Crowning Achievements of Maya Angelou
G'day folks,
I've always had a lot of time for this very talented lady. Considered to be one of the most consequential figures of the 20th century, Maya Angelou had a diverse career spanning five decades — first as a singer and dancer, then as a journalist and civil rights activist, and later as a memoirist, poet and screenwriter.
So, what did she achieve?
She was a Civil Rights Activist
Having traveled the world and met with Malcolm X
while living in Ghana, Maya Angelou returned to the U.S. in 1964 to help
the black leader in his political efforts. However, soon after she arrived
stateside, Malcolm X was assassinated.
Despite his
death, Angelou continued working with the Civil Rights Movement and helped
fundraise for Martin Luther King,
Jr. Unfortunately, the young artist found herself devastated
once again, when King was murdered on her birthday in 1968. It was during this
time that novelist James Baldwin
encouraged Angelou to write and she began work on I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
'Caged Bird' became one of the most prominent autobiographies ever written
Recalling
her childhood experiences growing up in Arkansas to becoming a mother at
16, Angelou published I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in 1969. It became
an instant bestseller and stayed on the New York Times paperback
bestseller list for the next two years. Nominated for a National Book Award in
1970, it is considered her most famous work. In 2011, Time magazine
ranked it as one of the most influential books of modern times.
She was the first black woman to write a screenplay for a major film release
In 1972
Angelou expanded her writing and musical talents by writing and scoring Georgia,
Georgia, a Swedish-American drama that would later be nominated for a
Pulitzer Prize. She would go on to write for television, theatre, and would
eventually reach her goal of directing a film with Down in the Delta in
1998.
She was the first female inaugural poet in U.S. presidential history
In 1993
Angelou recited her poem, "On the Pulse of Morning," for President Bill
Clinton's inauguration. She became the first African-American
poet and first female poet to participate in a recitation for a U.S.
president's inauguration. The only inaugural poet that came before her was Robert Frost
who recited "The Gift Outright" during President John F. Kennedy's
ceremony in 1961.
She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom
in 2011
Having
garnered a plethora of prestigious literary and humanitarian awards as well as
over 50 honorary degrees, Angelou was bestowed the 2010 Presidential Medal of
Freedom the following year by President Barack
Obama. The award is distinguished as the highest civilian
honor in the United States.
Clancy's comment: Maya Angelou was an American poet, memoirist, and civil rights
activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays,
several books of poetry, and was credited with a list of plays, movies,
and television shows spanning over 50 years. Not only, her quotes are gob smacking.
I'm ....
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