Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou, who was born Marguerite Annie Johnson, was one of the most well-known people of the 20th century. She started her career as a singer and dancer, went on to work as a writer and civil rights activist, wrote seven well-regarded autobiographies, taught at Wake Forest University, and was given numerous awards, including the 2010 Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Angelou was a prolific poet who wrote poems on a wide range of subjects, including racism, discrimination against women, music, love, and loss. She has been described as "the black woman's poet laureate" and "the people's poet." In 1993, at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton, Angelou read her poem "On the Pulse of Morning." She was the first female poet and the second person ever to get this accolade after Robert Frost. The anthems of African Americans have been said to be Maya Angelou's poems, which are still very well-liked.

Famous Poems:

• Still I Rise (1978)
• On the Pulse of Morning (1993)
• Phenomenal Woman (1978)

Lifespan: April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014