- 1986
In "All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes,"
Maya Angelou tells of being swept up in the Pan
African movement of the 1960s. She leaves the
United States to live in Ghana, West Africa. There,
new and interesting people come into her life.
Angelou weaves her experiences with the people
and the country into a page
turner that, like her previous
autobiographical volumes,
has become a gem to -both
readers and critics.
Angelou labels herself
and the other black
Americans who "returned"
to Africa during this time
period as "Revolutionist
Returnees." She tells of how
she and other expatriates
often met in Ghana to dis
cuss their experiences and
juxtapose them to the plight
of their brothers and sisters
back home. She writes with great detail of when
her good friend Malcolm X visits Ghana after he
makes a hijja to Mecca. He tells Angelou that he
has parted ways with the Nation of Islam and
Elijah Muhammad, and has befriended some
whites.
Angelou also writes about her stormy relation
ship with an African man, her son's transition to
manhood, of how being American - black skin or
not - was not always embraced in the motherland.
2002
"Her writing is as gentle as a mist and as
powerful as daybreak."
That is what a Chicago Sun-Times reviewer
said after reading "A Song Flung Up to Heaven,"
the last book in Maya Angelou's autobiographical
series.
Angelou starts the book writing about her
return to the United States from Ghana. Not long
after touching down on
American soil, she copes
with a series of personal
tragedies.
She is there when
Watts and other parts of
Los Angeles go up in
flames as a result of riots.
In 1965 s her friend
Malcolm X is gunned
downed in Harlem. Three
years later, she is devastat
ed when Dr. King is assas
sinated on her 40th birth
day.
Their deaths are part of the reason that
Angelou starts to compile the stories of her life.
She writes about how the publication of her first
autobiography, "I Know Why the Caged Bird
Sings," comes to be when James Baldwin invites
her to a dinner party where guests insist that she
tell her story.
Angelou also writes about her search to find a
career away from performing. That search would
eventually lead her to Winston-Salem and Wake
Forest University, where she has been a member
of the faculty since the 1980s.
File Photo
Maya Angelou, seen here at one of her many appearances at Special Occasions, signs one of her children's
books for two local kids. 0
Tribute to
a Role Model
When we met Dr. Angelou, we never imagined
the role that she would play in our lives. She was
unmistakable, maneuvering the Silas Creek Par
Course; Ed, always impulsive, asked for her auto
graph. It was spring 1983, and we were enjoying a
break from the classrooms where we taught. Neither
managing a business nor owning a bookstore had
entered our thinking.
As life unfolded and we entered the entrepre
_ _ neurial arena, we
Reflections from were drawn to Dr.
Friends & Neighbors Angelou. Perhaps it
was the encourage
ment that she gave our fledgling venture, maybe it
was her almost magnetic attraction whenever we
were in her presence or it might have been the open
arms that embraced us when our paths crossed.
For example, at a national bookseller's conven
tion in Miami where she was the featured author,
imagine our elation when she exclaimed "Winston
Salem! Home people! My friends, the McCarters!"
Our connection, however, goes beyond out
ward/visible actions. The book signings, publicity,
introductions, invitations, suggestions and opportu
nities that we shared have undoubtedly contributed
to the longevity and success of our business, for
which we are extremely grateful. Equally signifi
cant, however, is the private/personal bond that has
been established; the life lessons that she teaches as
a citizen of the world; the indomitable pride that is
so much more than the title of a poem; the loyalty
to friends; the empathy for the plight of the unfot^_
tunate and her dedi
cation to Godly serv
ice are a few of the
messages that'' she
conveys, not only to
us, but to everyone
with whom she
comes into contact -
meek and lowly,
high and mighty. The
unique affeqtion of
her friends calls
them from through
out the nation and
abroad to feast, not
only on perfectly
prepared food, but to
share her wisdom,
condor, talent and
the exquisite beauty
of belonging.
Ed and Miriam McCarter
Dr. Angelou's
influence in our personal and professional lives is
heartfelt and intricate. We have truly been enriched
by what began as a chance encounter. We endeavor
to share with others the richness of our experience
with a truly phenomenal woman - another lesson
that she lives.
Ed and Miriam McCarter are community ~
activists and owners of Special Occasions, a \~7
. popular East Winston hook and gift shop. '