If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” With each line she wrote, Maya gave us all a reminder that we can overcome anything if we just keep believing in ourselves-the power within us all to triumph over adversity.Īs she said herself: “If you don’t like something, change it. She shared her stories with honesty and grace, allowing readers to connect with their own struggles in ways they never could have imagined before. She used her poetry as an outlet for her own trauma, channelling the pain she had endured into something beautiful that would help others heal. Her words were powerful enough to inspire millions around the world, providing hope in times of darkness. She overcame great hardship through her strength and bravery to become an acclaimed author and activist who won the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the National Book Award. Maya Angelou was a poet of empowerment, a woman whose life story is one of resilience and courage. There, she found solace in books and music which became outlets for expressing what words could not capture.Īlthough these creative activities offered some measure of relief from the psychological turmoil she faced, it wasn’t until much later that Angelou started writing poetry as a way to confront the pain of her past while also finding peace within herself. Louis at age fourteen and travelling south to live with her grandmother in Arkansas. In an effort to cope with this traumatic experience and its aftermath, Angelou attempted suicide multiple times before eventually leaving St. This single incident significantly impacted how she viewed herself and those around her for many years to come. At only eight years old, she experienced a childhood trauma that would have lasting effects on her life Angelou had been raped by her mother’s boyfriend. Image by ExpressĪt the start of her life, Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Johnson in St. Maya Angelou rose above not only the physical but also emotional traumas she faced growing up by embracing them instead of running away from them – ultimately leading towards inner strength and purposeful living.Īt only eight years old, she experienced a childhood trauma that would have lasting effects on her life Maya Angelou’s Childhood Trauma. It was here that she realized her true potential and wrote about topics like racial injustice using both poetry and prose. Maya endured a childhood filled with abuse and racism that would later inform her own writing and activism throughout her life.Īt just 8 years old she began speaking publicly at churches around town while singing spirituals alongside her brother Bailey Jr.ĭespite such difficult beginnings Angelou persevered through it all and found solace in literature which became a source of self-expression for her as well as hope for a better future.ĭetermined to make something of herself Maya Angelou went on to join the Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s where she worked alongside some of the most influential African American leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, James Baldwin, Rosa Parks etc. Let me know what you think and your favorite Maya Angelou book, poem, quote, speech, etc.Born Marguerite Johnson on April 4th 1928 in St. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery this is the first of a series of self-portraits I’m working on of me, channeling my black sheros. After the election last year, when I simply didn’t feel like writing, Maya Angelou’s words pulled me out of the fog like the north star and is the pillar of my content for ‘N A Perfect World still. “I could meet her?!” Sadly, that never happened but Maya Angelou is still a light and source of inspiration to me. “She did all of this and she’s still living?!” I thought. to Shakespeare, but none of these people were still alive. That glow, that confidence? Thank you Maya Angelou. For me, as a kid, Maya Angelou was one of my first understandings of a living legend. Still I Rise is the soundtrack in my head on repeat. I think every young black girl remembers reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings for the first time. A literary hero, civil rights activist, poet, playwright and so much more. Maya Angelou is a world renowned American treasure. Maya Angelou reading in her dressing room before a performance at Village Vanguard in New York City.
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