Every day brings a new story. And each day contributes to the art of story telling -- in prose and poetry, in music, on the stage, on the screen, and, of course, in books.
Today is the story of April 4th
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It is the 94th day of the year, leaving 271 days remaining in 2022.
Angelou was also an actress, playwright, producer, director, and civil rights activist. In 1992, President Bill Clinton asked her to read a poem at his inauguration; she became only the second person to do so, and the first black woman. She wrote On the Pulse of Morning for the occasion.
Her story telling told of her experiences in life, including her rape at the age of eight by her mother's boyfriend, and his subsequent murder. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings told of Angelou's early life, and how she overcame sexist and racist oppression.
Her other six memoirs focused on the same theme, writing about her identity as a Black woman, along with the attacks that came with it. She celebrated Black motherhood and the importance of family, while criticizing racism and the patriarchy.
Her poetry also drew on her personal experiences, but she often wrote in various personas. Her collections included And Still I Rise, which tells of her life, giving a message of liberation and survival. She wrote His Day is Done after the death of Nelson Mandela.
She grew up with her grandmother in rural Stamps, Ark., and moved with her mother to San Francisco at age 12, where she took a variety of odd jobs. She moved to New York City in the 1950s, where she joined the Harlem Writers Guild. She also lived in Cairo, Egypt, and in Ghana, Africa. In both places, she worked as a journalist for local newspapers.
Angelou returned to the United States and acted in several movies and TV shows, including How to Make an American Quilt and Roots. She received a Tony nomination for Look Away, even though it closed after one performance. She wrote the movie drama Georgia, Georgia, meaning she was one of the first Black woman to have her screenplay made into a featured motion picture.
She won numerous Grammy Awards. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011.
She died in 2014 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
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