When Maya Angelou wrote, she poured words onto paper. Or, later perhaps, she keyed them into a computer.
For Angelou, the words were always more than just groupings of sound tied to dictionary definitions. They represented her identity. Her way of expressing ideas and beliefs not voiced freely in another way. Through the years, her inspiring words and efforts were – and are – recognized and awarded.

▲ The famous poet Robert Frost read a poem at the inauguration of President John F. Kennedy. The year was 1961. This was the start of a tradition that took more than 30 years to develop. In 1993, President Bill Clinton invited Maya Angelou to read one of her poems at his inauguration. The tradition has continued, though on and off, since then. The poem Angelou read is called “On the Pulse of Morning.” It urges peace, social justice, and racial and religious harmony.
Here, on the pulse of this new day,
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister’s eyes, and into
Your brother’s face, your country
And say simply
Very simply
With hope – Good morning.

▲ Maya Angelou received much recognition during her lifetime. And after her death. She received awards for her work as a writer and an activist. Some of her achievements are listed here.
1971: Received the Coretta Scott King Award for her children’s books
1975: Appointed to the American Revolution Bicentennial Council by President Gerald Ford
1977: Appointed to the Presidential Commission for International Women’s Year by President Jimmy Carter
1982: Given a lifetime appointment as professor of American studies at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina
1983: Received the Matrix Award, given to women who excel in the field of communication
1991: Received the Langston Hughes Medal, awarded to Black writers who explore their cultural heritage
1992: Awarded the Horatio Alger Award, given to Americans who have succeeded in the face of hardships
1993: Received the first of three Grammy Awards, this one for Best Spoken Word Album
1994: Received the Spingarn Medal from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) for outstanding achievement by an African American
1998: Received the NAACP Image Award, first of three
1998: Accepted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame
2000: Awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton
2008: Received the Marian Anderson Award, given to artists whose leadership benefits humanity
2015: Featured on a U.S. postage stamp

▲ The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian honor in the United States. In past years, athletes, artists, and actors have received the award. So have businesspeople, scientists, and journalists. In 2010, President Barack Obama honored Maya Angelou with the award. In explaining his choice, President Obama made these remarks:
By holding on even amid cruelty and loss, and then expanding to a sense of compassion, an ability to love – by holding on to her humanity – she has inspired countless others who have known injustice and misfortune in their own lives. I won’t try to say it better than Maya Angelou herself. . . .
History, despite its wrenching pain,
Cannot be unlived, and if faced
With courage, need not be lived again.
Lift up your eyes upon
The day breaking for you.
Give birth again
To the dream.

Circumstances made it impossible for Maya Angelou to go to college. Even so, she received more than 30 honorary degrees. A college or university may award an honorary degree to someone to recognize the person’s extraordinary achievement in a specific field or their contribution to the larger community. Many of Angelou’s honorary degrees are from prestigious institutions. These include Smith College and Howard University. They also include Columbia University and Boston College. ▶
◀ Each year, the Black Entertainment Television network has an awards ceremony. Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and Bruno Mars have all been winners. In 2012, Michelle Obama presented Maya Angelou with the Literary Arts Award at the ceremony. She called Angelou one of her “she-roes.”

Think Piece!
Why do you think a college or university might give Maya Angelou an honorary degree? Compare your ideas with others.

▲ The Dr. Maya Angelou Foundation was founded in 2014. Its mission is to “improve the quality of life for all human beings.” It supports educational excellence and programs for equality in healthcare.
Think Piece!
Reflect on Maya Angelou’s life, values, and accomplishments. What words would you use to describe her? Compare with others.

◀ Maya Angelou passed away in 2014, but she remains widely recognized and remembered. At the end of 2014, Caged Bird Songs, an album of 13 songs that blend Angelou’s words with hip-hop rhythms, “dropped.” This was a project Angelou worked on for seven years before her death. In 2016, Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, a documentary about her life and work, won the Audience Award for Best Feature at the American Film Institute Film Festival. In 2019, she was posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal “in recognition of her achievements and contributions to American culture and the civil rights movement.” And in 2022, she became the first Black woman to be featured on a U.S. quarter.