Maya Angelou died in May, 2014. at the age of 86. She was a national treasure, being a poet, historian, author, activist and teacher, whose bestselling books included “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” published in 1969. Angelou was asked to recite her poem, “On the Pulse of Morning” at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration in 1993, resulting in Angelou being called “the black woman’s poet laureate”.
Postmaster General, Megan Brennan, in a statement released on Monday had this to say about Angelou: “Maya Angelou inspired our nation through a life of advocacy and through her many contributions to the written and spoken word. Her wide-ranging achievements as a playwright, poet, memoirist, educator, and advocate for justice and equality enhanced our culture.”
When Angelou was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011, President Obama remarked, “Out of a youth marked by pain and injustice, Dr. Maya Angelou rose with an unbending determination to fight for civil rights and inspire every one of us to recognize and embrace the possibility and potential we each hold.” In all, Maya Angelou was awarded over 50 honorary degrees, besides several medals.
While in her early teens, Angelou moved to Oakland, California. This is where she started delving into the field of Arts that would influence her career. While honing her skills in the arts, she also became San Francisco’s first black female cable car conductor. She eventually moved on, but came back to the Bay Area to visit her son, who still lives there.
Around 20 subjects are considered every year to be honored with a postage stamp. Now, Maya Angelou will join the likes of Elvis Presley, Rosa Parks, John F. Kennedy and Harvey Milk, as well as many other figures who have influenced our way of life, history and culture.
