In Honor of Black History Month...

uru Ceylan | Contributing Writer

Humans have a way of following the crowd. When one person does something, others repeat. Some authors, and artists, use this effect to inspire others to share their stories and speak up, the same way that they do through their own work. Maya Angelou, an African American writer, who intricately expresses her feelings, opinions, and experiences in her poems and books, encourages many struggling Black women to face the roots of their struggles and not stay silenced. The historical context Maya Angelou was surrounded in while she grew up influenced her memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which, in turn, influenced the struggle of Black women against racial and gender discrimination in the US during the 1960’s and beyond.

The vulnerability, misogyny, and discrimination that Black women have had to overcome for centuries, which Maya Angelou portrays and carefully outlines in her writing, impacted and inspired her into writing her memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In the very beginning of the book, after escaping an overwhelming situation in church, the author depicts what it is like to constantly be under such pressure by expressing that “if growing up is painful for the Southern Black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat. It is an unnecessary insult” (Angelou 6). Here, Maya describes the painful moment when she realizes that the illogical prejudice and hate she receives from society as a little Black girl will continue for many years to come, potentially becoming harsher by the day. She emphasizes the gravity of the situation by using a metaphor where she refers to her realiza- tion and perception of the fact that she is persecuted and not accepted by most of society–sometimes even in her own Black community–as the rust on the razor that is dangerously close to harming her, and is potentially a very painful truth. She addresses the fact that she feels like she does not belong, which is an issue that she would later have to deal with more in depth. Humans have a way of following the crowd. When one person does something, others repeat. Some authors, and artists, use this effect to inspire others to share their stories and speak up, the same way that they do through their own work. Maya Angelou, an African American writer, who intricately expresses her feelings, opinions, and experiences in her poems and books, encourages many struggling Black women to face the roots of their struggles and not stay silenced. The historical context Maya Angelou was surrounded in while she grew up influenced her memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, which, in turn, influenced the struggle of Black women against racial and gender discrimination in the US during the 1960’s and beyond.

The vulnerability, misogyny, and discrimination that Black women have had to overcome for centuries, which Maya Angelou portrays and carefully outlines in her writing, impacted and inspired her into writing her memoir, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In the very beginning of the book, after escaping an overwhelming situation in church, the author depicts what it is like to constantly be under such pressure by expressing that “if growing up is painful for the Southern Black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat. It is an unnecessary insult” (Angelou 6). Here, Maya describes the