Maya Angelou
By: Kenya Warner
Background
- Born as Marguerite Johnson
- Born on April 4th in , 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri
- Raised by her grandmother Mrs. Annie Henderson.
- As a teenager her love for the arts won her a scholarship to study dance and drama at San Francisco's Labor School.
- Became a celebrated poet, educator, producer, actress, historian, filmmaker, and civil rights activist.
How She Contributed to Society
- Written 36 books with 30 best selling titles.
- Wrote the screenplay and composed the score for the film Georgia, Georgia. Her script was the first by an African American women ever to be filmed.
- Served on two presidential committees.
- Composed a poem to read at President Clintons inauguration in 1993.
- Awarded the National Medal of Arts in 2000.
- Presented the Medal of Freedom in 2010 by Barack Obama
Phenomenal Women
etty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Bibliography
- "30." Caged Bird Legacy. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2015.
- Hunter, Maya Angelou - Poem. "Phenomenal Woman Poem."Poemhunter.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 June 2015.