by Monica A.
Maya Angelou was known well for her poetry and literary prowess. However she worked most of her life to empower women of all races. Inspiring many women and African Americans to overcome gender and racial discrimination. From works that spanned nearly 50 years, including 36 books, 7 autobiographies, and nearly 50 honorary degrees. Angelou's outlook on the world made her writing one of a kind, and resulted in the love and respect of thousands, even after her death.
Maya Angelou became a poet and writer after a series of occupations as a young adult, including fry cook, sex worker, nightclub dancer and performer, cast member of the opera Porgy and Bess, coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and journalist in Egypt and Ghana during the decolonization of Africa. All of these occupations shaped Angelou into the defender of black culture and supporter of women's rights, down to her last breath. One of her most acclaimed works I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings was written in 1969 and describes Angelou’s childhood, and the trauma that marked her early life. And while this daunting and often rude-awakening type of content scares many reader, it also shines a light on how a love literature and a strong will can overcome childhood trauma and, to a certain degree, racism. All of which culminated to grow Maya into the writer she became.
In her later life, Angelou traveled the states reading her poetry to thousands, all the while articulating her position on gender and racial inequality. In 2011 she won the American Presidential Medal of Freedom for her works on civil rights and gender inequality. She is an inspiration to millions, and although she is gone, her legacy is never forgotten. “You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies, You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I’ll rise.”.
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