Birth of Maya Angelou

On 04/04/1928, Maya Angelou was born as Marguerite Annie Johnson in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. She was the second child of Bailey Johnson, a navy dietitian and doorman, and Vivian Baxter Johnson, a nurse and card dealer. Her older brother, Bailey Johnson Jr., later played a key role in her childhood and gave her the nickname “Maya,” derived from “my” or “my sister.” Angelou’s early childhood included periods spent in both St. Louis and Stamps, Arkansas, where she was sent with her brother to live with their paternal grandmother after her parents separated. These early experiences, including family transitions and life in the segregated American South, later became central themes in her autobiographical writing. She recounted her early years in detail in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969), the first volume of her seven book autobiographical series. Her birth in 1928 marked the beginning of a life that would span roles as a poet, memoirist, performer, educator, and civil rights participant. The name Marguerite Annie Johnson remained her legal name, while “Maya Angelou” later became her professional identity during her early performing career.