Maya Angelou Contributions

There are many influential poets that deserve to be heard. Maya Angelou was a poet, influential speaker, and a writer. Angelou was one of the most influential African-American women of all time. She published books, poems, and screenplays that were later filmed. Due to all these accomplishments, she was honored with a Pulitzer Prize, a Tony Award, five Grammys, the National Medal of Art Award, and finally the Presidential Medal of Freedom (Pettinger). Angelou was most known for her poems. She wrote “Still I Rise,” “Phenomenal Woman” and “Caged Bird.” These are three of Angelou’s most outstanding poems. These poems were inspired by her life experiences, such as her experience with racism, inequality and sexism.

Maya Angelou, An African American poet, who has many legacy and dedication through her career as a writer, poet, songwriter, dancer and other. Maya angelou was born as Marguerite Johnson on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. But raised in Stamps, Arkansas, by her paternal Grandmother “Annie Henderson” Ms. Angelou early childhood experiences has been going through a lot of trauma which she the only option were find out motivation to express herself in writing. She died on May 28, 2014 at age of 86 in North Carolina. Thus, Maya Angelou parents, “Bailey Johnson and Vivian Baxter” were divorced when she was very young, while she attends to grow up in Arkansas with her paternal grandmother. Ms. Angelou father was a Bailey Johnson, was a “brash,

Maya Angelou was an inspiring activist, poet, and woman. Angelou was born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4, 1928. Throughout her lifetime she explored her career options as an actress, dancer, singer, writer, and editor among many other careers. Angelou had a tough childhood. Her parents divorced when she was very young and she was sent to live with her grandmother in Arkansas along with her brother Bailey. As an African American, Angelou experienced discrimination and racial prejudices. Angelou gave birth to her son Guy, at the age of sixteen and married her first husband Tosh Angelos, at the age of twenty-four. Angelou and Tosh divorced years later however, she did get married a couple of more times. Angelou experienced many

Maya Angelou, named at birth, Marguerite Johnson was on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her and her family moved from St. Louis to Stamps, Arkansas, where she was raised growing up. Maya Angelou was an American author, dancer, screenwriter, actress, poet and civil rights activist. Angelou gained a majority of her fame with the memoir she wrote in 1969, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. This memoir made literary history as being the first nonfiction best-seller by an African-American woman. Angelou received many awards and honors throughout her entire career. These awards included two NAACP Image Awards in the outstanding literary work (nonfiction) category, in 2005 and 2009. Angelou became one of the most legendary and influential

Maya Angelou is a phenomenal woman. She rises through all things that come her way and she refuses to back down. Angelou chose at a very young age to be a writer and a role model for many people. She believes that everyone should be treated equally and that the world should come together as a unity. Angelou had many careers but is known mostly for her poetic creations. She has come a long way from where she started and I think anyone can agree with me when I say, she has made us all proud with her accomplishments. Angelou writes poetry to inform and encourage others to carry on through the worst of times. She is a strong, confident, inspirational woman and I am more than honored to be doing my senior paper on her.

Maya Angelou is terrific performer, singer, filmmaker, and civil-rights activist. She is a phenomenal woman, one thing that she does best is writing. She is still living today, I believe her legend will never die. If one would talk to her, he or she would think she has lead a normal, happy life. Her life is blissful now, it was not always perfect. Maya beard enough emotional stress in a time frame that most people do not experience in a lifetime. Her experiences and the lessons learned encouraged her to help others become strong. Maya Angelou is one of the best examples of someone overcoming rape, being mute for several years, and having a child at a young age to achieve success of becoming an accomplished

Maya Angelou was inspirational and helpful to others. She has helped people to look at themselves and other people in different, better ways. Angelou also had a joyful and loving personality. She was very engaged in everything that she did (Hoffert). Along with her outstanding personality and inspiration to others, Angelou was helpful. She helped people from many nations and bridged divides between races. This was such an admirable trait that a residence hall at Wake Forest University was named after Angelou (Kennedy). It has been said by Toni Morrison that she was there when you need it the most. Morrison has a firsthand experience with this because Angelou was the first person not in the family to call when Morrison’s son died (Hoffert).

Maya Angelou, who was the first African-American to work in the San Francisco streetcars, accomplished many things in her life. This fact proves that Angelou was a woman who believed in doing what needs to be done in order to accomplish her goals. Angelou made an influence on the world with her books and poems that related to diverse people in different situations, but most importantly, she fought for African-American right in the early and middle 1900s.

40 years ago, American government went from celebrating influential African Americans for only a week to a full month. This became the start of Black History Month. In the month of February, some Americans celebrate and remember black heroes around the United States for their efforts and accomplishments they made to help alleviate prejudice for present and future African Americans in order for them to have a chance at becoming successful and living the “American Dream” in peace. Though Americans still will exemplify discrimination towards African Americans today, vicious crimes towards blacks are not as detrimental as they used to be. As time continued from the beginning of Black History Month, many Americans have forgotten the importance of February. Black History Month shows that those who assisted in making America were not all of European descent. In my essay I want to bring the spotlight back to one of my favorite activists, Maya Angelou: a poet, author, performer, screenwriter, a strong, independent black woman who not only was intelligent but also the voice and the mind of the captive ones.

The inspiring African-American woman born in 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri has been one of the many influential voices of our time. Educating herself and having love for the arts helped mold her life into what she imagined becoming a poet, memoirist, novelist, educator, dramatist, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and even a civil rights activist. During her early years while still in High School Dr. Angelou experienced brutal racial discrimination directing her to the values of traditional African-Americans.

Maya Angelou’s childhood was a little hectic, but with time she put her best foot forward in spite of struggles. Angelou had a beautiful voice that wasn’t heard until she started writing poems. Angelou was also awarded multiple awards, because of her excellent poetry. Maya Angelou worked hard to present us with her extravagant, most vibrant poems that has impacted a lot of lives. Maya Angelou is an awe-inspiring figure in American Literature who is determined to spread equality to all.

"I learned that people will forget what you said, and will forget what you did but people won't forget how you made them feel" was said by Maya Angelou. Firstly, Maya Angelou background information was mainly about a person that was going back and forth with family members and having a hard time going through it. Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. When she was still a child her parents, Bailey and Vivian Baxter Johnson marriage ended. After there parents marriage ended they went to live with there grandmother but after a while sent back to there mother.

Angelou’s writings are an important historical faction of American literature. Maya Angelou was a well-rounded, self-motivated woman who accomplished many things in her life. She not only accomplished things to benefit herself, but to better the life and people around her. Among some of the many things she did, being part of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960’s was one of the most

Maya Angelou was the woman of many artistic gifts and talents. She had several different careers in the performing arts including creative writing, dancing, and acting. She really wasn’t raised by her birth parents, but she had learned to accept what her parents did for her brother and her. Somehow through all that she has been through she made a way out of a way that almost seemed impossible. So please give me the honor of giving you the honor of sharing her life story and telling about her road to success.

For example, “ In Ghana she joined a community of "Revolutionist Returnees” exploring pan-Africanism and became close with human rights activist and black nationalist leader Malcolm X. In 1964, on returning to the U.S., she helped him set up the Organization of Afro-American Unity, which disbanded after Malcolm X’s assassination the following year” (“Maya Angelou Biography”). She took risks and went through a lot, so that black people would get their rights and be treated equal and she didn’t care what it would have cost her, she got into some dangerous things. She had a lot of dedication to her work and worked hard to not only herself but for other rights. If she believed in something she made sure that it would came to existence. Additionally, she worked hard on books and movies that soon became recognized for her work, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which made literary history as the first nonfiction best-seller by an African-American woman.