Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou (1928–2014) was an American author, poet, journalist, actress, and theater and film director who was also active in the civil rights movement. Before establishing herself as a writer, she worked among other things as a dancer and calypso singer; she was also described as San Francisco’s first Black streetcar conductor. She became especially known for her autobiographical work *I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings*, first published in 1969.