Marguerite Annie Johnson or mostly known as Maya Angelou is an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights, activist. She is also known for several literary works such as ‘I Know Why The Caged Birds Sings’, ‘Phenomenal Woman’, and ‘Mom & Me & Mom’. She also wrote poems and in her works are reflections of the human experience. So, what is really interesting about this beautiful person? Check out here and learn about some Maya Angelou facts you may not know about.
Maya’s Back Story
Maya Angelou was born to Bailey Johnson Sr. and Vivian Johnson on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. Her birth name is Marguerite Annie Johnson, and later on, she adopted the nickname her only brother, Bailey Jr., has given her which was ‘Maya’, meaning ‘Mya Sister’ or ‘My’. Hence, Maya Angelou went on to use the nickname until the end.
When Maya was only three years old, her parents got divorced. Their father had Maya, and her brother rode a train to stay with their paternal grandmother by the name of Annie Henderson, who was living in Arkansas. They had stayed there for four years before their father eventually brought them to their mother in St. Louis. Maya was eight at that time. It was when she was sexually abused by her mother’s then-boyfriend, ‘Freeman’.
Maya didn’t keep quiet about the abuse. However, Freeman only stayed in jail for one year. Four days after his release, Freeman got killed. Maya lost her ability to speak upon his death, and it took her four years to regain it. After this, she and her brother came back to live with their grandmother.
Her Teenage Years
Upon reaching the age of fourteen, Maya Angelou and her brother went back to their mother in Oakland, California. At sixteen, she got the label as the first black female cable car conductor which she had wanted to have because of the uniforms. Her mother stated that it was her ‘dream job’.
Maya’s Married Life
Maya Angelou’s first husband was a Greek electrician and seafarer by the name Tosh Angelos in 1949. Her mother disapproved of the marriage. After her marriage, Maya got into dancing. She met professional choreographers and eventually took part in a dance team.
Her marriage with Tosh ended, and Maya began performing in dancer clubs around San Francisco.
Maya Angelou’s Writing Career
It was during 1959 when Maya Angelou met John Olive Killens in Los Angeles. John Oliver Killens is an American novelist. After meeting him, Maya got inspired to become a professional writer; she then moved to New York and began to focus on her career.
While in New York, Maya Angelou joined the Harlem Writers Guild, which was the oldest organization of black writers. She was able to work with several prominent authors such as Rosa Guy, Julian Mayfield, John Henrik Clarke, and Paul Marshall. Maya Angelou then published a book for the first time.
Additionally, Maya Angelou wrote a screenplay for Georgia, Georgia, which was a Swedish-American drama film. She made it in history books being the first black woman to write a screenplay for Stig Björkman’s film.
Maya’s First Published Book
Maya Angelou’s first book, ‘I Know Why The Caged Birds Sing’, is autobiographical fiction. It depicts her life and the struggles she has to overcome. The book started when she and her brother rode the train to live with their grandmother in Arkansas.
This book came as a response to her friend, author James Baldwin and also editor, Robert Loomis when they put her on a challenge to write an autobiography and at the same time was also part literature.
The book got a National Book Award nomination in 1970 and made it on The New York Times paperback bestseller list. However,
due to the portrayal of childhood rape and racism, it got banned in some schools and libraries.
Maya Angelou’s Life and Achievements
Maya considers her older brother, Bailey, as the most important person in her life. Thus, they depended on each other when they were young, through all their struggles, they were there for each other.
Maya Angelou became the spokesperson for black people. Due to her written works, she was well regarded and played an essential role in the progress of equal rights.
During the first inauguration of then US President Bill Clinton in 1993, Maya read her poem entitled ‘On the Pulse of Morning’. After Robert Frost, Maya was one of the few poets to present an inaugural recitation.
Maya Angelou received more recognition after reciting her poem at Clinton’s inauguration. Her outputs got admired by several institutions and even awarded her a Grammy Award for it.
Eventually, her works are found in various schools and universities’ curriculum worldwide. But in line with that, her books were also extracted repeatedly from school reading lists and libraries as it was viewed as inappropriate for young readers. Those bans were mostly coming from conservative, white-dominated places.
Maya Angelou left a legend when she passed away. At present, her works continue to be known to all, and she has left quite an impression on a few known celebrities.
