Maya Angelou

Poet

April 4, 1928 Black Celebrities Born on April 4 St. Louis, Missouri, United States

May 28, 2014 Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States

Enistasious Tosh Angelos (m. 1951–1954), Paul du Feu (m. 1974–1983)

Maya Angelou was an American poet, civil rights activist, and writer. She is known for publishing seven autobiographies that chronicle her childhood and teenage experiences. Maya faced a lot of domestic crises as a child. At the young age of eight, she was sexually abused by her mother's boyfriend. While growing up, she did not have a place to settle down and had to travel to many places along with her older brother. Despite having a difficult childhood and adolescence, she did not let her spirit to be broken. She started working as a cab driver, and then became a dancer and singer. Soon, she learnt several languages while on a tour to Europe, and showed keen interest in English literature. She befriended established African-American writers who motivated her to pursue writing as a career. Maya published her first autobiography. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, at the age of 41. The book received favorable reviews and she gradually became an established writer. She also acted in musicals, tried her hand at directing movies, and even wrote and produced a documentary. She is also known for her feminist thoughts, as mentioned in her famous poem 'Phenomenal Woman.'