Bailey loved his little sister, but had a very difficult time pronouncing her name, so he called her “My” for “My sister.” A few years later, Bailey read a book about the Mayan people of Mexico and Central America and began to call little My “Maya”.
When Marguerite Annie Johnson was three years old, her parents divorced and she and her older brother, Bailey, were sent to live with their grandmother in a small town in Arkansas called Stamps. Her parents called her Marguerite Annie Johnson. On the 4th of April in 1928, in the city of St. Only if one views himself or herself as equally capable, equally strong, and as equally human as another, will mutual respect, kindness, and compassion evolve amongst humankind. Mario Chiodo chose to memorialize Angelou with her own quote: “Only equals can be friends,” and upon learning about this great woman, it becomes clear that this principle has served as a guiding strand of wisdom throughout her life.
Angelou, and she has bestowed generosity, guidance, and inspiration upon the millions who have crossed her path, read her poetry, and heard her speak.
“All that,” says Oprah Winfrey, “and she cooks like a champion: She prepares the kind of food that makes you want to take a bite and tell about it.” She is best known for her autobiographical work I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, but her feats span beyond the realm of writing to include teaching, travel, acting, singing and dancing, activism, especially during the Civil Rights Movement, and mothering a child since the ripe age of 17. Maya Angelou must be remembered for her ceaseless courage, depth of wisdom, and undying spirit and wit.