Maya Angelou, Author, Poet, Activist and Inspiration

As you may have heard, author, poet and activist Maya Angelou, 86, died yesterday at her home in North Carloina. Angelou, who had worked as a singer, dancer, director, playwright and poet, was best known for her book I Know Why the Caged Bird Signs, a 1969 publication which recounted her sexual abuse and caught the attentions of all Americans.

Not only was Angelou, who lived through segregation, a fierce fighter for civil rights, she was also a inspiration to female writers (and non-writers) across the literary and poetry spectrums. She was the first African American female poet laureate. She was the first African American woman to read at a presidential inauguration (President Bill Clinton requested that she read an original poem at his inauguration). She was the first African American woman to have a screenplay (Georgia, Georgia from 1972) filmed and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. She has even been credited with making Tupac cry!

A huge literary talent was lost with her passing, but we want to thank Maya Angelou for being a fighter of civil rights and a role model for women. She taught the value of being true to oneself and standing up for one's beliefs. She reminded us that, no matter what obstacles we come across or hurdles we must clear, still, we will rise.