Now you understand

Just why my heads not bowed.

I dont shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
Its in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
Cause Im a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
Thats me.

Introduction
Dr. Maya Angelou has claimed the title of poet, author, historian, civil rights
activist, and so much more in her lifetime. She has been an inspirational figure in my life
since having to recite Still I Rise as a third grader. Reading that poem sparked an
interest in me that I developed through reading more of her poems, books, and different
biographies written about her. My decision to discuss Dr. Angelou came about, initially
because I wanted a reason to memorialize her and her work. But also because there was
no other black woman that came to mind for me who embodies black feminist thought
more than Dr. Angelou.
As mentioned before, over 40 years Dr. Maya Angelou transformed herself from
being a damaged St. Louis girl living her life in silence to being one of the most
influential black authors, poets, and activists to ever live. In this discussion, I will present
background information on Maya Angelou, portraying who she was as an author, Civil
Rights activist, and poet; literature review information, describing who Maya Angelou
was towards other peers; and an observation section that details assumptions on how

Maya Angelou has impacted black feminism, including evidence that support these
assumptions.
Background
Born in St. Louis, Missouri on April 4, 1928, Maya Angelou was born into
a family of four, which consisted of her mother, father, and older brother, Bailey.
However, this family picture was short lived when her parents split, and Maya and her
brother was sent to live with Angelous grandmother, Anne Henderson, in Stamps,
Arkansas. In 1944, Angelou gave birth to a son, Guy, at the age of sixteen, forcing her to
hold multiple jobs to support herself and her child, whose father wasnt present. Shortly
thereafter, Dr. Angelou launched the first part of her career as an icon. She secured a spot
as a character in the production Porgy and Bess, which lead her to starring in Broadway
productions, venturing into the music entertainment field, and eventually writing the
piece that changed literary history, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.
Becoming the first black woman to have her screenplay produced, Dr. Maya
Angelou paved the way for many African American writers, such as Toni Morrison and
others, to create beautiful, meaningful works and have a platform for them to share.
Angelous bravery in the black community far exceeded her literary work, though. Dr.
Martin Luther Jr. asked Angelou to become the Northern coordinator for the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference, in the New York office, where she held a revue serving
as a fundraiser for the SCLC. Her work in politicking does not stop there, however.
Angelou was also known to be quite the activist for womens rights and empowerment.
When asked in a 2013 interview what advice she would give to the young women of this
generation, Angelou said she would tell them that they have to develop courage. Angelou

says, Youre not born with courage, but you develop it. Try to develop courage with
smaller things.
Sana Imtiaz and Saiqa Asif examined the literature, and wrote a review on
Angelous I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and the implications that it had on
feminism, and more specifically feminism as it relates to women of color. They wrote,
In the past, the studies on postcolonial literatures associate diaspora with melancholy
and loss of homeland. The trend has its roots in the chronicles of slaves transported to far
off regions and the tales of the mothers who loose their children in the auctions. Breaking
away from the tradition, the Postmodern diaspora critical theory sees diaspora as a site of
multiple identities resulting from being placed in various cultures. As such, diaspora is
not only a tool of marginalization but also a site of empowerment for the Black Women.
The present study focuses on how diaspora becomes one of the defining features in the
(dis)empowerment of the women of color and also how the process of
empowerment/disempowerment takes place. They chose this topic to write about in the
context of Maya Angelous I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings because in that memoir,
Angelou reveals some of the most trying memories of her childhood and young adult life.
A part of that novel was Angelou unveiling her rape by the hand of her mothers
boyfriend, and how subsequent to that rape, her uncles murdered the boyfriend,
traumatizing Angelou and leaving her a virtual mute. These women concluded in their
paper analysis that the femininities in diaspora were a result of socially stratifying factors
(i.e. race, class, state ideologies etc), which more specifically for women of color, would
result in individual choices made on ones empowerment/disempowerment.
Observation

To my knowledge, Dr. Maya Angelou greatly contributed to the further advance

of black women. Writing poems like Phenomenal Woman and Still I Rise, being the
iconic pieces that they were, served as inspiring messages sent from Angelou to women
of color all over. Also, as mentioned earlier, Angelou became the first black woman to
have a produce screenplay and the first black director in Hollywood, which opened up the
doors for many other women of color to go after their dreams, even if it was made
difficult by the majority in the field being non- black. The aforementioned novel, I Know
Why the Caged Bird Sings also aided in black womens empowerment due to Angelou not
being afraid to be bold. Through her literary works, Angelou showed women of color that
it was okay to name the names of the people who harmed you; give the dates of events or
horror, and have a voice when it seems that people want you silenced.
Dr. Angelous infamous poem, Still I Rise, was also an embodiment of power and
strength expressed by one, but developed through the trials and tribulations of many. The
most prominent stanza attests that Angelou knows that her success is not her own, for it
was created out of the huts of history and from a rooted past. Angelou pays homage
to the many great black women who came before her as she writes:
Out of the huts of historys shame
I rise
Up from a past thats rooted in pain
I rise
Im a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak thats wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

This is also a poem that gave hope and inspiration to women of color during times of adversity.
The theme of rising above the challenge is constantly reiterated in each stanza is a constant
reassurance to women that despite the troubles that may cause you to momentarily falter, there is
great power in the ashes of the phoenix.
Literature Review
When reviewing the literature that people have written on Dr. Maya Angelou, there was
never a time where I felt I had made the wrong choice in deciding to discuss her. From receiving
countless awards and recognition from some of the highest officials there are, Angelou touched
the lives of many. The degree to which she could inspire people was among the most common
things that people said about her during my research. These things did align with the observations
that I made myself. My conclusion about Dr. Angelou is that, there are many fields to which I can
choose to lead my life, that were made available by her tireless efforts in changing the way the
world view women of color. With numerous awards and national recognition for her work, Maya
Angelou paved the way for many black women in all facets.

Works Cited
Choudhry, Sana Imtiaz, and Saiqa Imtiaz Asif. "'Ain't I a woman': exploring
femininities in diaspora in Angelou's I know why the caged bird sings." Theory and
Practice in Language Studies 3.3 (2013): 466+. Academic OneFile. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
Melle, S. P. L.."A Praise Song for Maya Angelou." Callaloo 37.5 (2014): 10351041. Project MUSE. Web. 28 Apr. 2016. <https://0-muse.jhu.edu.lib.hope.edu/>.
Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
"Maya Angelou." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
"Maya Angelous Advice to Young Women Seeking Power." The Story Exchange.
N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.
"Angelou, Maya (1928- )." Angelou, Maya (1928- ). N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.