Maya Angelou (April 4, 1928–May 28, 2014) would have been 90 years old today. We featured her last year during Black History Month, but when such a “phenomenal woman” and poet has a birthday during National Poetry Month, it’s hard to not celebrate that and feature her again (and again). I don’t know about you, but even though it’s been four years, I still can’t get used to her being gone. Every time I see something that references her death, I’m surprised, spend a moment in shock thinking “what?! how could she be gone?” before I remember again. It’s because she’s such a big, important, and still constant presence, one that continues through her work and our memory of her even though she’s physically gone. I know if she were living today, she’d have a lot to say about the current state of things, and today in particular I both mourn and celebrate her wisdom, compassion, sense of humor, and grace.
Here are some fun and interesting things to help us celebrate and remember her:
- 5 Lessons I Learned From My Interviews With Maya Angelou
- 5 Things to Know About Maya Angelou’s Complicated, Meaningful Life
- 10 Inspiring Facts About Maya Angelou
- Authors Celebrate 90 Years of Maya Angelou, “Authors chime in on that ‘rarest of lights,’ Maya Angelou, and how her words and presence changed them”
- Maya Angelou’s Life in Photos
- 3-year-old Pe’Tehn Raighn-Kem performing “Hey, Black Child” by Maya Angelou (#blackgirlmagic)
- Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, PBS American Masters Documentary