You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.
--Maya Angelou (1978)
This week's Black History spotlight will be on the late great Maya Angelou. Maya Angelou was born April 4, 1928 and died May 2, 2014. She was a poet, autobiographer, and actress who was well respected in the Black community and international community alike. Dr. Angelou became a professor of American studies in her late life and proceeded to give honor and be honored by composing and reading poems at the inaugurations of President Clinton, President Obama, and Nelson Mandela. In 2011 Dr. Angelou was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom---the highest award given by the U.S. government.
To learn more about this inspiring woman of color, take a listen to this audio on Remembering Maya Angelou. This is a great way to get in your daily fix of English listening practice. Click the link below.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/media/print/topic/24569/197124. Accessed 10 Feb. 2019.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Maya Angelou.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2 Nov. 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Maya-Angelou. Accessed 10 Feb. 2019.
Voa. “Remembering Maya Angelou.” VOA, VOA, 30 May 2014, learningenglish.voanews.com/a/remembering-maya-angelou/1925700.html. Accessed 10 Feb. 2019.
Angelou, Maya. “Still I Rise by Maya Angelou.” Poetry Foundation, Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46446/still-i-rise. Accessed 10 Feb. 2019.