Maya Angelou Influences

Maya Angelou spreading an attachment to honesty, civil rights, savoring life and writing the experiences, a dominating woman became a motivation to all. Maya Angelou’s words were always destined for honor and praise for centuries yet to come. Her writings continue to promote equality, soul-searching and friendship. Maya created a way to express herself freely and instill character and integrity in people by doing so. She found happiness and a way out through her writings and commanded her voice to be heard by them. Maya influenced the ordinary African-American women to be great and demand respect, and for that we should be forever grateful. Forever grateful we got a chance to have such a strong, eloquent role model to leave her marks in history
Louis, Missouri, Maya Angelou had a very rough childhood. Her parents split up when she was very young forcing she and her brother Bailey to move to Stamps, Arkansas with her father’s mother, Anne Henderson. As an African-American Maya experienced firsthand racism in Arkansas. Not only did she deal with discrimination, but at age 7 during a visit with her mother, she got raped by her mother’s boyfriend. Then, as justice for the assault, Mayas uncle killed the boyfriend. Traumatized by it all, she decided to stop talking and returned to Arkansas as a virtual mute, but that didn't stop her success. During World War II, Maya moved to San Francisco, CA where she received a scholarship to study drama and dance at San Francisco’s Labor High School. She soon dropped out at the age of 14 to become San Francisco’s first African-American cable car conductor. Later, she finished high school then gave birth to her son Guy at age 16, a few weeks after graduation. In the late 1950s, Maya began working with the Harlem Writer’s Guild and with the counseling of her friend, James Baldwin, she began working on I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Lots of trouble came with that piece of literature back then, due to Maya’s honesty about being sexually assaulted at a young age. In 1954 and 1955, Maya toured Europe with the opera Porgy and Bess. She also studied Modern dance with renowned Martha Graham, danced with incredible inspirations like Alvin
It started when colonists and Britons brought the thought of darker skin colors meaning negativity and filth to North America. They believed race to be the basis of slavery. During the time of Maya Angelou’s life, southerners created what is known as the “Jim Crow Laws.” These laws were invented to segregate whites from blacks. After so many years of tormenting, a call for black leaders was demanded. Many African-Americans began forming meetings and plans to help change the way of these laws and make a better life for all. Maya Angelou was very actively involved in civil rights and equality no matter what the skin color may be. In addition to slavery and segregation there was government control. President Herbert Hoover ruled and didn’t do a commendable job. It soon transferred over in 1932 to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt who pledged to transform the falling economy by help of The New Deal. Many problems were occurred during this time and people would do anything to distract themselves from reality. No one had too much money, but the radio was free and so people started investing their time in listening to help escape the grim reality that was the 1930s. (history.com Staff,