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Birth
Marguerite Ann Johnson, also known as Maya Angelou, was born in Saint Louis, Missouri. -
Clyde (Guy) Johnson
She gave birth to her first and only child, her son, Clyde who later changed his name to Guy Johnson, when she was 16 years old. -
Calypso
Maya's passion for music was shown when she recorded an album titled Calypso. -
Harlem Writers Guild
She moved to New York and joined the Harlem Writers Guild. -
Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
At the request of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Maya Angelou became the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. -
Martin Luther King Jr.'s Death
Martin Luther King Jr. died on her birthday in 1968, and she didn't celebrate her birthday in the years that followed. -
Tony Award
She was nominated for a Tony Award in the category of Best Supporting or Featured Actress (Dramatic) for her role in Look Away. -
Presidential Inauguration of President Clinton
At the request of President Clinton, she wrote and presented a poem at his 1993 presidential inauguration. -
Grammy
She won a Grammy for an audio recording of that poem, "On The Pulse of Morning," in the Best Spoken Word category. -
The Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity
The Wake Forest School of Medicine created The Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity to study racial and ethnic disparities in health care and health outcomes. -
Presidential Medal of Freedom
At age 82, Maya was awarded with the Presidential Medal of Freedom because she is one of the most influential and renowned voices of our time. She was a well rounded renaissance woman as a celebrated poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist. -
Death
Maya Angelou passed away at 86 in her home located in Winston-Salem North Carolina from heart problems.She once said that she wanted the following phrase carved on her tombstone: "I did my best, I hope you do the same."
