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Regular Session, 2014
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 179
BY SENATOR BROOME
CONDOLENCES. Expresses the condolences of the Louisiana State Senate upon the death
of famed poet, author, and activist, Dr. Maya Angelou.
A RESOLUTION1
To express the sincere condolences of the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the2
death of famed poet, author, and activist, Dr. Maya Angelou.3
WHEREAS, it is with deep regret and profound sorrow that the Louisiana State4
Senate has learned of the death of Dr. Maya Angelou, at the age of eighty-six, at her home5
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 selflessly shared her talents as8
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 SR NO. 179
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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, Dr. Angelou become a part of the Harlem Writers Guild in6
New York and 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 met10
Nelson Mandela, who became a lifelong friend, and Malcolm X, whom she remained close11
to until his assassination, in 1965; and12
WHEREAS, Dr. Angelou was also a close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; she13
helped Dr. King organize the Poor People's March in Memphis, Tennessee, where the civil14
rights leader was slain on her fortieth birthday; and15
WHEREAS, in 1971, Dr. 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
presidential recognition with a National Medal of Arts and an honorary National Book30 SR NO. 179
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Award; and1
WHEREAS, Dr. Angelou was also one of the first black women film directors; her2
work on Broadway was nominated for Tony Awards in addition to countless other honors3
she received throughout her lifetime, including thirty honorary degrees, two NAACP Image4
Awards, and three Grammy awards; and5
WHEREAS, Dr. Angelou was a role model to millions across the globe; her work6
inspired dignitaries and heads of state around the world and she will be remembered as a7
Renaissance woman, a cultural pioneer, and a beacon of hope and light; and8
WHEREAS, Dr. Angelou once said that she wished to be remembered as in the9
closing lines of her famous poem "Still I Rise": "Leaving behind nights of terror and fear,10
I rise; Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear, I rise; Bringing the gifts that my ancestors11
gave, I am the dream and the hope of the slave; I rise; I rise; I rise"; and12
WHEREAS, Dr. Angelou's life was a gift to the world and it is wholly appropriate13
to express condolences upon her death; she leaves behind a rich, renown history of literary14
works and poems that will forever speak of the profoundness and greatness of15
Dr. Maya Angelou.16
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana17
does hereby express condolences upon the death of Dr. Maya Angelou; does hereby18
recognize her life as a treasure to the United States and the world; does hereby19
commemorate her journey as a black woman born poor who went on to write and recite the20
most popular presidential inaugural poem in history; does hereby record for prosperity her21
contributions as an activist and author who recorded and celebrated the experience of being22
black in the United States; and does hereby express the deep regret of the entire state upon23
the loss of this legendary and iconic woman.24
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the25
family of Dr. Maya Angelou.26 SR NO. 179
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The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by J. Ashley Mitchell.
DIGEST
Broome SR No. 179
Expresses condolences upon the death of famed poet, author, and activist,
Dr. Maya Angelou.