Why I Chose Maya
by Tamara Anderson
When I discovered I was pregnant, I knew before the doctor told me that the baby would be a girl. Without hesitation, I thought of Maya for Maya Angelou and Simone for Nina Simone. Two women who continue to have a profound effect on my existence. Today, the world lost a woman who cannot be simply contained by the descriptors of poet, wordsmith, civil rights activist, dancer, historian, or sage. She was so much more than any single or multitude of words.
She went beyond being a phenomenal woman. And easily became your mother telling you, "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude." Then with a turn of her head, and a twinkle in her eye she wrote, "Oh, Black known and unknown poets, how often have your auctioned pains sustained us? Who will compute the lonely nights made less lonely by your songs, or by the empty pots made less tragic by your tales?"
Now who would not want their daughter to begin life with a name as simple and as eloquent as Maya?
I remember going to hear her speak when I was in college. She shared a story about her reaction to Malcolm's death. She overheard a gentleman in a bar yell at the television that he got what he deserved, and she began to weep more. Because "No one loved us more than he." I agree.
She embraced and loved James Baldwin when others misunderstood or judged.
I still get chills when I think of her soft cadence and her direct but gentle touch. She showed us the best by teaching each of us to love all our flaws. To accomplish more by living through and with obstacles and heartaches as opposed to ignoring them. When I was in 7th grade I discovered, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and read her entire series of books in less than two weeks. And I have been reading her ever since. In my mind, I could feel her trauma and her voicelessness. Her words washed over me like a sunny day in the middle of a storm. And her spirit will continue to drench me like the welcome rain after the drought.
"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw something back."
"My mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more educated and more intelligent than college professors"
You will be missed but I shed no tears because your life was a blessing and continues to be a blessing. Nearly nine decades of a rich legacy left for generations to come.
I chose the name Maya because Dr. Angelou always chose me. And I write and dance and love because of her. And I loved her like family so I invited her into my home and into my thoughts and into my spirit, and in return I blessed my Maya with a little of her. And for that I will always be thankful.
Reprinted with permission from Confessions of a Single Parent Actress, http://confessionsofsingleparentactress.blogspot.com/2014/05/why-i-chose-name-maya-tribute-to-dr.html
Tamara Anderson is currently an educational policy writer, blogger, and singer/actress. Tamara joined the Philadelphia Writing Project in 2009 after attending the Summer Institute and serves on the PhilWP Journal editorial review board.