-
Period: to
Maya Angelou's Life
-
Born
Maya Angelou is born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri -
Mute
Angelou became mute for 5 years after her mother's boyfriend was killed after raping her -
Other Occupations
Angelou was a shake dancer in nightclubs in the 1940s, and in the 50s she sang at different clubs around the country -
Work with MLK
Martin Luther King Jr asked Angelou to help him coordinate the Souther Christian Leadership Conference. -
Foreign Life
Between 1961 and 1965, she lived in Cairo, Egypt; and Accra, Ghana. She was also fluent in French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and West African Fanti -
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Angelou's most famous book is written -
National Commission on the Observance of International Woman's Year
Sitting president Jimmy Carter named Angelou to the National Commission on the Observance of International Woman's Year -
Professor Angelou
Angelou was named the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University -
On the Pulse of the Morning
She won an award for the best spoken word album, which contained her famous poem "On the Pulse of the Morning". She also read the poem at Bill Clinton's inauguration. -
Presidential Medal of Freedom
President Barak Obama gave her the award, which is the highest award a civilian can earn. -
Death
Maya Angelou passes away in Winston-Salem, North Carolina -
Stamp
The US Postal Service created a stamp with her likeness on it in 2015