"My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive, and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style" (Angelou 12). These quoted words came from a strong, wise minded, African American woman whose legacy still lives on. In this essay you will understand a lot about Maya Angelou's early life on how she became famous, her careers, how many awards she has received, and also how her legacy continues to have an impact on people. Maya was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928 (Angelou 8). During Maya's growth she spent most of her days at the library attending Toussaint L'ouverture Grammar school (Angelou 8). …show more content…
1960, Many of Angelou's great friends she had met past way . After hearing civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speak, Angelou wrote along with Godfrey Cambridge, Cabaret for Freedom, to benefit King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Angelou was a great asset as a fundraiser and organizer; she was then appointed SCLC's Northern Coordinator by Dr. King. Angelou took a common-law husband, Vusumzi Make, a South African anti-apartheid leader from Johannesburg. Maya, her 15-year-old son Guy, and new husband moved to Cairo, Egypt, where Angelou became an editor for The Arab Observer. Angelou continued taking teaching and writing jobs as she and Guy adjusted. But as her relationship with Make came to an end in 1963, Angelou left Egypt with her son for Ghana. While living in Africa, Angelou established a great friendship with Malcolm X. Upon returning to the States in 1964 to help him build the newly formed Organization of African American Unity, Malcolm X was assassinated soon thereafter. Devastated, Angelou went to live with her brother in Hawaii but returned to Los Angeles during the summer of the 1965 race riots. Angelou wrote and acted in plays until she returned to New York in