LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION mourning the death of Maya Angelou, acclaimed
African-American poet, influential memoirist and playwright

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body, representing the
people of the State of New York, to pay tribute to an extraordinary
woman of indomitable faith and dedication whose purposeful life and
accomplishments will forever stand as a paradigm and inspiration for
others; and
WHEREAS, Much admired African-American poet, storyteller, civil rights
activist and autobiographer, Maya Angelou died on Wednesday, May 28,
2014, at the age of 86; and
WHEREAS, Born Marguerite Ann Johnson on April 4, 1928, to Bailey John-
son, Sr. and Vivian Baxter, Maya Angelou also had a broad career as a
singer, dancer, actress, composer, and Hollywood's first female Afri-
can-American director; and
WHEREAS, After her parents' marriage ended, three-year-old Maya, along
with her four-year-old brother, Bailey, was sent to live with their
grandmother, Annie Henderson, in Stamps, Arkansas; and
WHEREAS, Unable to pronounce her name because of a stutter, Bailey
called her "My" for "My sister"; a few years later, when he read a book
about the Maya Indians, he began to call her "Maya," and the name stuck;
and
WHEREAS, As a teenager, now living with her mother in San Francisco,
Maya attended Mission High School and won a scholarship to study dance
and drama at San Francisco's Labor School; she dropped out of school to
become the first black female streetcar conductor; and
WHEREAS, At the age of 16, Maya Angelou gave birth to her son, Guy,
and worked as a waitress and cook to support them; she never lost sight
of her dreams and talents for music, dance, performance and poetry; and
WHEREAS, In 1952, she married a Greek sailor named Anastasios Angelo-
pulos; when she began her career as a nightclub singer, she took the
professional name Maya Angelou, combining her childhood nickname with a
form of her husband's name; and
WHEREAS, In 1969, Maya Angelou's first of six autobiographies, I KNOW
WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS, which describes in lyrical, unsparing prose
her childhood in the Jim Crow South, was published; and
WHEREAS, The other five autobiographic volumes include GATHER TOGETHER
IN MY NAME (1974), which begins when Angelou is seventeen and a new
mother; SINGIN' AND SWINGIN' AND GETTIN' MERRY LIKE CHRISTMAS, an
account of her tour in Europe and Africa with Porgy and Bess; THE HEART
OF A WOMAN (1981), a description of Angelou's acting and writing career
in New York and her work for the civil rights movement; and ALL GOD'S
CHILDREN NEED TRAVELING SHOES (1986), which recounts Angelou's travels
in West Africa and her decision to return, without her son, to America;
and
WHEREAS, By the age of 40, Maya Angelou was a Tony-nominated stage
actress for the part she played on Broadway in "Look Away"; the Reynolds
Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University; a ubiquitous
presence on the lecture circuit; a frequent guest on television shows,
from "Oprah" to "Sesame Street"; and an actress who portrayed Kunta
Kinte's grandmother in "Roots" and appeared in "How to Make an American
Quilt"; and
WHEREAS, She was also the subject of a series of scholarly studies;
dancer; calypso singer; magazine editor; official of the Southern Chris-
tian Leadership Conference; and friend or associate of some of the most
eminent African-Americans of the mid-20th Century, including James Bald-

win, Toni Morrison, Nelson Mandela, The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. and Malcolm X; and
WHEREAS, As renowned as she was for her memoirs, Maya Angelou will
also be remembered for the inaugural poem "On the Pulse of Morning"
which she wrote and delivered in January of 1993, at the swearing-in of
President Bill Clinton upon his request; and
WHEREAS, Furthermore, Maya Angelou was invited by successive Presi-
dents of the United States to serve in various capacities; President
Ford appointed her to the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission,
President Carter invited her to serve on the Presidential Commission for
the International Year of the Woman, and in February of 2011, President
Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the coun-
try's highest civilian honor; and
WHEREAS, In addition to her six autobiographies, Maya Angelou's other
books include the volumes of poetry, JUST GIVE ME A COOL DRINK OF WATER
'FORE I DIIIE (1971), OH PRAY MY WINGS ARE GONNA FIT ME WELL (1975), AND
STILL I RISE (1978) and SHAKER, WHY DON'T YOU SING? (1983); in addition,
she released an album of songs, "Miss Calypso," in 1957; and
WHEREAS, Throughout her writings, Maya Angelou explored the concepts
of personal identity and resilience through the multifaceted lens of
race, sex, family, community and the collective past; as a whole, her
work offered a sharp and clear examination of the ways in which the
socially marginalizing forces of racism and sexism played out at the
level of the individual; and
WHEREAS, Maya Angelou called Harlem home for over 50 years, and lived
on West 120th Street in Mount Morris Park section of Harlem; she was
known as a kind, compassionate and generous neighbor to all; further-
more, she gave her time, her voice, her words and her inspiration to the
community she dearly loved; and
WHEREAS, Maya Angelou was a seminal figure in the Harlem Writers Guild
throughout the 1950s and 1960s and actively performed at the renowned
Apollo Theater during this period, including appearances in "Porgy and
Bess" alongside her dancing partner Alvin Ailey; and
WHEREAS, Maya Angelou was exceptionally active during the civil rights
movement, serving as Coordinator of the New York office of the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and as Co-Founder of the Organ-
ization of Afro-American Unity, established in 1964 alongside Malcolm X;
and
WHEREAS, In 2010, Maya Angelou donated her archives to the Schomburg
Center for Research in Black Culture at 135th Street and Lenox Avenue in
Harlem; over 340 boxes, representing her life's work, are housed in the
.SO DOC S R5613 RESO TEXT 2013
heart of Harlem, including a draft of her singular biography, I KNOW WHY
THE CAGED BIRD SINGS, handwritten notes concerning her other timeless
works and correspondence with James Baldwin, Malcolm X and Coretta Scott
King, among others; and
WHEREAS, Maya Angelou fittingly became a national figure, serving as
an inspirational role model; her warm smile, true compassion and sensi-
tivity were generously given for the benefit of countless others and
their quality of life; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
mourn the death of Maya Angelou, acclaimed African-American poet, influ-
ential memoirist and playwright; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the family of Maya Angelou.