Upon the passing of maya angelou
May 31, 2014 | Art Feed Online
Memoirist, poet and activist Maya Angelou, died on Wednesday at age 86. Most known for her memoir “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” and poem “Phenomenal Woman,” Angelou rose to fame with her beautifully-written, yet brutally personal writing. She wrote honestly about her upbringing in the south, race relations and gender roles in a way that shed light on her personal life. With this, she helped to shape, rectify, justify and define American and black culture.
She owned up to her past, for better or worse. She let it shape her future, for better or worse, and she struggled to find the meaning in each piece and parcel of it. Acknowledging and accepting the circumstances and events that got her to this place in life, she used them to lift her up, to lift others up, and to lift up a culture and a country. Most selfless of all, she laid it all on the table – every sordid detail and profound accomplishment – so that others didn’t have to sink into their own shame or regret, but instead become empowered by it...