Maya Angelou Tribute – The Caged Bird Rises

I am the dream and the hope of the slave. I rise.

Let us rejoice for a brave lady and her positive impact towards societies past, present and future.  This source of strength and courage lays within her soul, she’s touched lives across borders and continues to be a beacon of hope and beauty. Maya Angelou (born April 4, 1928 as Marguerite Annie Johnson) has sadly passed away on May 28 2014 aged 86 remains one of the 20th Century’s first black female writers. Family and friends, famous and anonymous, gathered to pay respects as her hard-hitting journey, miraculous presence and strength guided us all to achieve goals we’d never think we’d accomplish.

Although she will be most celebrated for her work as a poet and author, Maya Angelou was no stranger to the screen with many of her works adapted into movies.  She also won an Emmy nomination as an actress for her role in the groundbreaking miniseries ‘Roots’ Maya was a respected spokesperson for the black community and her works are triggered as acts of defence of the Black Culture, stinging with truth. Dr. Maya Angelou, as she likes to be addressed, is the Renaissance woman who is hailed as one of the great voices of contemporary literature. As an educator, poet, best-selling author, actress, producer and director and civil-rights activist, spend her life travelling the world in hope to spread her wise words and shape the world for the better Both her poetry and prose express the rhythm of her unique power that pushes and helps readers from all backgrounds, captivating audiences through the vigour and sheer beauty of her words and lyrics, there is not a doubt in mind that this woman surely deserved the title of ‘The Black Woman’s Poet Laureate’. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) the first one of her precious memoirs, describing her life aged 16, although this isn’t an easy read she braves the struggles no one could possibly imagine. As an active spokeswoman in the American Civil Rights movement, she had worked alongside Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. When she meets King, she describes him ‘… like seeing a lion sitting down at my dining-room table eating a plate of mustard greens.’ Maya never shied away from her playful attitude, meeting Malcolm X progressed them to both work alongside in 1964 to help him build a new organisation. She respected both men as idols and from then became of the biggest and made some extreme changes during the 1990s. Bursting with talent, Modern and African dance was another passion for Maya as her cutting edge performances enticed crowds and she never failed to draw a smile upon many who had the honour of her presence. She met choreographer Alvin Ailey and the two united as ‘Al and Rita’ performing throughout San Francisco, she adopted many stage-names but popularity grew as her soulful name “Maya Angelou” became the most distinctive and enriched the feel of the calypso as she performed. “All my work, my life, everything I do is about survival, not just bare, awful, plodding survival, but survival with grace and faith. While one may encounter many defeats, one must not be defeated.” – Maya Angelou There was never any doubt that all this talent urged to be shared between all of us, full of love and such a blissful reputation, growing with passion.

Friends, family and celebrities all unite to pay respects to the African American writer. First Lady Michelle Obama, Former President Bill Clinton and Oprah Winfrey are the few of whom spoke about how Angelou’s wisdom resonated with them at her funeral on Saturday, from the moment her voice was brought out, Maya shapes the community and gathers hope when it cannot be found. “She told us that our worth has nothing to do with what the world might say. Instead, she said, each of us comes from the Creator trailing wisps of glory. She reminded us that we must each find our own voice, decide our own value, and then announce it to the world with all the pride and joy that is our birthright as members of the human race.” – Obama One of the biggest impact on women for the better, she gave us that voice in our darkest hours, her captivating style walks with you through these times but grabs you out of tarnish reflecting a new hope. If you haven’t yet, recognise her as the name of the most inspiring, passionate woman whom danced, sang, wrote and spoke out to all of us from a very deep and personal time. She rose from the bottom as a diamond. Now, we rise for you Maya Angelou.