“I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life’s a bitch. You’ve got to go out and kick ass” – Maya Angelou
I initially intended for the Inspirational Individuals’ slot to be a pool overflowing with new talent and fresh faces. I wanted to tell the untold stories, unravel the journeys and give readers access to the youth of today who are having an impact on the world. Yet, what about the elders who have shaped , in some way a generation? From becoming San Francisco’s first black streetcar conductor to a leading hero, Maya Angelou has earned her unparalleled place in American literature.
Maya Angelou was an American author and poet, born in Missouri April 4th 1928. She has been referred to as a literacy genius, a titan who lived as though there were no tomorrow and a Renaissance woman through and through. Her life though, did not begin this way. The confident, empowered woman who inspired so many was a child when raped by her mother’s boyfriend. Four days after his one day prison sentence, the culprit had been murdered (supposedly by Angelou’s uncles). Believing her voice could kill, in response to the attack she became mute for five years, before her mother told her that in actual fact her words could have the power to change. Despite her fall toward poverty and crime, countless love affairs and playing the survival game as a prostitute, Angelou took it upon herself to move to New York city and write. She soon became a civil rights leader and fundraiser opposite Martin Luther King Jr. Her works include plays, poetry, television programmes and not to mention – “Blacks, Blues, Black” which was a series of documentaries about the link between American-African heritage and blues music as well as the screenplay “Georgia Georgia” which was the first script produced by a black woman. After her dark year involving depression following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr, Maya strived to hit a high. She recited her poem “On the Pulse of morning” at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton which was awarded a Grammy and two years later her delivery of “Startling Truth” commemorated the 50th anniversary of the UN, her aim was to “tell the human truth”, which is evident in her most recent works of seven autobiographies.
It was with courage, grace, a warrior-like attitude and infinite amount of determination that Maya Angelou succeeded in life. It may have been with a heavy heart that you learnt of Maya Angelou’s passing but now it is our turn as the younger generation, the future empowered women to go out, kick ass and do her proud!
Rest in Peace Maya Angelou (04/04/1928-28/05/2014)