Maya
Angelou (real name: Marguerite Annie Johnson) was born on April 4, 1928, in St
Louis, Missouri. She was an African-American dancer, singer, actress, author
and poet. During her life, she actively worked on autobiographies and several
books on essays and poetry. She was seen in many plays, movies, and television
shows spanning more than 50 years. Angelou is best known for her series of
seven autobiographies, which focus on her childhood and early adult
experiences.
Childhood
Maya
Angelou was born to father Bailey Johnson, a doorman and navy dietitian and
mother Vivian Johnson, a nurse and a card dealer. When she was four, her
parents separated and kids stayed with mother. At the age of eight, her
mother’s boyfriend sexually abused and raped her (for which he was jailed only
for a day, but later was murdered). This incident muted her for about 5 years.
It was during this period when Maya Angelou found her deep interest in books,
literature and her ability to listen and observe the world around her.
Education
During
World War II, when Maya Angelou was 14, she attended the California Labor
School in Oakland, California. This is where she was introduced to major
literature works of William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, as well as black
female artists like Anne Spencer and Frances Harper. She also worked as the
first black female streetcar conductor in San Francisco, before graduating from
the School.
Career
In
1951, Maya Angelou got married and started taking modern dance classes. She
teamed with choreographers and started performing throughout San Francisco; but
could not get recognition. In 1954, she started dancing professionally in
clubs. This is when she sang and performed on Calypso Music at a club and
gained her name from "Marguerite Johnson" to “Maya Angelou”. Later
she moved to New York to bring back her focus on writing and joined ‘Harlem
Writers Guild’, where she met many African-American writers.
During
this time, some of her major works published were – ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird
Sings’ in 1969, ‘The Heart of a Woman’ in 1981 and ‘Mom & Me & Mom’ in
2013.
At
the End
In
1993, Angelou recited her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at President
Bill Clinton's inauguration ceremony, making her the first poet to do so since
Robert Frost at President John F. Kennedy's inauguration in 1961.
On
May 28, 2014, Maya Angelou was found dead at her house, following a long course
of ill health. At the time of her death, she was working on an autobiography,
mentioning her experiences with national and world leaders. Artists,
entertainers and world leaders, including Bill Clinton and President Barack
Obama paid their tributes to Angelou.
