| Years |
Age |
Events |
| 1928 |
0 |
Born in St. Louis, Missouri |
| 1931 |
3 |
Parents divorce; moves to Stamps, Arkansas with grandmother |
| 1935 |
7 |
Sexually abused by mother’s boyfriend; becomes mute for several years |
| 1940 |
12 |
Moves to San Francisco with mother |
| 1944 |
16 |
Graduates from high school; studies dance and drama at the California Labor School |
| 1951 |
23 |
Marries Tosh Angelos |
| 1952 |
24 |
Son Guy born; records first album “Miss Calypso” |
| 1954 |
26 |
Divorces Tosh Angelos; becomes a professional dancer and singer |
| 1957 |
29 |
Moves to New York; involved in civil rights movement |
| 1960 |
32 |
Meets Martin Luther King Jr.; becomes northern coordinator for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; acts in “The Blacks” |
| 1961 |
33 |
Moves to Egypt; works as editor for The Arab Observer |
| 1964 |
36 |
Marries Vusumzi Make; moves to Ghana |
| 1965 |
37 |
Publishes first book of poetry, “Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water ‘Fore I Dine” |
| 1969 |
41 |
Publishes memoir “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” |
| 1970 |
42 |
Appointed writer-in-residence at Wake Forest University |
| 1972 |
44 |
Writes script and music for the film “Georgia, Georgia,” first African American woman with produced feature film |
| 1973 |
45 |
Marries L. C. Ford |
| 1977 |
49 |
Nominated for a Tony Award for role in “Look Away” |
| 1980 |
52 |
Divorces L. C. Ford |
| 1981 |
53 |
Awarded NAACP Image Award for “The Heart of a Woman” |
| 1993 |
65 |
Reads poem “On the Pulse of Morning” at President Bill Clinton’s inauguration |
| 2011 |
83 |
Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom |
| 2014 |
86 |
Dies in Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
