Maya Angelou R.I.P

Dr Maya Angelou died on the May 28, 2014,

An eloquent poet, writer and performer, Maya Angelou’s life intersected with the civil rights struggle, the Harlem Writers Guild, the New Africa movement, the women’s movement, and the cultural and political movements of the 1970s and 1980s. Her first book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, became an international best-seller. Ms. Angelou reflected on why she wrote about suffering, but didn’t feel bitter: ‘Bitterness is like a cancer; it eats on the host,’ she says. ‘It doesn’t do a darn thing to the object. Anger is good. It burns things up and leaves nutrients in the earth. You should be angry at injustices and angry at brutality. We should be, so we can be angry enough to stop it.’

This week:

• Reflect on this, what injustices make you angry: What can you do about them?
• Read some of Maya Angelou quotes: http://www.buzzfeed.com/krystieyandoli/maya-angelou-quotes-that-will-inspire-you-to-be-a-better. Which ones most speak to you? Why? How could you apply one or more of them to your own life or to something in the news today?
• Watch Maya Angelou speech at President Clinton’s inauguration http://nyti.ms/1kfDucL
• Read Maya Angelou’s poem I Rise: http://www.poets.org/poetsorg/poem/still-i-rise. Use this as a theme in your local club, school, and parish and help others find their voice.