This week Maya Angelou passed away. If you are a woman, a writer, a human being you need to know who she was. A courageous, gifted woman who made her mark not only in the writing world but in history. I often say that anything is possible and she is proof. Maya Angelou had a childhood plagued by unimaginable troubles. She survived being raped by her mother's boyfriend at an incredibly young age. After the man that raped her was killed by a member of her family she stopped speaking. Silence. Such a brilliant beautiful mind silenced by unthinkable violence and trauma . Yet she went on to write. Not just write anything. Her words would change the world. If you have not already go out and buy/ download "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings". It is a literary masterpiece along with the rest of her work. It also the book that made her the first best selling non fiction African American woman author. If you think you never read anything by her you are wrong. If you have ever received a beautifully written hallmark card chances are she is the voice behind that poetic sentiment.
To say she was talented is an understatement. She is credited with a long list of literary genius and that barely scratches the surfaces of who she was. Educator. Producer. Filmmaker. Actress. She was a civil rights activist. Bravely and boldly paving the way for future generations. When I read about all of the things she has done I am in awe. She makes me want to be a better writer, a better woman. Maya Angelou is one of the reasons I believe anything is possible. She was a diamond in the rough. Although she has gone onto the next life. Even death will not silence her. She leaves behind a legacy so beautiful, so rich. Her words immortal.
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