Surname 2
Name of the Student
Course Name and Number
Date of submission
Maya Angelou
Black history month is an annual international observance in which famous and prominent black people are celebrated for their contribution to society. It is usually done during February of each year. Some of these prominent people are Rosa Parks, Barack Obama, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Maya Angelou, etc. All these people have differently contributed significant changes in society and are therefore celebrated for different reasons. Therefore, let us look at Maya Angelou and her contributions to society that helped people.
Marguerite Annie Johnson popularly known as Maya Angelou was born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, America where she spent most of her time at her grandmother’s home in Arkansas (Agins 5). Sadly, when she was barely eight years old, Maya Angelou was raped by her mother’s boyfriend who was later killed after she reported the incident. This tragic incident made her numb for close to seven years. Later on, in 1940, Maya Angelou moved to San Francisco with her mother where she worked as a dancer, prostitute and cocktail waitress to make ends meet.
Maya Angelou’s literary talents developed and progressed when she moved to New York at the Harlem Writer’s Guild. Her first achievement was when she got a role at a play called Opera Porgy and Bess which gave her the opportunity to tour 22 different countries in both Europe and Africa (Agins 15). Other literary achievements were that she was able to perform The Blacks studied dance from Pearl Primus and Martha Graham.
Maya Angelou’s contribution to the civil rights movement was through meeting up with both Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X. With Martin Luther in 1960, she successfully helped raise funds for a civil rights organization called the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). The raising of the funds was done through her appearance and organizing a music revue called Cabaret for Freedom (Agins 20). Upon her arrival back to America, she collaborated with Malcolm X to form the Organization of Afro-American Unity which had a crucial role in promoting cooperation between people from African descent and African people in America (Agins 22).
Maya Angelou is the first female poet to perform for President Bill Clinton during the presidential inauguration in 1993. The poem that she recited is called “On the Pulse of Morning.” She also had other poems which received awards and recognition from different people and organizations. Another interesting fact is that her poems till date are referred to as anthems of African American (Agins 25). Maya Angelou has received different awards for the past few years. For the spoken word category in the Grammy awards, she has won three awards. In literature and film matters, she has won accolades and scooped over fifty honorary degrees. Other significant awards that she has received include National Medal of Arts by the United States Congress, Spingarn Medal by NAACP and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor of the United States by President Barack Obama.
Another achievement by Maya Angelou was when she joined a university in Ghana called Wake Forest University where she received her degree in 1977 and was awarded the University’s first Reynolds Professor of American Studies. Besides Wake Forest University, she has been able to make different appearances as a lecturer in different institutions (Agins 35). Other recognizable contributions are her involvement in various television series, first black woman to write a screenplay in the film industry, a freelance editor for some journals and a huger influencer through her autobiography called I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Maya Angelou is a remarkable black woman who has different contributions from different organizations and industries. Her poems and autobiography are still to date being read and shared by people who recognize the significant role that she played in society. Black man history month is an outstanding annual time to commemorate the fantastic contributions that different prominent people have done for people. Maya Angelou is a perfect example that somebody can rise from grass to glory by working through hard life situations and be a change agent in society.
Work cited.
Agins, Donna B. Maya Angelou: A Biography of an Award-Winning Poet and Civil Rights Activist. Enslow Publishing, LLC, 2013.