03/12/2024
March is not only the gateway to a new season, with the nineteenth acting as the official first day of spring, but it also marks the end of Black History Month and the beginning of Women’s History Month. Therefore, in honor of both, it is important to recognize the unique experiences of Black women, who despite a history of oppression and racism, have exhibited resilience and courage, struggled for equality with vigor, and trailblazed uncharted territories so future generations of women could have opportunities and rights once unheard of.
One such notable woman is the late poet and author Dr. Maya Angelou who was born Marguerite Ann Johnson in Missouri of 1928. Maya was mute from the ages of seven to twelve while living with her grandmother in Arkansas, all the while developing a passion for poetry and particularly becoming enthralled with Shakespeare and Poe. She kept a journal as a girl, and she often composed essays and short stories, using written word as an outlet.
In 1969, Angelou published "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings," her memoir and the catalyst of her ascent into recognition as a writer. In this novel, Angelou confronts the disturbing events of her childhood with elegiac prose, including instances of bigotry and violence she witnessed and endured, as well as her sexual abuse and ensuing selective mutism; in addition, she also details her troublesome adolescence, teen pregnancy, and her wrestle with Black womanhood. This autobiography was essential in kickstarting her career, but it was also instrumental in finally liberating the tongue of her younger self once bound by silence.
Angelou writes with the fervor and passion of one possessed by words, and she went on to publish six other autobiographies, write various plays and movie scripts, as well as three books of essays and various poetry collections that warranted her an onslaught of prestigious awards including a Grammy Award, The Presidential Medal of Freedom, The National Medal of Arts, among many others.
Her lifetime of courage and strength made for a legacy of the same valor and contribution, with her’s being a household name often spoken alongside those of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, whom she worked alongside during the Civil Rights Movement. Today, many of her works are considered American classics and are staples in literature classes across the nation, where she is remembered as a once caged bird who finally sang and changed the world with her melody in the process.
Works Cited
Spring, Kelly A. “Maya Angelou.” National Women’s History Museum, https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/maya-angelou. March 11, 2024-March 12, 2024.
