This research guide will connect you to primary works, reference works, print books and e-books, databases for articles, and other information sources for American activist and writer, Maya Angelou.
For more resources on the civil rights movement c. 1950s-1960s, visit the Gumberg Library's guide on the Civil Rights Movement.
Photograph from Wikimedia, Maya Angelou reciting her poem "On the Pulse of the Morning" at Bill Clinton's Presidential Inauguration in 1993.
Maya Angelou (1928-2014), born Marguerite Annie Johnson, was an American civil rights activist, memoirist, and poet. She is best known for her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), which describes her life until the age of 17, exploring her experiences. She is also well-known for her poetry, which "has often been lauded more fore for its depictions of Black beauty, the strength of women, and the human spirit" (The Poetry Foundation). Throughout the Civil Rights Movement, she also worked closely with influential figures, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010, and became the first Black woman featured on US quarters.
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Wouldn't Take Nothing for My Journey Now
Letter to My Daughter
On the Pulse of Morning
Icons of African American Literature
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This research guide was created by Agaretha Kosasih, English Department Intern, December 2024
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