Trailblazing Life of Maya Angelou: Poet, Activist, and Groundbreaker

Abstract

Maya Angelou was an American attributed to having several careers. At first, she was a singer and a dancer, then turned to a journalist and civil rights activist. She later turned into a memoirist, a poet, and after a screenwriter. Several awards became attributed to her head besides a couple of honorary degrees. Born Marguerite Annie Johnson, Angelou was born on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis and died in 2014, and aged 86 years. She is an important figure in American history, considering that she was the first female to recite a poem during the American presidential inauguration. Her diverse career makes her the centerpiece of this essay because she was also actively involved in the civil rights movement. Additionally, in 1959, she served as the coordinator of the Southern Christian leadership conference. At some point in her life, Angelou traveled a lot worldwide in her role as a human activist. Among her involvements were working with Malcolm X, where she had to travel from Ghana to the united states to aid in matters that Malcolm was involved in. Unfortunately, her involvement with Malcolm X did not last long because he was assassinated as soon as she arrived and did not get enough time to forge together. But the death of Malcolm X did not deter her from getting involved in civil rights movements. At this time, she helped raise funds for Martin Luther King Jr. Unfortunately, her involvement with the civil rights movements seems to go to the negative because on her birthday in 1968, Martin Luther King jr. was assassinated. King Jr's death devastated her very much, and it was around this time that James Baldwin, a novelist, encouraged her to consider writing (Dolly Aimee,11-18). I know why the Caged Bird Sings was her first memoir. It was breathtaking and a huge success. For two years, the biography was the New York Times bestseller. This work was nominated for the National Book Award in 1970, and Time Magazine ranked...