Born April 4, 1928

St. Louis, Missouri

Poet, author, actress, director

"Her personal outreach to improve conditions for women in the Third World, primarily in Africa, has helped change the lives of thousands less privileged."
—Cited from the Women's International Center Web site
Maya Angelou. © Bettmann/Corbis. Reproduced by permission.

Decades before she rose to great acclaim in the arts, Maya Angelou was breaking down barriers and laying the groundwork for her life's mission of helping others. As a teenager during World War II (1939–45), she became the first black American streetcar conductor in San Francisco, California. She also witnessed firsthand the removal of thousands of Japanese American citizens from San Francisco by the War Relocation Authority (WRA). These citizens were forced to leave their homes and evacuate to camps spread throughout the United States. The tragic scene made a lasting impression on Angelou, who worked to...