Dr. Maya Angelou
Civil Rights Activist. Mother. Singer. Dancer. Actress. Composer. First African American Female Director. Writer. Poet. Essayist. Autobiographer. Playwright. Educator.
Some have referred to her as a "Renaissance Woman."
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| The image above illustrates the Voice of Maya Angelou. |
For five years of her early life, Maya Angelou was a mute. Believing that her words had taken the life of the man who molested her, she chose silence. This experience gave rise to an understanding of the power of voice - her own and that of others. Recognizing that it "was dangerous for [her] to become silent" because "mutism is like a drug...it is so addictive, you don't have to do anything." (Maya Angelou: Finding My Voice from Visionary Project), Angelou became a spokesperson for both African Americans and women. Through her writing, she gave a voice to the marginalized, the disenfranchised, the hopeless. Her words reverberate across time, space, and culture to break down barriers and uplift those on the other side of repression. Maya Angelou spoke life into the world around her as she reflected on issues of equality, racism, poverty, her struggles as an African American woman and single-mother working to gain a higher education, along with the shifting landscape of American culture during her life.
Great candidate :) Maya Angelou had such a powerful impact on the world, and I was surprised to see that she wasn't included on the table or tiles to begin with...I know she is a bit more recent than the others, but I feel like she would've had enough of an impact by mid to late 1970s to be included in this project. But...maybe not! Another great quote to add to my quote box...I have a bunch of hers already...one of my favorites is 'If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.' But I don't have the quote you included yet :)
ReplyDeleteI like how you chose bright colors on a black background of your symbol for Maya Angelou...kind of how Maya used her words to overcome the darkness of her past and brighten up or bring light her life as well as others :) Plus...whenever think of her, I think of bright colors from a lot of her fabrics and hair wraps :)
Great candidate :) Maya Angelou had such a powerful impact on the world, and I was surprised to see that she wasn't included on the table or tiles to begin with...I know she is a bit more recent than the others, but I feel like she would've had enough of an impact by mid to late 1970s to be included in this project. But...maybe not! Another great quote to add to my quote box...I have a bunch of hers already...one of my favorites is 'If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain.' But I don't have the quote you included yet :)
ReplyDeleteI like how you chose bright colors on a black background of your symbol for Maya Angelou...kind of how Maya used her words to overcome the darkness of her past and brighten up or bring light her life as well as others :) Plus...whenever think of her, I think of bright colors from a lot of her fabrics and hair wraps :)