And Still I Rise Maya Angelou was a writer, artistic performer and poet. She had been a respected African-American for her time, marked by recognition gained from the recital request from President-elect Bill Clinton. Maya Angelou was born in St. Louis Missouri under Marguerite Annie Johnson, and her brother Bailey had nicknamed her “Maya.” Angelou had faced multiple hardships during childhood, her parents worked numerous jobs and eventually divorced. Causing her and Bailey to be sent to live with their fathers mother in Stamp Arkansas. In mid-1930’s they returned to St. Louis to live with their mother, where seven year old Angelou was sexually assaulted by the mothers boyfriend. Angelou’s uncle had beaten her abuser to death, leading her to believe her testimony caused his death, and kept a five year vow of silence. During her vow she discovered her love of reading, anything from the Bible to Langston Hughes to William Shakespeare. …show more content…
She adapted well, found a job, graduated from high school in 1945 and had a child named Clyde three months later. The guilt of being a madam in a nightclub compelled her to move back to stamps, but the unfamiliar appalled relationship between blacks and whites resulted in moving back to San Francisco. In efforts to change she enlisted in the army, but was thwarted because of a history in attending the California Labor School (a training grounds for subversives). By 1950s, Angelou married a Greek former sailor named Tosh Angelos, had a brief marriage, and adopted a variation of Angelos as a stage name for auditions. Angelou talked her way as a singer and dancer in San Francisco, her ability to work the crowd compensated for the lack of experience. Show business picked up and by 1955 she traveled 22 countries in Africa and Europe, and settled in California to continuing her