Maya Angelou was an American poet, writer, actress, musician and advocate for black civil rights in the United States.
She was born in 1928 and her real name was Marguerite Johnson.
Her parents divorced when she was very young and when she was eight she was raped by her mother’s partner.
In 1951 she married a Greek-American. Maya was her pet name and her last name was taken from her husband. Three years after their wedding, they divorced.
Her artistic career began by dancing in nightclubs.
In 1959 she started writing and along the way she got involved in politics. She also worked with Martin Luther King.
In 2000 she received the National Medal of Arts and in 2011 the Medal of Freedom.
[Source: http://www.sansimera.gr]
