Featured image credit: goodreads.com
The first Women’s Month appreciation fact goes to the late Maya Angelou. She was most known for being a poet, writing her New York Best Seller memoir I Know Why The Caged Bird Sing. That book stayed on the Best Seller’s list for two years, and which is the longest run in history. She became the first Black Woman to write a nonfiction book that stayed on the list that long!
Before Maya was an author, she was the first black woman to drive a cable car conductor, also known as a modern day trolley, in San Francisco ,California. During the 1950’s she starred in Broadway and off-Broadway productions, perfecting her craft in acting. She won a Tony for one of her roles in 1973 and an Emmy for a role she played in the self-proclaimed series Roots in 1977.
Maya spent some time in Africa, specifically Egypt and Ghana. While on her journey there, she got involved with pan-African-ism and when she came back to America, she teamed up with human rights activist Malcolm X and helped him an organization. She also became close friends with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr up until his death in 1968, which took a toll on since he was killed on her birthday.
Maya read a poem at Clinton’s Inauguration in 1993 titled On The Pulse of Morning, which she won a Grammy for, for best spoken word album. Other famous work by her are Woman Work, Still I Rise, Touched By An Angel and many more.
She will forever be recognized for her poetic words , being a author, actress, activist and a PHENOMENAL Woman.
Danii Gold 