2. BIOGRAPHY Born on April 4th, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri, Dr. Angelou was raised in St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas. In Stamps, Dr. Angelou experienced the brutality of racial discrimination, but she also absorbed the unshakable faith and values of traditional African-American family, community, and culture.
3. Life Maya Angelou is one of the most important African American authors and orators of the twentieth century. Her achievements span over seven decades and showcase a wealth of talents, beginning in the early 1940s when she became San Francisco’s first female cable car conductor. Angelou then emerged as a singer and dancer in the 1950s and became an editor and writer in the 1960s. In the 1970s she began exploring her talents as an actress, director, poet and screenwriter.
4. Her Work Angelou’s highly acclaimed 1970 autobiography “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” became an important example of African American literature as it chronicled the amazing journey of a young woman who overcame a childhood rape, made a pilgrimage to Africa, served as a civil rights activist and became a shining example of self-determination.
5. Her Work AUTOBIOGRAPHIES 2008 Letter to My Daughter 2004 - Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories with Recipes2002 - A Song Flung Up to Heaven1986 - All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes1981 - Heart of a Woman1976 - Singin' and Swingin and Getting Merry Like Christmas1970 - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings1974 - Gather Together in My Name
6. Success In 1993, Angelou read On the Pulse of Morning at Bill Clinton's Presidential inauguration, a poem written at his request. It was only the second time a poet had been asked to read at an inauguration. In 1995, She recites her poem “A Brave and Startling Truth” at the 50th anniversary of the United Nations in June and also gives a reading at the Million Man March in Washington D.C. in October
7. Awards & Honors Marian Anderson Award (2008) Gracie Allen Award (2008) Lincoln Medal (2008) Cornell Medallion (2008) Inducted in the International Civil Rights Walk of Fame at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Natl. Historic Site (2008) Mother Theresa Award (2006) Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album, “A Song Flung Up to Heaven” (2002) Presidential Medal of Arts (2000) NAACP Image Award, Outstanding Literary Work, Nonfiction —“Even the Stars Look Lonesome” (1997) Frank G. Wells Award (1995) NAACP’s Spingarn Medal (1994) Grammy, Best Spoken Word Album, “On The Pulse of Morning” (1993) Citizen Diplomat Award (1993) Arkansas Black Hall of Fame (1993) Women in Film Crystal Award (1992) Langston Hughes Medal (1991) Candace Award, National Coalition of 100 Black Women (1990) Tony Award nomination, Look Away (1973) Pulitzer Prize nomination, “Just Give Me A Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Die” (1972) Chubb Fellowship Award, Yale University (1970)
