Maya Angelou reading in her dressing room before a performance at Village Vanguard in New York City. (photo- G. Marshall Wilson)
Maya Angelou is a world renowned American treasure. A literary hero, civil rights activist, poet, playwright and so much more. I think every young black girl remembers reading I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings for the first time. Still I Rise is the soundtrack in my head on repeat. That glow, that confidence? Thank you Maya Angelou. For me, as a kid, Maya Angelou was one of my first understandings of a living legend. You heard about Martin Luther King Jr. to Shakespeare, but none of these people were still alive. “She did all of this and she’s still living?!” I thought. “I could meet her?!” Sadly, that never happened but Maya Angelou is still a light and source of inspiration to me. After the election last year, when I simply didn’t feel like writing, Maya Angelou’s words pulled me out of the fog like the north star and is the pillar of my content for ‘N A Perfect World still.
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery this is the first of a series of self-portraits I’m working on of me, channeling my black sheros. Let me know what you think and your favorite Maya Angelou book, poem, quote, speech, etc.
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My mom had a collection of poems by Maya Angelou that was a display piece in our living room. I used to grab it and perform “Still I Rise” all the time! She was definitely a beginning to the era of BLACK GIRL MAGIC for most of us!
I love this!
Great post!
Thank you!
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Nice