Born April 4, 1928, St. Louis, Missouri died: May 28, 2014

Maya Angelou fought racial and gender barriers to become a world renowned author, poet, activist, singer, dancer, and scholar. 

Angelou received the National Book Foundation’s Literarian Award for outstanding service to the American literary community. In 2010, President Barack Obama awarded Angelou the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor. This honored her work not only as an artist but acknowledged her as a leading figure in the Civil Rights movement.