Her real name is Marguerite Johnson. She was born in St. Louis, Missouir, on April 4, 1928. Her parents are Bailey Johnson and Vivian (Baxter) Johnson. She had a one brother, Bailey Jr. When she was three, their father sent them to Stamps, Arkansas, alone by train to live with their
paternal grandmother, Annie Henderson. Angelou's grandmother prospered financially during the Great Depression and WWII because the general store she owned sold needed basic commodities and because of her good investments.
Four years later he came back for them. He took them back to live with their mother in St. Louis. A year later, while
living with her mother, Angelou was sexually abused and raped by her mother's boyfriend, Mr. Freeman. She confessed it to her brother, who told the rest of
their family. Freeman was found guilty, but was jailed for only one day. Four days after his release, he was murdered, probably by Angelou's uncles. Angelou
became mute for almost five years,believing, as she has stated, "I thought, my voice killed him; I killed that man, because I told his name. And then I thought I would never speak again, because my voice would kill anyone ..."According to Marcia Ann Gillespie and her colleagues, who wrote a biography about Angelou, it was during this period of silence when Angelou developed her extraordinary memory, her love for books and literature, and her ability to listen and observe the world around her.
Shortly after Freeman's murder, Angelou and her brother were sent back to their grandmother once again.When Angelou was 14, she and her brother moved in with their mother once again; she had since moved to Oakland, California. During World War II, she attended George Washington High School. She studied dance and drama on a scholarship at the California Labor School at the same time.. Before graduating, she worked as the first Black female street car conductor in San Francisco. Three weeks after completing school, at the age of 17, she gave birth to her son, Clyde, who also became a poet.
Angelou's second autobiography, Gather Together in My Name, recounts her life from age 17 to 19 and depicts a single mother's slide down the social ladder into poverty and crime. Angelou worked as the front woman/business manager for prostitutes, restaurant cook, and prostitute. She moved through a series of relationships, occupations, and cities as she attempted to raise her son without job training or advanced education.
paternal grandmother, Annie Henderson. Angelou's grandmother prospered financially during the Great Depression and WWII because the general store she owned sold needed basic commodities and because of her good investments.
Four years later he came back for them. He took them back to live with their mother in St. Louis. A year later, while
living with her mother, Angelou was sexually abused and raped by her mother's boyfriend, Mr. Freeman. She confessed it to her brother, who told the rest of
their family. Freeman was found guilty, but was jailed for only one day. Four days after his release, he was murdered, probably by Angelou's uncles. Angelou
became mute for almost five years,believing, as she has stated, "I thought, my voice killed him; I killed that man, because I told his name. And then I thought I would never speak again, because my voice would kill anyone ..."According to Marcia Ann Gillespie and her colleagues, who wrote a biography about Angelou, it was during this period of silence when Angelou developed her extraordinary memory, her love for books and literature, and her ability to listen and observe the world around her.
Shortly after Freeman's murder, Angelou and her brother were sent back to their grandmother once again.When Angelou was 14, she and her brother moved in with their mother once again; she had since moved to Oakland, California. During World War II, she attended George Washington High School. She studied dance and drama on a scholarship at the California Labor School at the same time.. Before graduating, she worked as the first Black female street car conductor in San Francisco. Three weeks after completing school, at the age of 17, she gave birth to her son, Clyde, who also became a poet.
Angelou's second autobiography, Gather Together in My Name, recounts her life from age 17 to 19 and depicts a single mother's slide down the social ladder into poverty and crime. Angelou worked as the front woman/business manager for prostitutes, restaurant cook, and prostitute. She moved through a series of relationships, occupations, and cities as she attempted to raise her son without job training or advanced education.