Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou, born Marguerite Annie Johnson, endured a childhood marked by trauma and displacement. After being assaulted at age seven, she went mute for nearly five years — turning to books, poetry, and the power of language to find her voice again.

Her 1969 autobiography, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, broke literary ground by honestly depicting the experiences of a Black girl growing up in the American South. It became one of the most widely read and taught books in the world.

Angelou went on to write seven autobiographies, dozens of poetry collections, and countless essays. She was a playwright, actress, director, and civil rights activist who worked alongside both Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. In 1993, she became the first Black woman to recite a poem at a presidential inauguration. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.