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BIRTH
Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 in Saint Louis, Missouri. Her full name is Marguerite Annie Johnson. -
DANCE
Aside from being an author and a poet Maya Angelou had many other jobs. At the age of 16 she was working as a table dancer at a nightclub to support her son whom she had just given birth to. She was a working mother doing anything to support her child. She even held roles in being the first black female streetcar conductor and she also worked in a restaurant cooking. -
TRAVEL
Maya Angelou can speak six languages: French, Hebrew, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and West African Fanti. She traveled to Europe, Africa, and briefly lives in Egypt and Ghana. She first traveled in 1954 and finished up her traveling around 1966 in Ghana. -
MLK's REQUEST
In the 1960's, Martin Luther King Jr. appointed Maya Angelou to be the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. -
MAYA'S WORKS
In 1971, Maya Angelou published her first poetry book called "Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘fore I Diiie." This book was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize in 1972. -
RECOGNITIONS
Maya was nominated for a Pulitzer Award for her first poetry book she wrote called, "Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diie" -
RECOGNITIONS
She became a member of the Presidential Commission for International Women's Year (this organization went to end barriers to women's equality). She was given this honor by President Carter. -
INTERESTING FACTS
Maya Angelou was not only a writer, poet, and teacher, but she also was an actress. Maya played the role of Kunta Kinte's grandmother in the series "Roots" in 1977. She was also in a movie with Oprah Winfrey called "There are No Children Here" in 1993. -
PRESIDENT CARTER
President Jimmy Carter appointed Maya to the National Commission on the Observance of International Woman's Year councel in 1978. -
MAYA'S WORKS
In 1981, Maya wrote the book "The Heart of a Woman." This book was later chosen by Oprah Winfrey for "Oprah's Book Club Selection." -
WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY
In 1982, Maya Angelou became Wake Forest Universities first Reynolds Professor of American Studies where she wrote poetry and in the process taught many students the language. -
1993 HONORS
In 1993, Maya Angelou received three honors: being the Inagural Poet reading, "On the Pulse of Morning" at President Clinton's inaguration, member of the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, and won a grammy for Best Spoken Word Album from the poem "On the Pulse of Morning." -
MAYA'S WORKS
Oprah Winfrey ecouraged Maya to write three autobiography essays; the first essay was called, " Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now." These books were full of wisdom from different parts of her life. -
RECOGNITIONS
Maya was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 1998 for her contribution to society, especially for freedoms and progression for women. -
DEATH
Maya Angelou passed away in May of 2014 in North Carolina at her home. She was 86 years old when she passed.
