1928

April 4, 1928 - Her timeline begins when Maya was born as Marguerite Ann Johnson in Saint Louis, Missouri. Her parents were Bailey and Vivian Baxter Johnson

1931

Her parents marriage ended and Maya and her brother were sent to live with her father's mother, Mrs. Annie Henderson, in Stamps, Arkansas

1935

The children were returned to the care of their mother in St. Louis

1937

Maya was sexually abused and raped by her mother's boyfriend, Mr. Freeman. The shock made Maya mute and the children were sent back to live with their grandmother once again

1941

Maya and her brother returned to live with her mother in San Francisco where she attended George Washington High School and studied dance and drama on a scholarship at the California Labor School

1942

Teacher Bertha Flowers helped Maya to talk again and encouraged her interest in literature

1942

She dropped out of school in her teens to become San Francisco's first African American female cable car conductor

1943

Maya returned to high school, but became pregnant and graduated a few weeks before giving birth to her son, Guy. She left home to bring up her son as a single mother working as a waitress and cook

1952

She married a Greek sailor named Tosh Angelos but the marriage quickly failed

1952

She began her career as a nightclub singer and during this time took the name Maya Angelou

1954/5

Toured in a production of Porgy and Bess

1957

Recorded the album called Calypso Lady

1958

Developed her skills in writing poetry and moved to New York, where she joined the Harlem Writers Guild

1959

Became involved with Civil Rights Activists

1959

At the request of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou became the northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

1960

She met the South African civil rights activist Vusumzi Make and in 1960, the couple and Guy moved, to Cairo, Egypt. In Cairo, Maya Angelou worked as editor of the English language weekly The Arab Observer. She later moved to Ghana

1964

Returned to America hoping to help Malcolm X build his new Organization of African American Unity

1968

Malcolm X is assassinated and Maya began working on her Autobiographical book 'I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'

1970

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is published

1973

Maya Angelou married Paul du Feu and moved with him and her son to Sonoma, California. She then worked on her writing and acting

1974

Published Gather Together in My Name

1976

Published Singin’ and Swingin’ and Gettin’ Merry Like Christmas

1981

She divorced Paul du Feu

1981

Published The Heart of a Woman

1984

Met Oprah Winfrey and became her friend and mentor

1993

Maya Angelou reads her poem On the Pulse of Morning at inauguration of President Bill Clinton

1997

Published All God’s Children Need Traveling Shoes

2002

Published A Song Flung Up to Heaven

1970

Receives the Chubb Fellowship Award, Yale University

1972

Receives the Pulitzer Prize Nomination for Just Give Me A Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Die

1976

Receives the Ladies' Home Journal Award ("Woman of the Year in Communication")

1977

Receives the Golden Eagle Award, Afro-American in the Arts

1986

Receives Fulbright Program 40th Anniversary Distinguished Lecturer award

1991

Receives Langston Hughes Medal

1993

Grammy for "Best Spoken Word Album," "On The Pulse of Morning,"

1996

Martin Luther King, Jr. Legacy Association National Award

2006

Receives Mother Teresa Award

2006

Maya Angelou became a radio talk show host for the first time hosting a weekly show for XM Satellite Radio's Oprah & Friends channel

2008

Becomes the first recipient of Hope for Peace and Justice Voice of Peace award

Maya Angelou Timeline

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