269: Maya Angelou
Poet, Memoirist, Actress
Born: 4 April 1928, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America
Died: 28 May 2014, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America
Original Name: Marguerite Annie Johnson
Before her eighth birthday she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend—and the man was actually murdered soon afterward—the whole experience leaving her practically mute for a few years.
Maya lived in both Egypt and Ghana for a time.
After returning to the US she became one of the first African American women to have a screenplay she wrote turned into a Hollywood movie.
Maya appeared in multiple television, film, and theatre roles including the tv miniseries Roots.
Maya received a Tony nomination for a play that only ran on Broadway for one night.
She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
Badges Earned:
Find a Grave Marked
Located In My Personal Library:
Where Are They Buried? How Did They Die? by Tod Benoit
The Book of Awesome Women: Boundary Breakers, Freedom Fighters, Sheroes, and Female Firsts by Becca Anderson
Whose Who in American History: Leaders, Visionaries, and Icons who Shaped Our Nation by John M Thompson, William R Gray, and KM Kostyal
Sources: