Obit

Angelou, 86

AFRICAN-AMERICAN writer and poet Maya Angelou died last May 28. She was 86.

Marguerite Johnson, better known as Maya Angelou, wrote “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” a memoir which detailed the racism and abuse she endured during her childhood. (Maya Angelou, writer and poet, dies at age 86, The Washington Post)

Angelou was also an editor for The Arab Observer and spent several years in Ghana as editor of the African Review. She was also a documentary film maker. Her documentary “Afro-Americans in the Arts” won the Golden Eagle Award. (When Angelou Learned to be a Journalist, Maynard Institute for Journalism Education) 

She was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2010. United States President Barack Obama presented her with the medal in 2011. (The White House)

Her writings include “And Still I Rise,” “Gather Together in My Name,” “”Singin’ and Swingin’ and Getting’ Merry Like Christmas,” “The Heart of a Woman,” “All God’s Children Need Travelling Shoes.” (Maya Angelou, writer and poet, dies at age 86, The Washington Post)

United States President Barack Obama said in a statement: “Like so many others, Michelle and I will always cherish the time we were privileged to spend with Maya. With a kind word and a strong embrace, she had the ability to remind us that we are all God’s children; that we all have something to offer. And while Maya’s day may be done, we take comfort in knowing that her song will continue, ‘flung up to heaven’ – and we celebrate the dawn that Maya Angelou helped bring.” (Maya Angelou dies at 86, The Washington Times)