Black History Month - Historical Figure: Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou

Timeline

• 1928: Born Marguerite Johnson, in St. Louis Missouri.
• 1931: Her parents divorced and she was sent to racially divided Stamps, Arkansas to live with her grandmother.
• 1936: She was sent back to her mother, but was raped by her mother's boyfriend and went into a state of shock. The rape caused Maya to be nearly mute for about 5 years. During which her mother sent her back to Arkansas because of the difficulty she had dealing with Maya's condition.
• 1940: She and her brother reunited with her mother in San Francisco. Her relationship with her mother soon became terribly dysfunctional and she ran away to live with her father. Living with him was just as problematic, so she left again and lived on the streets for a month until she finally returned to her mother.
  
• 1945: Shortly after graduating from high school, Angelou gave birth to her son, Clyde “Guy” Johnson at the age of 16.
• 1959-1960: At the request of Dr. Martin Luther King she became the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
• 1961-1962: Associate editor of an English language news weekly in Cairo, Egypt called The Arab Observer.
• 1963-1966: Teacher and assistant administrator of the School of Music & Drama at the University of Ghana.
• 1964 to 1966: Was the feature editor of the African Review in Accra, Ghana.
• 1970: Writer-in-resistance for the University of Kansas in Lawrence.
• 1974: Was a distinguished visiting professor at Wake Forest University, Wichita State University, and California State University of Sacramento.
• 1975-1976: Appointed by Gerald Ford to the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission.

Legacy

One of the most important Civil, Human, and Women's Rights activists. Maya Angelou wrote about her life and the many things she had seen through her years. Much had to do about discrimination and battles that African Americans have overcome through the years. Now because of Maya's thirst for more we women, we African American women, are a step further in the world. Maya also wrote about rights as blacks, and also rights as black women living the cold world of American Sexism and Racism. I discovered that Maya Angelou has over come many obstacles in her life to become the great woman that she is today.

Achievements

The world Maya Angelou grew up in was hard but made her the person she is today. She can speak Spanish, Italian, Arabic, West African Fanti, and English fluently. Along with being a writer of books, she has also written 6 plays and 2 screenplays. Her writings have been honored with nominations for the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize. Maya is also an accomplished thespian, appearing in 9 plays and films including Roots and Look Away. Maya was nominated for a Tony Award in 1973 for "Look Away," and her work in Roots received an Emmy Award nomination.

Quote: Poem Phenomenal Woman

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies. I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size But when I start to tell them, They think I'm telling lies. I say, It's in the reach of my arms The span of my hips, The stride of my step, The curl of my lips. I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me. I walk into a room Just as cool as you please, And to a man, The fellows stand or Fall down on their knees. Then they swarm around me, A hive of honey bees. I say, It's the fire in my eyes, And the flash of my teeth, The swing in my waist, And the joy in my feet. I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me. Men themselves have wondered What they see in me. They try so much But they can't touch My inner mystery. When I try to show them They say they still can't see. I say, It's in the arch of my back, The sun of my smile, The ride of my breasts, The grace of my style. I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me. Now you understand Just why my head's not bowed. I don't shout or jump about Or have to talk real loud. When you see me passing It ought to make you proud. I say, It's in the click of my heels, The bend of my hair, the palm of my hand, The need of my care, 'Cause I'm a woman Phenomenally. Phenomenal woman, That's me.

Citatons
Angelou, Maya. Maya Angelou Official Page. 08 Feb 2008. 03 Mar 2008 .