Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou

A poet, an author, a play-write, an actress, a mother, a civil-rights activists, historian and most
important a survivor. Perhaps Maya Angelou, award winning author of many books is one of the most
influential African Americans in American history. I believe that she rates at the top of the list of
American authors, with Hemingway, Hawthorne, and Voight. I believe through my research and reading of
Maya Angelou that she should be among the members of The American Authors Hall of Fame.
Maya was born on, April 4th, 1928 as Marguerite Johnson, in St. Louis Missouri. She was raised
in Stamps Arkansas, by her Grandmother Annie Henderson and Her Uncle Willie. Stamps was a rural
segregated community. However, it was tight knit between the African Americans.
Maya grew up during a very difficult time period in American history. They were just recovering from the
Great Depression, and learning how to deal with different races of people. Maya knew this and made it
clear in her writing.
"It was awful to be Negro and have no control over my life. 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. We should be dead. I thought I should like to see us all dead, one on top of
each other. A pyramid of flesh with the whit folks on the bottom, . . . and then the Negro's." (Angelou
Caged Bird 153)
"If growing up was painful for the Southern Black Girl, being aw...

Maya Angelou

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