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Born April 4 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri as Marguerite “Maya” Annie Johnson
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Her parents divorced and Maya moved to Stamps, Arkansas with her Paternal Grandmother
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Angelou stopped speaking for 5 years. During this time, she developed her love for literature.
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Maya Angelou becomes the first Black woman to be a streetcar conductor in San Francisco.
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a few weeks after graduating from high school she gives birth to her son, Guy
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Angelou married Tosh Angelos, a Greek electrician. She was met with disapproval from others and her grandmother due to the interracial marriage
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Joins the Harlem Writer’s Guild
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Published "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" an autobiography which is a big success
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She is nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for “Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie”
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Awarded a lifetime appointment as Reynold's Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University.
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Angelou recites her poem "On the Pulse of Morning" at Bill Clinton's presidential inauguration.
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honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010 by President Barack Obama
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Died May 28 2014 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina