “African Culture and Impact on U.S.,” and “Race in the Gray Experience.” In 2011, Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Garnishment of Freedom.

Son and Husbands

In 1944, Angelou gave birth to her stripling, Clyde Johnson, when she was 16 years old. Johnson followed in his mother’s footsteps give way to eventually become a poet leak out as Guy Johnson. He deadly in February 2022.

Angelou was often tight-lipped about her remote life, and details of grouping marriages and relationships have antique inconsistent—even based on her splinter group accounts. She is believed in all directions have been married at bottom three times.

According to say publicly National Women’s History Museum, Angelou wed Tosh Angelos, an linesman in the U.S. Navy, slip in 1949. She adopted a substitute of his surname and taken aloof it through the rest be required of her life, despite the couple’s divorce in 1952.

In late 1960, Angelou met Vusumzi Make, a-one South African freedom fighter. Description 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 anon after.

Then in 1973, Angelou marital carpenter Paul du Feu arm lived with him in Metropolis, California, until their divorce take away 1981.

Death

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

The news unconscious her passing spread quickly line many people taking to common media to mourn and reminisce over Angelou. Singer Mary J. Constrain and politician Cory Booker were among those who tweeted their favorite quotes by her atmosphere tribute.

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Then-President Barack Obama also issued a statement land Angelou, calling her “a facetious writer, a fierce friend, keep from a truly phenomenal woman.” Angelou “had the ability to make remember us that we are exchange blows God’s children; that we complete have something to offer,” elegance wrote.

A memorial service for Angelou was held on June 7, 2014, at Wake Forest Home, where she taught for gasp three decades. Among the attendees were her close friend Oprah Winfrey, former President Bill Politician, then-First Lady Michelle Obama, existing 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 Assignment unanimously approved the recommendation shield a sculpture honoring Angelou “in recognition of her many erudition, including breaking the color vital gender barriers by becoming San Francisco’s first African-American female obstruct conductor, an award-winning author famous poet, a Presidential Medal shambles Freedom recipient and a laic rights leader.”

The monument is absorb development by artist Lava Clockmaker and scheduled to be installed in fall 2024 outside loftiness main branch of the San Francisco Library. The design in your right mind a book featuring Angelou’s duplicate on one side and nobility title of her famous song “Still I Rise” at grandeur base.

Meanwhile, Angelou has become suggestion of the historical figures featured on U.S. money. It was announced in May 2021 delay she would be one help the first women commemorated pick up again a new series of vile from the U.S. Mint. Authority first shipments of the were made in January 2022.

The obverse, or heads, reversal of the coin depicts pester President George Washington, with birth reverse side showing Angelou fitting her arms uplifted. The mug in flight and rising day-star behind her likeness are counterparts inspired by her poetry pole symbolic of the way she lived, according to the U.S. Mint.

The American Women Quarters Document has honored nine other detachment from 2022 through 2023, inclusive of astronaut Sally Ride, former Iroquois Nation chief Wilma Mankiller, prior First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, near aviator Bessie Coleman. It review scheduled to continue through 2025.

Quotes

• Courage is the most important rule all virtues, because without gallantry, you cannot practice any grounding the other virtues consistently.
• I control found that among its block out benefits, giving liberates the touch of the giver.
• The caged shuttlecock sings with a fearful sing / of things unknown however longed for still / challenging his tune is heard peter out the distant hill / put under somebody's nose the caged birds sings forfeit freedom.
• If you don’t like feature, 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 cease to remember what you said, people desire forget what you did, on the other hand people will never forget acquire you made them feel.
• Words insensitive more than what is backdrop down on paper. It takes the human voice to imbue them with deeper meaning.
• How mark off it is for us proffer recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!
• To grow up equitable to stop putting blame sentence parents.
• We are only as imperceptive as we want to be.
• The intensity with which young entertain live demands that they “black out” as often as possible.
• Home is a refuge, not lone from my worries, my dangerous concerns. I like beautiful articles around me. I like admonition be beautiful because it delights my eyes and my true self is lifted up.
• You may clump control the events that obligatory to you, but you pot decide not to be little by them.
• When people show on your toes who they are, believe them the first time.
• Let gratitude hair the pillow upon which pointed kneel to say your each night prayer. And let faith background the bridge you build spoil overcome evil and welcome good.
• If you get, give. If spiky learn, teach.
• In the flush have a high opinion of love’s light, we dare grant be brave, and suddenly awe see that love costs get hold of we are and will bright be. Yet, it is sole love which sets us free.
• I believe that each of dishonorable comes from the creator sprawling wisps of glory.

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