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Early Life
Angelou was born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. Angelou had a difficult childhood. Her parents split up when she was very young, and she and her older brother, Bailey, were sent to live with their father's mother, Anne Henderson, in Stamps, Arkansas. -
Drops Out
Angelou dropped out of school to become San Francisco’s first African-American female car conductor. -
Guy
16-year-old Angelou gave birth to a son, Guy. After giving birth, she worked a number of jobs to support herself and her child. -
New York
Angelou moved to New York, where she joined the Harlem Writers Guild. She acted in Jean Genet’s Off-Broadway production, "The Blacks," and performed "Cabaret for Freedom." -
Ghana
She moved to Ghana, where she taught at the University of Ghana’s School of Music and Drama. She worked as a feature editor for The African Review and wrote for The Ghanaian Times. -
Back to the States
Returned to America to help Malcolm X build his new organization of African American Unity. -
Autobiography
Published "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," also received the Chubb Fellowship from Yale University. Angelou has received over 50 honorary degrees. -
"Georgia, Gerogia"
Film "Georgia, Georgia" came out. Angelou wrote the screenplay and composed the score. Her script was the first ever written by an African American woman to be filmed, and was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. -
Presidental Medal of Freedom
Received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama at the White House. -
Death
After experiencing health issues for a number of years Angelou died at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. President Barack Obama issued a statement about Angelou, calling her "a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and a truly phenomenal woman." Angelou "had the ability to remind us that we are all God's children; that we all have something to offer," he wrote.
