Maya Angelou was an inspirational writer, storyteller and civil rights activist whose words and actions remain a powerful influence on modern day life, even decades after her death in 2014. Her charm and impact comes from her ability to bring literature, political activism and social commentary into the everyday lives of her readers and listeners. A series of important factors in Angelou’s life informed her work, and continue to shape the legacy she left behind.
Angelou’s early years included a complicated home life, with her parents divorcing when she was only three years old. This experience had a big impact in her work – she was the author of autobiographical books like I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, and her struggles informed her understanding of oppression, race and mental health. Her upbringing, along with her entanglement in the civil rights movement, provided her with the layers of experience needed to craft stories and tell them with power and emotion.
Angelou spent time living around the world, from Egypt to Ghana. In Ghana, she came into contact with thinking around Pan-Africanism and she met people who had been renowned for resisting colonial rule. This clearly impacted her work – it opened her eyes to the oppression that her fellow African Americans had been suffering for centuries. From that point on, she fought harder for their rights, becoming a legend in the civil rights movement.
Angelou was also an avid reader, inspired by the Qur’an, Plato, Shakespeare and the Bible. Her writing was heavily informed by some of the most influential works of history, including Edward Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. She was an adept student of the English language, and her use of language helped her to empathise with her readers, allowing them to feel the emotions in her work. She had an acute understanding of literature, media and philosophy, and was constantly searching for new ideas to introduce into her writing.
Angelou’s composed her poem Phenomenal Woman in 1978, but it had its roots in Angelou’s complicated teenage years. She was trying to process the unfairness and hardships of her realities, moments where society tried to dictate her destiny. With her words, she resisted this narrative with creative visual imagery which brought a new strength to her stories – one she found within herself. This was a message for women of all backgrounds, empowering them to battle racism, sexism, and all forms of outward judgement.
Family
Family played a huge role in the shaping of Maya Angelou. Born Marguerite Johnson in 1928 in rural Arkansas, her parents divorced when she was three, so alongside her brother Bailey they moved to St. Louis to live with their grandmother(Annie Henderson). Fortunately, Angelou was surrounded by strong women, including both her grandmother and mother. Grandma Henderson was a conservative woman, a devout Baptist and a talented cook who had worked hard to save the money to bring her three children over from Arkansas. Annie provided the steady nurturing, and Angelou was inspired to become an independent woman who could stand up to the world.
In St. Louis, Angelou stumbled across musical theatre, spending her days perfecting the great operas and musicals of the day, something that provided her with an escape from the horrors and traumas of everyday life. She also formed a strong relationship with her uncle, Willie Johnson, who was away in the Navy, and was a key figure in bringing jazz and blues into her life, something that was world transforming for her.
By 14, Angelou had moved back to Arkansas with her mother, a time that introduced her to the dark secrets of her past. Along the way, she dealt with the discord of her mother’s alcohol and drug abuse, as well as the physical and verbal abuse of her boyfriend. It was during this period that Angelou was introduced to the racial discriminations of the South, which would stay with her for life, something that provided her with the foundation of her later civil rights activism.
At 17, Angelou had divorced, had a son and was still dependent on her mother for financial support. These struggles and hopes for a better future eventually drove her to embark on a world of opportunities, from North Carolina to California, passing through Africa and back.
Angelou’s family provided her with experiences that made her resilient, inspired and capable of inspiring others. Her strong views and opinions on motherhood, men and life were key in her writing, allowing her to tell stories of a life of struggle and achieve greater freedoms despite the ever present temptations to stay in the past.
Education
Education was also an integral part of Maya Angelou’s life and shaping her character and writing. Early on, Angelou was passionate about expressing herself through various forms, whether through music, theatre, dance or literature. She attended George Washington High School in San Francisco, a school noted for its Music, Art, and Drama curriculums. At the time, there was also a great emphasis on social education, something where Angelou exposed herself to the civil rights and gender equality movements.
Angelou continued her studies of literature, attending a series of colleges and universities, such as the University of California, Berkeley, San Francisco State University and the University of Ghana. Along the way, she was exposed to renowned names in literature and history, in some cases meeting with them in person. For example, during her time in Ghana she had the opportunity of meeting W.E.B. Du Bois. These experiences granted her a greater understanding of the options available to African Americans and put her on the path of civil rights activism.
Angelou was also an accomplished professor of English, teaching across the world at various universities, such as Wake Forest University, Georgia State University and the University of Ghana. During this time, she wrote and published a variety of craft essays and literature anthologies, as well as a series of autobiographical volumes, discussions of life and learnings, eventually becoming a professor emeritus.
Education provided Angelou with the platform to express herself, as well as being a gateway in the greater struggle for civil rights and equality. These experiences allowed Angelou to share her experiences and stories with the world, inspiring others to strive for greater freedom and equality, something that she went on to do through her words and actions.
Media
The influence of media was also paramount in Maya Angelou’s life and message. From writing essays in the 1940s in the Arkansas black press, to appearing and speaking at famous festivals, Angelou was able to share her thoughts and create a dialog with a wider audience reaching across the nation.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Angelou was already a respected name in literature and political activism. Publications started to flock to her words and the demand for Angelou’s presence in the media grew. She appeared in various magazines and newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post, spreading her message of racial equality and justice worldwide.
In 1972, Angelou even lent her voice to the medium of television. She became the star of the series Black Star, an educational show hosted by her that advertised the civil rights initiatives she was championing. Not only was she a great proponent for diversity and civil rights in the media, but she was also an advocate for gun control laws, environmental protection and nuclear disarmament.
The influence of media was paramount in the expanding of Maya Angelou’s recognition, messaging and reach. Appearing in multiple newspapers, magazines and on television, Angelou was able to reach out to a much wider audience than ever before. These experiences and platforms are still used to this day, as her influence continues to impact people from all walks of life.
Racism
Racism was a present struggle in Angelou’s life, and it was often a featured topic in her writing and lectures. Angelou became an outspoken figure against racism, making it her mission to raise awareness of the challenges faced by African Americans both at the time, and historically.
In her autobiography I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, Angelou wrote about the racism she experienced in Stamps, Arkansas, when as a young girl she was called names and discriminated against due to the colour of her skin. This motivated her more towards activism and to stand up against prejudice. The book granted her greater recognition, and she went on to write seven more autobiographical volumes.
In 1969, when she was an integral part of the civil rights movement, Angelou wrote a poem for a Malcolm X memorial entitled “My Name is Lost”, where she recount her experiences with extreme racial prejudices. She wrote about the physical and psychological assaults that her fellow African Americans suffered daily.
Angelou wrote a second poem in 1970, a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., where Angelou stated that she would not be a servant to the slave master any longer, and that she was determined to be her own master, a theme that was also present in many of her other works.
Through her writing and activism, Angelou used racism as an opportunity to inspire, and to tell of her own experiences and those of her fellow African Americans. She lent her strength and stature to push for a better future for African Americans, and with her words she was able to bring attention to the topic and inspire the next generation of activists and writers.
Legacy
When Maya Angelou passed away in 2014, she left behind a body of work that had made an indelible impression on society. Her books, poetry, and activism had inspired millions, and her courageous stories of overcoming racism and oppression had paved the way for the next generation of writers and civil rights leaders. With her work she was not just looking back into the past but making a direct effort to shape the present and future.
Angelou was an icon in civil rights activism, feminism and literature. She became a mother-like figure to her readers and listeners, inspiring them to stand up against hate and oppression, and to ask for the respect and rights that everyone deserves. Her work was integral in the African American intellectual movement and the civil rights era, providing the words and wisdom that brought truth and inspiration to oppressed people all across the world.
Angelou’s influence stretched across continents and disciplines – from the adoption of her poem Phenomenal Woman by women from all cultures, to her words being used by Obama and Clinton during election campaigns. She was a powerful figure, particularly for women, making strides for female representation in literature and politics, and creating a platform for those facing adversity to share their struggles.
Maya Angelou was one of the most influential authors, activists and storytellers of our time, and her work has left a profound legacy in the civil rights and literary worlds. She showed us that it was possible to create a better future out of our pasts and to draw upon our experiences to become the masters of our own destiny. Her words and actions will continue to be a powerful influence on modern society, motivating us all to strive for a better tomorrow.
