Angelou, Maya
1928-2014 · Contribution: 1969-1993
Literature & Writing
Author of 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'; first African American woman to recite an original poem at a U.S. presidential inauguration
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Quick facts
- Born
- 1928-2014
- Category
- Literature & Writing
Impact on the world
Angelou opened American letters to the unflinching first-person testimony of Black women's lives, and her inaugural reading made poetry a national moment.
Sources
- Poetry Foundation
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