Maya Angelou speaking casually on the day of her Orr Forum lecture at Wilson College.

Maya Angelou addresses Wilson students during her Orr Forum presentation.

Visited Wilson in February 1976 as the Orr Forum Lecturer

Maya Angelou was a beloved poet and activist who changed the lives of many. Be it through her work on presidential committees, through her powerful poems and songs, or through her unceasing fight for civil rights, she never gave up on seeking equality and making change in America.

Born as Marguerite Johnson in 1928, Maya Angelou did not have an easy childhood. She experienced racial prejudice throughout her early years and was sexually assaulted before she was even eight years old. The experience was so traumatizing for her that she spent the next six years as a mute.

She broke her silence when she fell in love with acting and dancing, and studied the arts on a scholarship at the California Labor School. In the 1950s, she began her career as a performer, landing roles in several off-Broadway productions and releasing her first album. It was also during this time that her political activism began.

As she continued to act and sing, she began writing poetry, exploring themes of race, womanhood, and the trauma of her childhood. Her most notable work is her memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. 

Author of over 50 books, Angelou also branched out into screenwriting and essays, in addition to her poems and autobiographical works. During the 60s, as her writing success skyrocketed, she became an instrumental voice in the Civil Rights Movement, joining forces with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X.

Until her death in 2014, she continued to write, inspire, and educate. She received over 50 honorary degrees during her lifetime, and was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton and the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. It was announced in early 2022 that she will be one of the first women to be on a quarter as part of the U.S. Mint’s American Women Quarters Program.

When Maya Angelou visited Wilson in 1976, faculty and students alike were eager to attend her lecture. She spoke of differing cultures and the underlying unity which encompasses all of humanity, as well as her thoughts on the human condition and her personal experiences with suffering. No matter what, she said, she would continue to honor those striving to bring about social change in the United States. 

Encouraging her audience to try new experiences and be the next generation of changemakers, she said, “You do have something to lose, and you will lose it anyway. The biggest thing you have to lose is your life and you will lose it whether you are prepared or not.”

Sources:

Billboard Volume 57 No. 8 February 13, 1976

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/maya-angelou