Moments after the sad news came on Wednesday morning that poet, activist and author Maya Angelou had died at age 86, the cherished national icon was surrounded by a loving sea of words. She was trending on social media, and a steady stream of notables in Atlanta and beyond quickly added their thoughts of sorrow and appreciation.
But the words that proved most resonant were her own.
“Listen to yourself and in that quietude you might hear the voice of God,” was her final message on Twitter, posted last Friday and retweeted over and over again on Wednesday.
Angelou died at her home in Winston-Salem, N.C., where she had been a professor of American studies at Wake Forest University, her son Guy B. Johnson said in a statement.
“She lived a life as a teacher, activist, artist and human being,” he said. “She was a warrior for equality, tolerance and peace.”
In February, Angelou spoke to Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter Ernie Suggs prior to her appearance at a local conference.
“I learned things this week that I didn’t know last week,” she said. “This is one of the reasons one stays alive and interesting – they continue to learn. It was said that only the educated are free. That doesn’t mean what you know today. But what you are going to believe tomorrow.”
Encouraged to discuss her work’s enduring power to motivate and inspire, she said, “I have lived long enough that I should know something. As soon as you know something, you should give it away. I used to think of myself as a writer who could teach. But really, I am a teacher who can write. As soon as you know something and you have tried it, tell it to someone.”
Forced by illness to cancel an appearance this week at the Major League Baseball Beacon Awards Luncheon, Angelou was an international treasure with many local ties. When her grandson attended Morehouse College in the 1990s, Angelou bought a home here to be near him, said Atlanta photographer Susan Ross, Angelou’s friend of nearly five decades. That home near Ashford Dunwoody Road, just inside the perimeter, became a hub for Angelou’s extended Atlanta family.
“She would have these wonderful dinner parties and invite whoever was in town,” Ross said.
Former Atlanta Mayor and Ambassador Andrew Young, whose 75th birthday she spoke at in Atlanta in 2007, recalled Angelou’s active history of championing civil rights.
“She worked for Martin Luther King in the early days of the civil rights movement,” he said. “She was a friend and confidante to Nelson Mandela and to me. She walked with kings, presidents and Nobel Prize winners and never lost the common touch.”
Angelou also was part of Atlanta’s first National Black Arts Festival in 1988 and maintained her connection to the festival, NBAF board chair Sonya Halpern said.
“She always encouraged the rest of us to develop ourselves into something better and bigger,” she said. “She was really able to use language to get at the heart of emotions.”
Dr. Louis W. Sullivan, Morehouse School of Medicine President Emeritus and former secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, noted that Angelou’s service on the Morehouse School of Medicine’s board in the early 1980s came with an extra gift.
“She really taught me an so many others to have an optimistic view of life and to have an uplifting spirit,” he said. “Her words were always inspiring.”
During her time with the school, she shared her work at events such as convocations and luncheons, Sullivan said.
“She was able to show us the power and the dignity and the beauty of the English language,” he said.
Angelou read her poem “On the Pulse of the Morning” at President Bill Clinton’s first inauguration and read another poem, “Amazing Peace,” at the 2005 Christmas tree lighting ceremony during President George W. Bush’s administration. President Barack Obama awarded her the 2010 Medal of Freedom during a White House ceremony.
“Dr. Maya Angelou was an exemplar whose life and teachings inspired millions around the world, including myself, to live with integrity, pride, courage and faith,”Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed said in a statement. “Her work as a poet, activist, teacher and poet will continue to inspire us for generations to come.”
Added Atlanta director Kenny Leon: “What a perfect example of a well-lived life. She gave so much to us all. To this country, to African-American artists. She gave love. All we can say is, ‘Thanks Dr. Angelou, love you back.’”
Her eloquence was with her until the end.
Angelou’s final words on Facebook, posted on Memorial Day, took on a somber prescience after her death: “Our history is rife with citizens who care and who are courageous enough to say we care for those who went before us.”
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