An example of woman

The life story about Maya Angelou is not just interesting. It is a story of strength and resilience. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 4, 1928. Unfortunately, she died a few months ago. I didn´t know anything about her, but since a friend told me about her I go captivated by her story and also her poems.

Let me tell you that Maya´s life was no easy since the beginning. Her mother was a prostitute for a while. Maya was abused by one of her mother´s boyfriends when she was eight years old. That ruin event traumatized Maya. She wrote a book of this part of her life called “I Know Why the Caged Birds Sings”. On it, she describes her childhood, living with her grandmother, the problematic relationship with her mother and her pregnancy at sixteen years old.

When she was young, she discovered her vocation for the language. She remained mute for five years. Then thanks to a teacher, she started to talk again. Her first novel, “Gather Together in My Name”, is about the difficulties of being a single mother with unstable job and tough love relationships. At the end of the fifty´s with her book “The Heart of a Woman”, she reaches a successful career as a singer, dance, magazine´s director civil right activist, poet and novelist. In almost all of her writings, she explains about racism, survival, esteem and perseverance.

As I said before, this black woman was a fighter, example of life and resilience. Maybe most of you do not know her. Therefore, I wanted you to know her and remember that it does not matter how hard it is, if you really want something, is possible. We have to continue and never give up. As it is said in Maya´s poem “And Still I Rise”:

“…You may write me down in history

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I´ll rise…”