Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou was a gifted writer and performer, widely recognized for her work as an author and poet. Her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, became a groundbreaking bestseller, marking the first time a nonfiction book by a Black woman achieved such success. Among her most celebrated poems are Phenomenal Woman, Still I Rise, and On the Pulse of Morning, the latter of which she recited at President Bill Clinton’s 1993 inauguration, earning her a Grammy Award. Beyond literature, Angelou thrived as a Tony- and Emmy-nominated actor and singer, appearing in plays, musicals, and films. She also made history as the first Black woman to have a screenplay produced with the 1972 film Georgia, Georgia. As a civil rights activist, she worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Angelou passed away in May 2014 at the age of 86.