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Birth
Maya Angelou is born -
Maya Angelou Silences her Voice
When Maya was 8 she was raped by her mother's boyfriend. When she bravely testified against him in court he was put in prison and killed by her uncles later on. She believed that she had killed him and for 5 years spoke to no one except her brother Bailey. -
Maya Angelou Becomes a Mother
When she is the young age of 17 she gave birth to her son, Clyde "Guy" Johnson. Her son later became a poet -
Maya Angelou Becomes the First Black Female Streetcar Conductor
This is the beginning of her life of shattering barriers. As a young mother, she became the first black woman streetcar conductor in San Francisco -
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Maya Marries Tosh Angelos
In her first of an unspecified amount of marriages, Maya Angelou marries a greek sailor Tosh Angelos. She met him while working at a record shop, but the marriage did not last long due to the atheist beliefs of Tosh and the strong spirituality of Maya. Post-divorce led her to begin dancing where she would prove to continuously reap success even in tough circumstances. This marriage is important because it is when she took on the name Maya Angelou. -
Angelou becomes Northern Coordinator of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
After hearing Dr. King speak Maya joined the S.C.L.C. She joined the civil rights movement and eventually became the Northern Coordinator of the S.C.L.C. This led her to be good friends with MLK Jr. and thrust her onto the front lines of the protests -
Maya Angelou Published "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings"
Angelou's first book in a 6-book series. It is a bibliography of her early life. It details the years of silence, the rape, the move to Stamps, Arkansas, and much more. -
Angelou Writes the First Script by an African American Woman to be Filmed
Another boundary shattered by Angelou. She writes a script for Georgia, Georgia a major motion picture. This film was also nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. -
Maya Angelou recites On the Pulse of Morning at the Presidential Inauguration
Maya Angelou recites her poem at Bill Clinton's Presidential Inauguration. She became the first poet to recite their work at a Presidential Inauguration since JFK's Presidential Inauguration. -
Maya Angelou has an Iconoclasts Episode
Maya Angelou and Dave Chapelle are paired up for an episode of iconoclasts. They discuss multiple topics that the world has never heard the stances either of them holds. -
Maya Angelou is Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Dr. Angelou also received the Presidential Medal for the Arts in 2000 and the Lincoln Medal in 2008. And in 2012, First Lady Michelle Obama had the opportunity to present her with the Literary Arts Award at the BET Honors ceremony in Washington, D.C. -
Death
Maya Angelou passes away