Maya Angelou

By evanstenke
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    Maya Angelou's Life

  • Born

    Maya Angelou is born Marguerite Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri

  • Mute

    Angelou became mute for 5 years after her mother's boyfriend was killed after raping her

  • Other Occupations

    Angelou was a shake dancer in nightclubs in the 1940s, and in the 50s she sang at different clubs around the country

  • Work with MLK

    Martin Luther King Jr asked Angelou to help him coordinate the Souther Christian Leadership Conference.

  • Foreign Life

    Between 1961 and 1965, she lived in Cairo, Egypt; and Accra, Ghana. She was also fluent in French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, and West African Fanti

  • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

    Angelou's most famous book is written

  • National Commission on the Observance of International Woman's Year

    Sitting president Jimmy Carter named Angelou to the National Commission on the Observance of International Woman's Year

  • Professor Angelou

    Angelou was named the first Reynolds Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University

  • On the Pulse of the Morning

    She won an award for the best spoken word album, which contained her famous poem "On the Pulse of the Morning". She also read the poem at Bill Clinton's inauguration.

  • Presidential Medal of Freedom

    President Barak Obama gave her the award, which is the highest award a civilian can earn.

  • Death

    Maya Angelou passes away in Winston-Salem, North Carolina

  • Stamp

    The US Postal Service created a stamp with her likeness on it in 2015