English 1102 Troy University

1. Maya Angelou:
Words Are
Power
By Kenara Byrd

2. Biography
• Maya Angelou was born Marguerite Annie Johnson to Bailey Johnson and Vivian
Baxter Johnson on April 4, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. Her parents divorced when she
was three and neither wanted to take custody of Maya or her older brother Bailey
they were sent to live with her grandmother in Stamps, Arkansas.
• After four years in Stamps, Maya and Bailey were taken to St. Louis to live with their
mother Vivian Baxter. At the age of seven while living with mother she was sexually
assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend. She was forced to face her abuser when she
testified against him in court, but after the trial was complete the man was brutally
attacked and killed by a mob of unknown men. Traumatized by the event, Angelou
shutdown and took a vow of silence because she felt that her words were the cause
of his death because she spoke the name of her attacker to her brother, Bailey.

3. Biography Continue.
• After six years of silence, at 13 years-old with the encouragement of her teacher,
an educated black woman, helped Angelou reclaimed her voice and passion to
explore her curiosity and spirit to live through words.
• Before graduating, she worked as the first Black female streetcar conductor in San
Francisco. Three weeks after graduating from school, at the age of 17, she gave
birth to her son, Clyde (who later changed his name to Guy Johnson).
• In 1952, she married Anastasios Angeloupulos, a Greek sailor. Despite the fact the
marriage didn’t last long she took the professional name Maya Angelou, which was
a combination of her a childhood name that her brother Bailey called her and
former husband’s last name.

4. Biography Continue
• During 1954 and 1955 Angelou toured Europe with a production of the opera Porgy and
Bess. She began her practice of trying to learn the language of every country she
visited, and in a few years she gained proficiency in several languages. In 1957, riding on
the popularity of calypso, Angelou recorded her first album, Miss Calypso, which was
reissued as a CD in 1996.
• By the request of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. she returned to the United States and worked
to help in the civil rights movement as a northern coordinator of the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference.
• “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” published in 1970 and it chronicled her life up to the
age of seventeen, after giving birth to her son, Guy.

5. Biography Continue
• Angelou has received several awards
and nominations to include the Pulitzer
Prize, Tony Awards nomination, and won
three Grammys for her spoken word
albums. She has worked on two
presidential committees, and was
awarded the National Medal of Arts, the
Lincoln Medal, and the Presidential
Medal of Freedom.
• She have received over 30 honorary
degrees and is currently Reynolds
Professor of American Studies at Wake
Forest University in North Carolina.

6. Angelou’s Work
Chronology of autobiographies
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969): Up to
1944 (age 17)
Gather Together in My Name (1974): 1944–1948
Singin' and Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like
Christmas (1976): 1949–1955
The Heart of a Woman (1981): 1957–1962
All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes (1986):
1962–1965
A Song Flung Up to Heaven (2002): 1965–1968
Mom & Me & Mom (2013): overview

7. Angelou’s Work
Continues
Poems
• “Phenomenal Woman”
• Still I Rise
• “I Know Why The Cage Bird Sings”
• “Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water
'fore I Diiie”
• "On the Pulse of Morning"

8. Famous Quotes
• One isn't necessarily born with courage,
but one is born with potential. Without
courage, we cannot practice any other
virtue with consistency. We can't be
kind, true, merciful, generous, or
honest.
• One isn't necessarily born with courage,
but one is born with potential. Without
courage, we cannot practice any other
virtue with consistency. We can't be
kind, true, merciful, generous, or
honest.

9. Conclusion
Maya Angelou is a remarkable woman and
incredible writer. She is a poet, actress,
singer, dancer, playwright, producer, best
seller author, educator, historian, and civil-
rights activist, but best known for her
autobiographical books. Through her
spiritual lyrics and unique words that flow
through her readers mind that fascinated
their inner spirit to fulfill their potential in
life. She is currently 85 years-old and she
continues to speak and write for her
readers. She is truly a “Phenomenal
Woman” indeed.