 |
| Maya Angelou |
With the death of Maya Angelou, we lose the immense wisdom of the celebrated African American author, poet and civil activist. Maya Angelou, the American poet and author, died at her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on Wednesday. Bill Clinton, at whose inauguration Angelou read her On the Pulse of the Morning, said in a statement: "America has lost a national treasure, and Hillary and I a beloved friend."
Angelou’s failing health was reported as recently as Tuesday, when she canceled an appearance honoring her with a Beacon of Life Award because of “health reasons”. The ceremony was part of the 2014 MLB Beacon Award Luncheon, in Houston, Texas, part of Major League Baseball’s Civil Rights Games.
Angelou was born Marguerite Annie Johnson, in St Louis, Missouri, in 1928. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was an indictment of the racial discrimination she experienced during her childhood. In 1993, she read On the Pulse of the Morning at President Clinton's first inauguration, a performance that made the poem a bestseller. Angelou was a long-time Clinton supporter. Actors, writers, directors, activists and politicians shared thankful and mournful notes in response to Angelou’s death. JK Rowling called her "utterly amazing"; Lena Dunham thanked Angelou for "your power, your politics, your poetry. Photograph: Martin Godwin for the Guardian
If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. I do not trust people who don't love themselves and yet tell me, 'I love you.' My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.
Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.
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.
I love to see a young girl go out and grab the world by the lapels. Life's a bitch. The love of the family, the love of the person can heal. A massive, powerful society.
Forgive everybody.
Angelou had lived in North Carolina since the early 1980s, when she became a professor at Wake Forest University, a private liberal arts college. A statement from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem called Angelou "a national treasure whose life and teachings inspired millions around the world".
The mayor of Winston-Salem, Allen Joines, said the town would probably remember Angelou best for her commitment to health and theatre.
In 2012, the Maya Angelou Women’s Health and Wellness Center opened in the city. A street in Winston-Salem is named after Angelou.
In April 2008, the town threw Angelou an 80th birthday party. Prolific American author, poet and civil rights activist Maya Angelou has died at 86.
USA TODAY Network lists of her best quotes:
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal Woman, "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."
MORE: A look at Maya Angelou. "One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage, we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. "Love recognizes no barriers.
