Civil Rights Poet Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou is a poet, award-winning author and civil rights activist. She was born on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1969 she made history as the first nonfiction best-seller by an African-American woman. Not only was she successful in writing she was also an actress, screen writer and dancer. Maya is an influential civil rights activist for her African-American heritage and for empowering woman to embrace their self-worth. Maya has made her name known throughout history for being the first woman to accomplish a lot. One of those accomplishments was being the first in her time period of 1972 to have her screen play produced called “Georgia, Georgia.” She has been nominated for a Tony award for her told in a play and also an Emmy award nomination. She did win a Grammy

At the age of 7 she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend, she was traumatized by that event she did not speak for several years and that inspired a poem called “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.” She says “It was brutal to be young and already trained to sit quietly and listen to charges brought against my color with no chance of defense.” She uses her writing has a way to cope. She has been criticized for her race and has caused struggles and hardships in her life. People can sense the emotion in her writings and might even relate to them. Maya Angelou speaks not only for herself, but a voice of entire nation, gender and race. She uses her gift of writing to inspire people. She has a confident voice that gives off a sense of strength and empowerment. “Out of the huts of history I rise” she rises above the negativity in her life and in her surroundings. The outcome of her success through struggle as an African-American woman proves that it is okay to speak the truth about how they feel no matter who they are because people will listen and they may one day be the voice of a