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By Rupert Johnson
Dr. Maya Angelou was indeed an inspiration to everyone. Her embodiment of the renaissance has certainly transformed this remarkable woman into a quintessential icon. Her omni competence and amazing accomplishments can attest to this fact. She was not only a celebrated poet, novelist, and actress, but an outstanding historian, filmmaker, producer, artist, dramatist, musician, singer, educator, and Civil Rights advocate as well. It is, therefore, not surprising that she was always referred to as a “Renaissance Woman”.
But her breaking of the “glass ceiling” was not a cake walk, this astounding feat was achieved through sheer determination and hard work. Thus, her name has become synonymous the terms courage, perseverance, strength, and resilience.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4, 1928, her birth name was Marguerite Ann Johnson, but as a nightclub singer she changed her name to Maya Angelou.
It is remarkable that through her indomitable spirit she overcame many racial barriers, economic hardships, and the trauma of sexual abuse at the tender age of 7. This dastardly sexual act was so traumatic that she did not utter a single word for 5 years.
In her memoir: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings she outlined in graphic terms her confrontation with overt racism and the sexual abuse she endured.
It was courage that sustained Maya Angelou through those turbulent years. “Courage,” she wrote, “is the most important of all the virtues because without courage, you can’t practice any other virtue consistently.” Those are indeed memorable words.
As a Civil Rights activist, Maya Angelou worked assiduously with Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King (Jr.) in the perpetual quest for social and economic justice in America. She was very committed to Malcolm X’s ideal of African-American Unity. She wrote: “The passion my people would exhibit under Malcolm’s leadership was going to help us rid our country of racism once and for all.”
After Malcolm’s assassination, Maya answered King’s call in the fight for economic justice. King desperately wanted a credible person to communicate with black preachers across America with regard to economic justice for the poor, so Maya was chosen for this job. King said: “I need you, Maya. Not too many black preachers can resist a good-looking woman with a good idea.”
Maya’s life’s work was not confined to her American homeland. She travelled extensively and by so doing she was truly an international personality. For example, in Cairo, Egypt, she was the editor of the Arab Observer, a weekly English language newspaper, and she taught music and drama at the University of Ghana. Her mastery of several languages such as French, Spanish, Italian, and Arabic enabled her to be at ease in many countries.
Maya Angelou was the recipient of numerous awards including the Presidential Medal of Arts, the Lincoln Medal, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is to be noted that at the personal request of President Clinton, Maya read her celebrated poem: On the Pulse of the Morning at his inauguration in 1993.
But this “Renaissance Woman” was much more than an academician and Civil Rights activist. She was a very loving, caring, and compassionate human being who exuded a great deal of empathy. She wrote: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Bitterness and resentment as a result of the brutal treatment she received while growing up in southern U.S. did not consume her being. She firmly believed in the power of forgiveness. In the words of Maya: “Forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give yourself. It’s not for the other person. You must forgive. It’s for your own sake. To rid yourself of that weight … that’s the answer.”
It is indeed noteworthy that this remarkable quintessential “Renaissance Woman” dedicated her life span of 86 years in quest for justice, freedom, peace. It is, therefore, with sadness that we mourn her death on Wednesday, May 28.
May Maya Angelou’s soul rest in peace.
Rupert Johnson can be reached at: r.b.johnson@sympatico.ca.
