This beautiful angel God sent to live among us for 86 years changed my life. I learned to read at 5. As a disabled young woman I played piano sang wrote and devoured every book I could. By middle school, finding good books that challenged me was hard because I simply read everything.So I watched.Oprah for book recommendations. At 12, I saw Maya perform "Phenomenal Woman" and ”Still I Rise" on Oprah. I had never heard a woman speak about herself that way. I was in awe. At the time I was being abused and felt I had no worth. I clung to Maya:s multiple stories of survival through absolute hell. Most importantly, I memorized those poems and I kept writing. She made me a better writer and artist and she taught me I am Phenomenal. Sixteen years later, I believe her.
When I was about the age that Maya had been raped my mother made me read I know why the caged bird sings. I was an early reader and despite the book being written for adults I understood everything. I think it was my mother's way of saying that she knew the secret that I kept locked inside of me. I never went mute as Maya did, but I was a wounded child. Other than my mother, Maya is probably my favorite person in the world. Her storytelling skills, her poetry, her cadence, her elegance, her sense of adventure, her legacy, and her spirit keep me going when I reach a point where I feel like I can't go on. Thank God for Maya Angelou.
she leaves me speechless.I am black, west african...I can feel that pain in my genes.She makes me proud and humble. you are the dream of the slave she said once.What a responsibility! thank yoi my grandparents for wearing the mask.I know understand and forgive myself for asking why you seemed tamed..It was for me, it was for me.Rest in peace and guide my way I pray oh ancient Baobab of which I am the fruit.
This woman changed me in a way not even my mother could ever do. She was and will ever be my soul mentor and my mind idol . She far then us human she is something so unique.
soltan alosmi .... Me too! She seems to speak to my soul from beyond the grave. Thank you Ms Maya for wise words of wisdom you've left behind for us who still struggles everyday to make sense of evil. 😢
Friends your mothers too have stories to tell and like Angelou says you take them with you wherever you go... look into the mirror and you see their faces certain moves you make, words you speak - you are here learning the lessons and opening your souls for them even if they do not wish it you are flying ❤
she was masking a lot of hurt. I know that was the reason she was able to speak on it. plus all the things she had to endure. her poetry and wisdom came from within.
every time i feel down or not worthy I listen to Maya or Oprah. they remind of my strengths . I'm reminded of the great people who has paved the road for me. and immediately my spirit is lifted. and my strength is restored. I'm already paid for.
A woman we all need more than ever....a hostage negotiator, principal, teacher, lawyer, doctor, counselor, everyones hero for civil rights and humanity. ❤
If there is one thing i want right now, its to kiss this woman's hand. Still she mentors, still she lives. She is alive in everything she has said and written.
Maya Angelou was a wonderful poet who wrote some of the most exquisite poetry. The beautiful eloquence that is visible in her poetry and speeches is very mesmerizing. I am glad to be able to read her poetry because it makes me proud of my diverse roots.
I was raped at age 8 and my rapist was 12 . He told everybody at school, but no teachers followed up. I also became a book worm and memorized everything I read. Reading and writing constantly healed me . I miss her so very much. She was a National Treasure.
She is the greatest teacher! She was called by God to speak life. Her pain couldn't touch the power that was inside her. I'm glad that she found her voice.
We are so fortunate to have shared time on this planet at the same time Maya Angelou did! Such beauty and power , she is so beautiful to share her teachings with us..I have so much to learn from her.....
Maya Anjelou, a gift to humanity, a song in my soul. Her voice, her story, her poetry inspires courage and wisdom to speak our truths and rise above the quagmire of evil that befalls us.
It is one thing to be enlighten and to admit it and quite another to expound that enlightenment and use it to inspire others you are both you have reminded of me of my truth and for that I am grateful may God continue to utilize you as the precious vessel that you truly are!
TRULY THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL PERSON I WISH I KNEW! THE STORY OF HER RAPE LEFT ME SOBBING AS DID HER INTERPRETATION OF IT AS A CHILD! HER POSITIVITY AND OVERCOMING SPIRIT IS SOMETHING I KNOW I CAN DRAW FROM EVERY SINGLE DAY OF THE REST OF MY LIFE! IN MY MIND THE GREATEST INSPIRATION PERSON O OF THE LAST CENTURY! ACTUALLY THAT STATEMENT IS COMPLETELY INADEQUATE AN EXPLANATION OF HER, GOD BLESS HER AND I HOPE TO SEE HER IN GLORY!
Whenever I hear Maya Angelou's voice, she reminds me of the Old Church Saints from my old neighborhood. They were NOT PERFECT, but they were the solid foundation for a neighborhood community when people still truly took the time out for other people. And just as I miss their voices and faces.........I too miss Maya Angelou's wisdom. She is missed, but not forgotten.
Maya she is Queen! Love this woman RIP. Tragedy that I never got to meet her but through her works I will know her, through her works I will continue to grow!
The poem "mask" she recited made cry bitterly. It showed the suffering of a people and although things have changed somewhat, it still lingers. There are people who are undercover racist. Like Fox News,and those like minded, they don't want anyone to admit racism is alive and well. They want people to pertend it doesn't exist and blacks and others must shut they mouths, and suffer sliently, laugh and smile broadly.
DebbieC96 And yes brother still envys brother under hooded eyes they covet and the other still takes willfully on the demise of others even that which is closer than scent of perfume on the skin.
I am so touched by the speech of this amazing lady,and her story of her uncle ,and her awesome poem to honor her uncle!A woman who didn't allow her pain to make her hate others,but love and inspire others,a great human being,empathetic!
Jeannie Campbell I have since I was 11 and she has spoken to my empty, broken heart and soul so many times. She brings me courage, grace, hope and a smile that has carried me 39 years now. Start at "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" and follow in succession. It'll be the best gift you will ever give yourself and trust she will speak to you forever. My love and best of life's offerings to you.. don't forget to straighten you back , swag your hips , lift your head and smile dear Sister Xoxo..☀️
She travels from narrative to song to poem with a fluidity and lyrical timbre that refreshes the soul and inspires the spirit. She concertedly blurs the lines between fiction and biography, experience and narrative perception, life and performance.
This was a delight to hear and see the person of Maya Angelou reciting her peoms at a unique gathering. Bill Moyers has interviewed Maya Anzelou several times in her life, but THIS segment of his program offered several excellent elements of her life' work. Thank you for having these episodes online to discover. It truly made my day.
I never heard of Maya Angelo until.I went into recovery from addiction. The 6 month IOP residential treatment program is called " Maya's Place". What restoration!! Now I understand why it was called that. Powerful!!!
I am so very proud to be a Black woman .I own and dance in my very black self .I feel no shame or am shamed by the look of anyone who cannot stand my blackness , for I understand fully who I am and I take great pride in that fact .I stand proud and smile that I have such a great history .I hate no other race , neither do I feel the need to be appreciated or accepted by them or they .I am so rich in my blackness that I am enough to love all humanity .
My heart could break 100 hundred times but if only I could hear her words I'm willing to die doing crime. I will love even when love is not shared I am delighted to know that this woman cared. Oh I just am so honored....too inspired to write right now:)
All I know to say is wow!!! Trying to come up with some big imprtant words to express how i feel about her, and how i felt after watching this. And all i came up with was three letters. Wow
My God, that last poem, I'd never seen it before, it was so powerful, to me that shows the tremendous heart and empathy and soul this person had, that she could see all that, this thing that none of us see or really understand, and understand what it was deeply, The ancestral scars that all of us carry or the ancestral masks with ancestral defenses. She was a beautiful beautiful teacher, and also a beautiful example that these teachers are among us. We worship a two thousand-year-old Jesus, or a 2000-year old Buddha or a timeless God, but here is a mature human soul right in front of us same exact things we need to hear in relation to this moment right now. Beautiful.
To know we all come from the same Father; to respect and love one another as such...makes us a One World Family.. no more hate crimes, no more bullying...just love and strength...such love we have for this angel ..xxx💞Polly
After years of knowing of Maya Angelou..yet another experience of awe, inspiration and total honor of a beautiful woman and spirit..may you rise up now dear mother, sister and human..
that laugh in the end reminds me of the joker character.. she somehow accessed realms of the human experience that are not by any means accessible to many who have not mastered their own awareness
I love this woman. I treasure her legacy and will honor it by walking the path she has so bravely paved for us, as her (and our) ancestors before her. RIP Maya.❤
This beautiful angel God sent to live among us for 86 years changed my life. I learned to read at 5. As a disabled young woman I played piano sang wrote and devoured every book I could. By middle school, finding good books that challenged me was hard because I simply read everything.So I watched.Oprah for book recommendations. At 12, I saw Maya perform "Phenomenal Woman" and ”Still I Rise" on Oprah. I had never heard a woman speak about herself that way. I was in awe. At the time I was being abused and felt I had no worth. I clung to Maya:s multiple stories of survival through absolute hell. Most importantly, I memorized those poems and I kept writing. She made me a better writer and artist and she taught me I am Phenomenal. Sixteen years later, I believe her.
Thank you so much for telling your story. I hope you write it down, you have the honesty which anything of worth begins with. God bless you.
Honestly, one of the most remarkable human beings of our time....or, perhaps, ever. A genuinely beautiful and brilliant and transformative soul.
ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL WOMEN TO WALK THIS EARTH
JD Ishmael
People *
True.
Truly one of America's (and the world's) greatest poets and creative minds. I feel so lucky to have seen her speak before her passing.
Yes indeed
what's great about Maya Angelou is she is always using her creative mind to blossom more beauty, peace, and love in this world
you should feel lucky
When I was about the age that Maya had been raped my mother made me read I know why the caged bird sings. I was an early reader and despite the book being written for adults I understood everything. I think it was my mother's way of saying that she knew the secret that I kept locked inside of me. I never went mute as Maya did, but I was a wounded child. Other than my mother, Maya is probably my favorite person in the world. Her storytelling skills, her poetry, her cadence, her elegance, her sense of adventure, her legacy, and her spirit keep me going when I reach a point where I feel like I can't go on. Thank God for Maya Angelou.
The Uptownflavor Network
Keep strong, beautiful.
The Uptownflavor Network i was sorry to read that had happened to you.
The Uptownflavor Network a
The Uptownflavor Network
she leaves me speechless.I am black, west african...I can feel that pain in my genes.She makes me proud and humble. you are the dream of the slave she said once.What a responsibility! thank yoi my grandparents for wearing the mask.I know understand and forgive myself for asking why you seemed tamed..It was for me, it was for me.Rest in peace and guide my way I pray oh ancient Baobab of which I am the fruit.
This woman changed me in a way not even my mother could ever do. She was and will ever be my soul mentor and my mind idol . She far then us human she is something so unique.
Very true, she is a rare breed non like her, she was Gods masterpiece
soltan alosmi .... Me too! She seems to speak to my soul from beyond the grave. Thank you Ms Maya for wise words of wisdom you've left behind for us who still struggles everyday to make sense of evil. 😢
Friends your mothers too have stories to tell and like Angelou says you take them with you wherever you go... look into the mirror and you see their faces certain moves you make, words you speak - you are here learning the lessons and opening your souls for them even if they do not wish it you are flying ❤
You've said it, perfectly, thank you!
Here's a video that deserves 1 billion views....
+Garrett
That is so true.
+M Kay February 19 is my birthday... And definitely this is a worth while video
Spring, 7 billion views
She was ahead of her time. Her words of wisdom are timeless
she was masking a lot of hurt. I know that was the reason she was able to speak on it. plus all the things she had to endure. her poetry and wisdom came from within.
every time i feel down or not worthy I listen to Maya or Oprah. they remind of my strengths . I'm reminded of the great people who has paved the road for me. and immediately my spirit is lifted. and my strength is restored. I'm already paid for.
Facts
"Nothing will work unless you do"- the magnificent Maya Angelou
To see her laughing at the end turn into that sigh, then to see her turn around in tears was so overwhelming. It made me weep and I don't know why.
Same here, I cry 😢
A woman we all need more than ever....a hostage negotiator, principal, teacher, lawyer, doctor, counselor, everyones hero for civil rights and humanity. ❤
If there is one thing i want right now, its to kiss this woman's hand. Still she mentors, still she lives. She is alive in everything she has said and written.
Maya Angelou was a wonderful poet who wrote some of the most exquisite poetry. The beautiful eloquence that is visible in her poetry and speeches is very mesmerizing. I am glad to be able to read her poetry because it makes me proud of my diverse roots.
I'm blessed for having viewed this. Thank you for posting. Sincerely.
Dr Angelo you left us such a great legacy .We must carry you with us everywhere we go.
Amazing converting evil to some masterpiece through words and books and work.
Wish everyone could have that skill.
How intelligent.
I was raped at age 8 and my rapist was 12 . He told everybody at school, but no teachers followed up. I also became a book worm and memorized everything I read. Reading and writing constantly healed me . I miss her so very much. She was a National Treasure.
im sorry :(
Ellen Roberts
God bless you and thank you for sharing
I'm in tears, absolutely amazing
She is the greatest teacher! She was called by God to speak life. Her pain couldn't touch the power that was inside her. I'm glad that she found her voice.
Me too, Ms. Sage, me too... Truly grateful! 🙏🏼
We are so fortunate to have shared time on this planet at the same time Maya Angelou did! Such beauty and power , she is so beautiful to share her teachings with us..I have so much to learn from her.....
Maya Anjelou, a gift to humanity, a song in my soul. Her voice, her story, her poetry inspires courage and wisdom to speak our truths and rise above the quagmire of evil that befalls us.
Her rich words are like syrup on the pancakes of my soul...
dude just.. no
+Rodney Jackson thick and deep and filling!!!
rhaheem rouse yes literary get with this!
+Rodney Jackson now you make me want to have pancakes lol
It is one thing to be enlighten and to admit it and quite another to expound that enlightenment and use it to inspire others you are both you have reminded of me of my truth and for that I am grateful may God continue to utilize you as the precious vessel that you truly are!
I love the passage about Uncle Willie.......thank you Maya... r.i.p
Bill Moyers is truly one of the best journalists of our time.
Wow I'm left in awe. Her delivery plus material is otherworldly. im now on the Maya bandwagon
I know.. she understood and vocalized the darkness of the human spirit... and it's unrelenting glint of hope to over come it.
+Tuscan Wonder That was quite the description. Are you perhaps, a poet, too
Jermano Mayfield
so am I😊
TRULY THE MOST INSPIRATIONAL PERSON I WISH I KNEW! THE STORY OF HER RAPE LEFT ME SOBBING AS DID HER INTERPRETATION OF IT AS A CHILD! HER POSITIVITY AND OVERCOMING SPIRIT IS SOMETHING I KNOW I CAN DRAW FROM EVERY SINGLE DAY OF THE REST OF MY LIFE! IN MY MIND THE GREATEST INSPIRATION PERSON O OF THE LAST CENTURY! ACTUALLY THAT STATEMENT IS COMPLETELY INADEQUATE AN EXPLANATION OF HER, GOD BLESS HER AND I HOPE TO SEE HER IN GLORY!
Whenever I hear Maya Angelou's voice, she reminds me of the Old Church Saints from my old neighborhood. They were NOT PERFECT, but they were the solid foundation for a neighborhood community when people still truly took the time out for other people. And just as I miss their voices and faces.........I too miss Maya Angelou's wisdom.
She is missed, but not forgotten.
Beauty,dignity wisdom and untold style in this lady! That ending made me gasp like she did.
so many gifts of wisdom she has left behind i listen to this woman often and her words her wisdom her poetry is truly priceless....
What a great storyteller, she is. Amazing woman!!!
She is Present more than most of us alive! HAIL... HAIL Maya Angelou
I have add and can not stand still or watch anything educational but for 22 minutes I couldn't move.
Thank you
Thank you Uncle Willie! May you rest with God.
+Crystal Grose thank you Uncle Willie
What an awe-inspiring and majestic human being, Dr. Maya Angelou! ❤️🙏🏼
Amen to her understanding of many beautiful lessons, spiritually that has touched so many people..continues.
Maya she is Queen! Love this woman RIP. Tragedy that I never got to meet her but through her works I will know her, through her works I will continue to grow!
I feel lucky to have heard her great philosphy in life!
Poetic speaker.
Oh my Goodness! We're Honored for having An Angel Among us and now her spirit is blessing us from the Sky..!
The poem "mask" she recited made cry bitterly. It showed the suffering of a people and although things have changed somewhat, it still lingers. There are people who are undercover racist. Like Fox News,and those like minded, they don't want anyone to admit racism is alive and well. They want people to pertend it doesn't exist and blacks and others must shut they mouths, and suffer sliently, laugh and smile broadly.
DebbieC96 I have yet to meet a racist who isn't sexist, the hatred goes hand in hand.
DebbieC96
And yes brother still envys brother under hooded eyes they covet and the other still takes willfully on the demise of others even that which is closer than scent of perfume on the skin.
me too, i cried so much my cheeks started stinging
I am so touched by the speech of this amazing lady,and her story of her uncle ,and her awesome poem to honor her uncle!A woman who didn't allow her pain to make her hate others,but love and inspire others,a great human being,empathetic!
If dignity were a woman.
I want to read everything she has ever written .........
same here
ditto
Same here
Me too! Starting this weekend!
Jeannie Campbell I have since I was 11 and she has spoken to my empty, broken heart and soul so many times. She brings me courage, grace, hope and a smile that has carried me 39 years now. Start at "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" and follow in succession. It'll be the best gift you will ever give yourself and trust she will speak to you forever.
My love and best of life's offerings to you.. don't forget to straighten you back , swag your hips , lift your head and smile dear Sister Xoxo..☀️
Wow. This was so inspirational!!!! What a surprise. Didn't expect to feel so energized by this, especially when she spoke about Uncle Willy!!
Nothing but respect for her!
the walk towards the Arkansas rail road track is so moving
She travels from narrative to song to poem with a fluidity and lyrical timbre that refreshes the soul and inspires the spirit. She concertedly blurs the lines between fiction and biography, experience and narrative perception, life and performance.
I've read two of her books and she is truly a phenomenal women!
she is a brilliant orator...
I admire, respect love and miss Ms Angelou~
I´m always amazed about her speeches
It is impossible not to love her!! RIP
I'm speechless... she "IS" magnificent
SHE MAKES MY INTESTINE SHAKE , HER DEPTH IS BEYOND LIFE , OH LORD
This was a delight to hear and see the person of Maya Angelou reciting her peoms at a unique gathering. Bill Moyers has interviewed Maya Anzelou several times in her life, but THIS segment of his program offered several excellent elements of her life' work. Thank you for having these episodes online to discover. It truly made my day.
A true Queen 😍
I never heard of Maya Angelo until.I went into recovery from addiction. The 6 month IOP residential treatment program is called " Maya's Place". What restoration!! Now I understand why it was called that. Powerful!!!
Hope you are better now
I am so very proud to be a Black woman .I own and dance in my very black self .I feel no shame or am shamed by the look of anyone who cannot stand my blackness , for I understand fully who I am and I take great pride in that fact .I stand proud and smile that I have such a great history .I hate no other race , neither do I feel the need to be appreciated or accepted by them or they .I am so rich in my blackness that I am enough to love all humanity .
I love Maya Angelou! Such a beautiful, phenomenal, and inspirational woman. She will always teach us. Rest in Heaven.
My heart could break 100 hundred times but if only I could hear her words I'm willing to die doing crime. I will love even when love is not shared I am delighted to know that this woman cared. Oh I just am so honored....too inspired to write right now:)
i never thought i would be inspired by a woman however here am being inspired by DR Maya angelou i so love her poems she is my heroein
+Mawande Letsima Good for you! You'll be surprise how many inspiring women there are once you aloud yourself to listen to them ;)
My God.... 💕
What a lady, Outstanding!..Thank you.
😢😢😢 I love you Maya....
This woman is another heroine of mine . What a profound voice. She was so eloquent and her messages were so inspirational. RIP
AMAZING. One of the best
All I know to say is wow!!! Trying to come up with some big imprtant words to express how i feel about her, and how i felt after watching this. And all i came up with was three letters. Wow
this is what we need right now
Thank you for making these memories available to us all. It must have been a pleasure and a privilege to have known her personally.
My God, that last poem, I'd never seen it before, it was so powerful, to me that shows the tremendous heart and empathy and soul this person had, that she could see all that, this thing that none of us see or really understand, and understand what it was deeply, The ancestral scars that all of us carry or the ancestral masks with ancestral defenses. She was a beautiful beautiful teacher, and also a beautiful example that these teachers are among us. We worship a two thousand-year-old Jesus, or a 2000-year old Buddha or a timeless God, but here is a mature human soul right in front of us same exact things we need to hear in relation to this moment right now. Beautiful.
I got goosebumps when she was reciting that poem about Uncle Willy 😭😭😭😭😭♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️
To know we all come from the same Father; to respect and love one another as such...makes us a One World Family.. no more hate crimes, no more bullying...just love and strength...such love we have for this angel ..xxx💞Polly
After years of knowing of Maya Angelou..yet another experience of awe, inspiration and total honor of a beautiful woman and spirit..may you rise up now dear mother, sister and human..
oh my God. I can feel God in this
MAYA
ANGELOU!
TRULY ONE OF A KIND!!
NEVER WILL THERE BE ANOTHER!!!
❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
that laugh in the end reminds me of the joker character.. she somehow accessed realms of the human experience that are not by any means accessible to many who have not mastered their own awareness
Tuscan Wonder shes beautiful.. Just beautiful ✌💖😁
I am going to read and STUDY MAYA's Words of wisdom! 💜 thank you 💜🙏🏽
I love this woman. I treasure her legacy and will honor it by walking the path she has so bravely paved for us, as her (and our) ancestors before her. RIP Maya.❤
God Bless your Eternal Happiness- a life well lived. I wish I'd met you!
This just made me cry .. she's just brilliant!
She move my spirit from within me...Love her.😊
The Mask... I'm not black but this poem describes me so much... I never understood before why I laugh so much... it's to hide to pain deep inside.
i feel like a clown myself
I really needed this right now! Thank you.
i secretly wished to meet her, if ever in my time, but i know now that i will meet her in the heavenly realm one day. beautiful soul.
I am so glad I am watching this. I am at the end of hope in my own life right now and this helped me a lot.
This is so beautiful thanks Dr. Maya Angelo. And my God cradle you and I know you will be a teacher in the new world. 😃
Thank you Dr. Maya Angelous and rest in peace!
What a delivery of a poem! Pure talent and soul❤❤Rest in peace, angel❤
"i almost choke when i think about my self"
All HAIL THE QUEEN
God bless you....
That last poem....all our stories...thank you
Wow...that was powerful. I'm traumatised watching it again.
Most powerful performance I've ever seen.
My Lord, that was so moving.
Potent portion! I wish I could cement every word into my memory
Her Voice... silky and soothing... she is beyond words
WOW.
A Mother's Love Of Maya.
What a wonderful and phenomenal woman. I'm in awe of her brilliance.