lune II, 2014
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Phenomenal Woman of Immeasurable Impact
Maya Angelou
was a prophet
of our times
by the
R ev . M .
L inda J aramillo
T he p a ssin g o f
Maya Angelou, a pow
erful prophet, has left
a hole in our hearts
and pain in our souls.
During the past few days, we
have heard powerful stories de
scribing the immeasurable im
pact that Maya Angelou had on
the lives of millions around the
world. Those who knew Dr.
Angelou share beautiful accounts
of their experiences with her as
a teacher, a mentor, a friend, and
a wise elder.
. I never met this “Phenomenal
W om an” in person, but I still
weep at her passing, knowing
that we will miss her prophetic
female voice in our cultural
landscape.
Her life journey in the
Jim Crow South was filled
with the disruptions of rac
ism, sexism, and family vio
lence. It is a testament to the
power of the human spirit to
survive and to thrive.
Her childhood experience of
sexual abuse at the hands of a
“loved one” can only be de
scribed as a profound tragedy.
Yet Maya A ngelou’s story is
one of resilience. Through her
prophetic words, Dr. Angelou
opened our eyes and called out
the social systems, which allow
for such abuse to occur in the
first place.
In these chaotic times we of
ten lament the need for more
prophets like Dr. King and Ma
hatma Gandhi to guide our path.
I submit that we have also been
honored and blessed by the pow
erful prophet, Dr. Maya Angelou.
She is one who will stand tall
in the eyes of millions of women
who yearn for a voice of cour
age and hope in the midst of the
overwhelming violence that is
being waged against women and
girls all over the world.
Dr. Angelou often shared that
courage is the most important
virtue because without it, noth
ing else can be experienced con
sistently. Indeed, she dem on
strated such courage in her
teaching, her writing, and her
living.
She knew what it meant to be
a person of dignity, which she
claimed was the very basis for
being a representative of the
human race.
In an interview with M elissa
H arris-P erry ju s t tw o years
ago, responding to a question
about the incivility and disre
spect dem onstrated by candi
dates in the recent elections,
Dr. A ngelou asked, “ W hat
would our nation be like if we
dared to be intelligent and al
lowed our intelligence to dic-
tate our actions?”
At the closing of her interview
Dr. Angelou said this, “I write
and I speak because I have some
thing to say. I pray that what
ever I have to say will encour
age the coming of what you call
the millennium. Then we really
will have enough courage to be
courageous.”
Dr. Angelou, we are listening
and we salute you as a “Phe
nomenal W oman” who we claim
as a prophet of our times. You
have and will influence women
and men for many generations
to come. Rest in peace.
Rev. M. Linda Jaramillo is
executive m inister o f Justice
and Witness M inistries at the
United Church o f Christ.
We
Continuing a
legacy of love
and vision
by
M arc H. M orial
In the week since
her passing, there have
been many tributes to
the remarkable life of
Dr. Maya Angelou. President
Obama called her “one of the
brightest lights of our tim e.”
Former President Clinton de
scribed her as “a national trea
sure and a beloved frien d .”
Oprah Winfrey said, “She will
always be the rainbow in my
clouds.”
But it is virtually impossible to
sum up in words the many di
mensions, the many gifts and the
many lives touched by a woman
who reigned in regality as the
Queen Mother. As I said in my
own tribute on the day of her
passing, “Dr. M aya Angelou
defies any single description. She
defined the essence of a ‘Phe
nomenal W om an’ for us.”
Maya Angelou is best known
to millions as a prolific poet and
author. Her first (of six) autobi
ographies, “I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings,” inspired the
legendary Jam es Baldwin to
write, “I have no words for this
achievement, but I know that not
since the days of my childhood,
when the people in books were
more real than the people one
saw every day, have I found
m yself so moved.”
As an author of numerous
works of poetry and prose, Dr.
Angelou continued until
the hour of her passing to
move us with her words
and in so many other ways
- as a singer, dancer, ac
tor, activist, teacher, sage
and much more.
It is widely known that she did
not speak for several years fol
lowing a tragic childhood rape
that resulted in the murder of her
rapist. But, instead of remaining
closed and silent, Dr. Angelou
spread her wings, found her voice
and soared into the hearts, minds
and souls of millions of people
around the world.
In a lifetime arising out of
hard times, there was almost
nothing she couldn ’ t do or didn’ t
try.
H er
o ffic ia l
w e b site ,
mayaangelou.com, recounts that,
“As a young single mother, she
supported her son by working as
a waitress and co o k ...” In the
1940s, she became the first black
woman streetcar conductor in
San Francisco. She even once
worked as an auto body shop
paint remover. She was also an
accomplished dancer and singer.
She has written a Pulitzer Prize
nominated screenplay, “Georgia,
Georgia,” and was nominated
for a 1973 Tony Award for her
Broadway performance in “Look
Away.” She has danced with
Alvin Ailey, toured Europe in
“Porgy and Bess” and made
numerous appearances in films
and on TV.
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Dr. M aya A ngelou was a
m odern day R e n a issa n c e
woman who lived her own phi
losophy, “Pursue the things you
love doing and do them so well
that people can’t take their eyes
off you.”
M aya Angelou was also a
com m itted ci vii rights activist.
She was a friend and confi
dante of M alcolm X. She once
served as coordinator of M ar
tin Luther King, J r.’s Southern
Christian Leadership C onfer
ence. Since 1982, she served
as R e y n o ld s P ro fe s s o r o f
A m erican S tudies at W ake
Forest U niversity. As her son,
Guy Johnson, described her,
she was “a w arrior for equal
ity, tolerance and peace.”
The National Urban League
will forever be grateful for her
spell-binding appearance at our
100th anniversary celebration
in 2010, w here she delivered
an original com m em orative
poem entitled “We H ear Y ou.”
Like us, the world could not
help but h ear the pow erful
w ords and w isdom o f Dr.
Angelou.
She left us with a final wish.
On May 23, five days before her
death, she tweeted, “Listen to
yourself and in that quietude you
might hear the voice of God.”
We will miss her incredible
creative and generous spirit. But
the love and vision of Dr. Maya
Angelou will continue to rise. It
is up to all of us to make sure that
we continue to rise with her.
Marc H. M orial is president
and chief executive officer o f
the National Urban League.
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