HLS 14RS-5890 ORIGINAL
Page 1 of 4
Regular Session, 2014
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 194
BY REPRESENTATIVES JAMES, BADON, BARROW, WESLEY BISHOP, BURRELL,
COX, DIXON, FRANKLIN, GAINES, HONORE, HUNTER, KATRI NA
JACKSON, JEFFERSON, TERRY LANDRY, NORTON, PIERRE, PRICE,
SMITH, THIERRY, ALFRED WILLIAMS, PATRICK WILLIAMS, AND
WOODRUFF
CONDOLENCES: Expresses condolences upon the death of famed poet and author Dr.
Maya Angelou
A RESOLUTION1
To express the condolences of the House of Representatives upon the death of famed poet,2
author, and activist, Dr. Maya Angelou.3
WHEREAS, it is with deep regret and profound sorrow that the Louisiana House of4
Representatives has learned of the death of Dr. Maya Angelou, at the age of eighty-six, at5
her home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina; and6
WHEREAS, charismatic and passionate, warm and wise, formidable without being7
forbidding, Maya Angelou's life was a gift to the world; she shared her talents so selflessly8
as a professor, singer, dancer, actress, author, poet, and activist, and it is appropriate to9
commemorate her life and legacy; and10
WHEREAS, Marguerite Johnson was born on April 4, 1928, in St. Louis, Missouri,11
to Vivian Baxter Johnson and Bailey Johnson; she grew up between St. Louis and Stamps,12
Arkansas, and spent her early years studying dance and drama in San Francisco before13
dropping out at age fourteen, instead becoming the city's first African-American female14
cable car conductor; and15
WHEREAS, due to tragic and unfortunate events in her childhood, Maya did not16
speak for many years as an adolescent; out of her silence, a star of world-famed magnitude17
was born; and18 HLS 14RS-5890 ORIGINAL
HR NO. 194
Page 2 of 4
WHEREAS, Maya later returned to high school to finish her diploma and gave birth1
a few weeks after graduation; as she waited tables to support her son, she acquired a passion2
for music and dance; and3
WHEREAS, Maya toured Europe in the mid-1950s in the opera production "Porgy4
and Bess"; in 1957, she recorded her first album, "Calypso Lady"; and5
WHEREAS, in 1958, Angelou become a part of the Harlem Writers Guild in New6
York and so played a queen in "The Blacks," an off-Broadway production by French7
dramatist Jean Genet; and8
WHEREAS, Dr. Angelou worked as a coordinator for the Southern Christian9
Leadership Conference, and lived for years in Egypt and Ghana, where she met Nelson10
Mandela, who became a lifelong friend, and Malcolm X, whom she remained close to until11
his assassination, in 1965; and12
WHEREAS, Dr. Angelou was also a close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; she13
helped King organize the Poor People's March in Memphis, Tennessee, where the civil rights14
leader was slain on her fortieth birthday; and15
WHEREAS, in 1971, Angelou published the Pulitzer Prize-nominated poetry16
collection "Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'Fore I Die"; and17
WHEREAS, Dr. Angelou's most revered and acclaimed work was "I Know Why the18
Caged Bird Sings", which was described as a work of art which eludes description, a tough,19
funny, lyrical voice that transforms her story from a litany of isolation and suffering into a20
hymn of glorious human endurance; it made literary history as the first nonfiction best-seller21
by an African-American woman; and22
WHEREAS, Dr. Angelou was most famous for her poems and books, which were23
uplifting, inspiring, and motivating literary masterpieces; in 1993, she was asked to recite24
her famous classic, "On the Pulse of Morning" at President Bill Clinton's inauguration in25
1993 and for President George W. Bush, she read "Amazing Peace," at the 2005 Christmas26
tree lighting ceremony at the White House; and27
WHEREAS, in 2011, President Barack Obama awarded Dr. Angelou with the28
country's highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom; she also received29 HLS 14RS-5890 ORIGINAL
HR NO. 194
Page 3 of 4
presidential recognition with a National Medal of Arts and an honorary National Book1
Award; and2
WHEREAS, Dr. Angelou was also one of the first black women film directors; her3
work on Broadway was nominated for Tony Awards in addition to countless other honors4
she received throughout her lifetime, including thirty honorary degrees, two NAACP Image5
Awards, and three Grammy awards; and6
WHEREAS, Dr. Angelou was a role model to millions across the globe; her work7
inspired dignitaries and heads of state around the world and she will be remembered as a8
Renaissance woman, a cultural pioneer, and a beacon of hope and light; and9
WHEREAS, Dr. Angelou's life was a gift to the world and it is wholly appropriate10
to express condolences upon her death; she leaves behind a rich, renowned history of literary11
works and poems that will forever speak of the profoundness and greatness of Dr. Maya12
Angelou.13
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the14
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby express condolences upon the death of Dr. Maya15
Angelou; does hereby recognize her life as a treasure to the United States and the world;16
does hereby commemorate her journey as a black woman born poor who went on to write17
and recite the most popular presidential inaugural poem in history; does hereby record for18
posterity her contributions as an activist and author who recorded and celebrated the19
experience of being black in the United States; and does hereby express the deep regret of20
the entire state upon the loss of this legendary and iconic woman.21
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be transmitted22
to the family of Dr. Maya Angelou.23
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Dr. Angelou once said that she wished to be24
remembered as in the closing lines of her famous poem "Still I Rise": "Leaving behind25
nights of terror and fear, I rise; Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear, I rise; Bringing the26
gifts that my ancestors gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave; I rise; I rise; I rise".27 HLS 14RS-5890 ORIGINAL
HR NO. 194
Page 4 of 4
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
James HR No. 194
Expresses condolences upon the death of Dr. Maya Angelou.