Thornwell Celebrates Black History Month | Maya Angelou

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

Maya Angelou

Thornwell is proud to celebrate Black History Month and the incredible accomplishments of individuals like Maya Angelou.

Born in April 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, Angelou grew to become a civil rights activist, poet, screenwriter, actor, dancer, world traveler, mother, and award-winning author known for her acclaimed 1969 memoir, ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” 

Though Angelou became so many great things, she had a difficult childhood. At the early age of 7, she experienced racism and endured physical trauma. In turn, her abuser was killed, and the trauma from this incident and all that surrounded it impacted her upbringing and outlook on life. Angelou was so traumatized by the experience; she stopped talking and spent 5 years mute.

During World War II, Angelou moved to California. There she won a scholarship to California Labor School to study dance and acting. This was just the beginning of the love she had for performance art. In the mid-1950s, Angelou’s performance career began to flourish. She appeared in many off-Broadway productions. 

Angelou was great friends with Martin Luther King Jr. Together, they fought against racism. In 1968, Angelou worked to help King organize a march when he was assassinated. The death of leaders Martin Luther King and her other close friend, Malcolm X, inspired Angelou to write, produce, and narrate a 10-part documentary titled “Blacks, Blues, Black!”

Angelou grew to become a writer. She published several collections of poetry. Her most known is the 1971’s collection Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Die. This was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize.

Other famous poem collections written by Angelou include: Oh Pray My Wings Are Gonna Fit Me Well (1975), which includes Angelou’s poem “Alone,” And Still I Rise (1978), which features the beloved poem “Phenomenal Woman,” Shaker, Why Don’t You Sing? (1983), I Shall Not Be Moved (1990), featuring the poem “Human Family”; Apple used a video of Angelou reading this poem for a 2016 Olympics Advertisement, and Even the Stars Look Lonesome (1997).