She was born and spent a majority of her childhood in my home city, St. Louis, Mo. We have a kinship in my eyes. I feel like I understand (in part) the way she grew up; the neighborhoods; the people. STL is a hard, downtrodden city where a lot of souls are crushed.....hers was too but still she rose. I read, "I Know why the Caged Bird Sings" when I was fifteen years old. The book saddened me and gave me hope. It opened my eyes to some things I couldn't swallow at the stage in my life but to this day I will never forget some of that prose. Maybe the most important thing one human can do for another human is to give them a sense of hope; a sense of strength; a glimpse at what they can be. Maya Angelou dedicated her life to passing these things on to other people. She found a way to rise from poverty, abandonment, and abuse and turn them into Love. That's something....to self teach Love.
With her passing, Twitter and FB blew up. I'm definitely cool with that because even if people didn't know her work or her story then maybe now they may take the time to find out for themselves. It can only help your life to have her teachings in it. Even if some idiots use her legacy and name in a negative light it's cool 'cause I was reminded many times yesterday of something she said long ago, "Nothing can dim the light which shines from within."
-tshurn
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