Angelou’s distinctive and thought provoking poetry garnered her the honor of composing and reciting a poem for and at President Clinton’s 1993 inauguration. In 2000, President Clinton awarded Angelou the Presidential Medal of Arts. On Feb. 15, 2011, President Obama awarded Angelou the Nation’s highest civilian honor, The Medal of Freedom. Angelou received many awards and honors, including a Pulitzer Prize nomination for her book of poetry, Just Give Me A Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Die, a Tony Award nomination for her 1973 role in the play, “Look Away,” and three Grammys for her spoken word albums.
Although Angelou never attended college, she was awarded more than 30 honorary doctoral degrees. She served as a Professor of American Studies at Wake Forest University since 1982. One of Angelou’s most famous quotes is: “People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
For many, Maya Angelou made them feel like they could overcome anything in life and be their best selves. Her voice maybe silenced, but her literary works, like the immortal words of her famous poem, “Still I Rise,” will live on to inspire generations to come.
I am a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise.
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise.
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise לויטרה 20 מ”ג מחיר.