Maya Angelou was an American author, poet, and civil rights activist, who overcame a childhood filled with trauma to become a literary icon. Born Marguerite Annie Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri in 1928, Angelou grew up in the Jim Crow South, where she experienced racism, poverty, and sexual abuse.
At the age of 7, Angelou was raped by her mother's boyfriend. The trauma of this event caused her to stop speaking for five years, during which time she developed a love of literature and poetry. Despite facing enormous challenges, Angelou went on to have an illustrious career as a writer and activist.
Angelou's first book, "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," was published in 1969 and became an instant bestseller. The book is a memoir of her childhood and adolescence and is widely regarded as a classic of African American literature. Angelou went on to publish more than 30 books, including poetry, essays, and autobiographies.
In addition to her writing, Angelou was also a prominent civil rights activist. She worked closely with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, and was a key figure in the movement for racial equality. Angelou was also a professor of American studies at Wake Forest University in North Carolina.
Despite the challenges she faced throughout her life, Angelou never gave up on her dreams. She once said, "You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it."
Angelou passed away in 2014 at the age of 86, but her legacy lives on as an inspiration to generations of writers, activists, and artists.
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