Maya Angelou was an American author, actress, screenwriter, dancer, poet and civil rights activist best known for her 1969 memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Angelou was born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri. Angelou had a difficult childhood and due to a traumatic event at the age of 7 she became mute. Though she didn’t speak for many years she discovered a passion for singing and dance eventually winning a scholarship to study at the California Labor School. In the mid-1950’s, Angelou’s career as a performer began to take off. She toured as a singer and actress, eventually earning a Tony nomination by 1973 and Emmy nod by 1977. Angelou published several collections of poetry, but her most famous was 1971’s collection Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Die, which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. By the 2000’s she had won a Grammy, published a New York Time’s best seller and recited her work at a presidential inauguration. When she passed away in 2014, President Barack Obama issued a statement calling Maya Angelou, “a brilliant writer, a fierce friend, and a truly phenomenal woman.”